[Mchristina]

Hi. I'm new here and own a 05 Accord. I recently started having the radio issue that I now see is a major problem with hondas. Its possessed! So I bought a after market radio and the OEM kit to install it below in the pocket. I've done my research and plan to install tomorrow BUT now I'm wondering, is this going to solve the issue? Is the issue the radio or the wiring behind it? If I take the time to install this jvc bluetooth radio, will it work or am I wasting my time? I've watched alot of videos on how to install it. The current radio issues is it works intermittently. And steadily getting worse. I read one article about wiring attachment behind factory radio and connections and so now I'm confused. Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks for your time.

 

[KW2004Accord]

Depends on what is causing the radio to go bad, wiring or a circuit bd. in the head unit. Mostly it is the circuit bd. Do the install, you won't know until after you installed the new one. Crutchfield is a good resource. Do you presently have a single or 6 disc cd changer ? In the early 7th. generations Honda contracted with 2 company's for the head unit. The parent co. of Panasonic (radio's built in Japan) & Alpine which then sourced the units to be built in China. After a few yrs. the China built ones started failing & Honda had to replace them with new ones (these were built in Mexico). Many of us have had similar problems with the radio, installing an aftermarket one in the cubby seems to solve the problem. Also check all your battery connections for tightness and corrosion free, don't forget the ground wires. Welcome to DA.

 

[Mchristina]

I have the single disc. I did have a electrical issue once with dashboard lights cutting out. It was the ground wire on battery. I did go through crutchfield. The ready harness was a big plus. I will do the install and see what happens. For a while I thought it was fuses because each time I'd pull and check them, the radio would work again. But not now. It's so random. Very interesting about the origins of the radio itself. Seems like such a wide spread issue would have been recalled. Thanks for the advice! Fingers crossed this works! Being radio silent sucks. Any chance you'd know where I'd put the microphone for the bluetooth? I dont want to have to pull whole radio out, just unplug wiring from down under and behind. Only part I cant figure out. Thanks again.

 

[KW2004Accord]

When you pulled out the radio fuse then put it back in that reset the radio, it is a temp. fix but as you have found out eventually that doesn't work anymore. That tells me the radio is the problem & not the wiring. Take out the cubby pocket for better access - look here https://www.driveaccord.net/forums/gtsearch.php?q=radio install into cubby & read through here (post #10) - https://www.driveaccord.net/forums/7-audio-electronics/5443-wiring-harness-06-accord-coupe-lx.html It wasn't a recall as the problem was limited to certain cars, dealers had the option to replace or not with some dealers charging the customer for a new radio ($1200).

 

[mtts60]

Some have had problems with the circuit boards inside the radio; the resistors have bad solder joints which fail after a while.

 

[Mchristina]

Thank you very much for your help. And the links. Much appreciated!!

Mission Accomplished! Installed and working good! Thanks for the help.

 

[Mchristina]

Well I am still confused. So the new radio is installed. It works great. BUT the stock radio still comes on randomly, with no sound of course. But is that normal that the old radio still comes on and off randomly? Just like before? I thought it wouldn't after the install of new one. Wondering if that will affect anything. Thanks in advance. Here's a pic of new radio installed. I know this is a probably considered a cheap radio. Jvc. But as a female I'm actually proud I did this all by myself!

 

[mtts60]

Can you just unplug the stock radio?

 

[rookie]

Yes, stock radio stays plugged in; if I remember this right (it's been a while since I had a setup like yours) - my stock radio was always plugged in even when I had a Dual HD radio in the pocket. So you could "turn on" the stock radio but it would of course not do anything.

I have since switched out the whole thing for a Metra setup.

 

[Mchristina]

Ok thanks. I appreciate the info. I was definitely confused by that.

I installed the radio and its been working well. Except now I have a battery problem. Lately my car acts like it doesnt want to start. Last night it didnt. Had to jump it. Took it to 3 different places who all said battery, alternator, and started are good. ( battery and starter are 1 yr old) One guy asked if I had an aftermarket radio. Well yes I do. So my question is, could this new radio be pulling more power from the battery? Especially because, like I said in previous post, there is still power going to the stock radio. Yes i power the radio off every time I turn off car. Could the new radio be causing my battery to drain? If so, is there a way to cut power off to stock radio? I know wiring harness is connected because of the heat/ac component. Just trying to figure out why my car needed a jump. And why after not driving for awhile, acts like it doesnt want to start. I did once, a year ago, have a issue with a ground wire being corroded. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Im at a loss.

 

[RMN]

Try using a multimeter to check how much current the car uses when its off (with the key out of the ignition).

You can check at the battery and if there's more than a trivial amount of current, check at the individual fuses.

 

[Mchristina]

I dont know anything about multi meters. Can a place like auto zone or oreillys do this ?

 

[RMN]

maybe?

There's not very much to multimeters and you can get a cheapie from harbor freight for $6. There's a slightly different process when measuring voltage and when measuring current (google it). Plenty of youtube videos describe how to locate battery drain with a multimeter.

 

[Mchristina]

So following advice and YouTube, I did the amp draw test. It showed a 3.7 amp draw. Pulled fuses and it was the radio fuse. Whats my next step? I have no idea what I'm doing here. Thanks in advanced.

 

[mtts60]

Find out what's connected on the radio fuse line. Disconnect all of those items, then reinstall the radio fuse. Does the problem come back? If not, reconnect one device and re-test. Do that until you've found the problem.

 

[Mchristina]

I'll try that next. Thank you

 

[RMN]

3.7 A is way too much. The total parasitic draw value should be 0.03 A or less. I'd disconnect that fuse until you figure out a solution because that will kill your battery very quickly.

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/2010/12/what-normal-parasitic-draw

Sounds like the new radio is still powered when you turn the ignition off. Is the radio fuse sill powered with the ignition off in our cars? When I added a Bluetooth adapter, I searched for a fuse slot that turns off with the ignition to avoid parasitic draw issues.

 

[Mchristina]

The radio is not on when ignition is off. Im not sure how to go about looking for a fuse slot like you mentioned. For now I just have radio fuse pulled out and have no radio until I learn what to do next. I'd hate to have to remove the radio but might end up doing that. Surely I'm not the only one with this problem. Im at a loss.

 

[RMN]

What fuse it it?

 

[Mchristina]

In the interior fuse box, its fuse number 5. 2005 Honda Accord.
Right now I just have it pulled out.