Saturn Radio HELP - FUSE?

First off, 400$ for a new radio unit is WAY too much. I paid 250$ for a nice aftermarket radio/CD.

Secondly, putting in bigger than the recommended fuse is, well, not recommended. Fuses are protective devices, and if they are blowing it means that something is wrong ;)

All that said it sounds like you have a short circuit - that is, wires are making contact with things they shouldn't - ie, the metal frame around the center cluster.

I would pull the radio out and check the harness wires to see if they could have been accidentally jammed into the steel frame and have damaged insulation - check carefully. Check to be sure that the connector which links the radio to the car wiring (it is a black block which looks like an odd shaped plug with lots of colored wires coming out of it) is secure and the two ends are connected solidly.

While it is _possible_ that the radio itself is at fault, it seems more likely the wiring.

If the wiring is damaged, don't just put electrical tape on it - go to radioshack and look into using one of the following types of connectors to repair the wiring:

If the wiring which goes into the radio itself is damaged, you may have to hit a junkyard and see if you can just find a new one. Also, by putting bigger fuses in than are meant to be, the radio itself could possibly be damaged.

HTH,

-rj

mom324929 wrote:

Somewere a wire is hitting ground. Maybe in the radio. Get a nice aftermarket. Much better and way cheaper. Many big electronic stores will install cheap or free... depending on the sale. $150 is about what you need. Depending if you need 6 CD or just radio.