reddragon105
05-08-2016, 12:43 AM
I have a 2003 Polo 1.2 where the Beta radio/cassette tape player just stopped working one day - wouldn't switch on at all.
I checked the fuse inside the dashboard (behind the panel on the far right/driver's side of the dash) and pulled the radio headunit out to check the fuse in the back of that as well. Both were okay. I also checked the radio's power cable with a multimeter to make sure it was live and sure enough it's putting out 12v.
Then, as I was putting the headunit back in, I saw that it had powered up as I reconnected the power cable and the LCD was reading 'SAFE', as it should do when it's been disconnected/reconnected, then went to '1000'. I went to get the code and the manual to see how to enter it and when I returned it still read '1000' but wouldn't let me enter the code - none of the numbers would change. The only thing it responded to was the power button and it turned off and then wouldn't turn back on again. At this point I realised that actually, when it's off and I press the power button, there is a very faint display on the LCD screen of all the digits being solid (so it looks like a series of faint squares/rectangles), so it's as if it's getting some power and responding to power on but just not booting.
After leaving it out of the car for a couple of hours I tried it again. This time I was able to enter the code as soon as it was powered up and it started to work absolutely fine - reconnected the speakers and aerial, tuned to a radio station and listened. After about 2-3 minutes the audio abruptly stopped. The LCD still showed the frequency and name of the station but wouldn't respond to any controls - except power again, which turned it off and then it wouldn't turn back on again, just the faint display.
This behaviour is consistent - it will work for 2-3 minutes after being removed (all cables unplugged) for a while and then just freeze up/stop responding. At first I thought it might be overheating but I've tried it with the headunit out of the dash and it's no warmer when it locks up than it is when it's first powered up. Another thought is that it's building up too much residual electricity (faulty capacitor?) that isn't dissipating unless it's disconnected from the power for a while.
I'm thinking it's time for a new headunit but it's interesting to note that the car has been having problems starting for the last 8 months or so - the battery kept going flat and was replaced once but the problem has recurred a couple of times since then and the car has required jump starting or charging from a mains adapter. I've tried checking for a parasitic draw and caught it drawing 0.5A once but other times it's been 0.01A. So it's possible that the radio has been fried by a jump start or perhaps it was the original fault and is actually the source of the battery drain.
Any ideas?
I checked the fuse inside the dashboard (behind the panel on the far right/driver's side of the dash) and pulled the radio headunit out to check the fuse in the back of that as well. Both were okay. I also checked the radio's power cable with a multimeter to make sure it was live and sure enough it's putting out 12v.
Then, as I was putting the headunit back in, I saw that it had powered up as I reconnected the power cable and the LCD was reading 'SAFE', as it should do when it's been disconnected/reconnected, then went to '1000'. I went to get the code and the manual to see how to enter it and when I returned it still read '1000' but wouldn't let me enter the code - none of the numbers would change. The only thing it responded to was the power button and it turned off and then wouldn't turn back on again. At this point I realised that actually, when it's off and I press the power button, there is a very faint display on the LCD screen of all the digits being solid (so it looks like a series of faint squares/rectangles), so it's as if it's getting some power and responding to power on but just not booting.
After leaving it out of the car for a couple of hours I tried it again. This time I was able to enter the code as soon as it was powered up and it started to work absolutely fine - reconnected the speakers and aerial, tuned to a radio station and listened. After about 2-3 minutes the audio abruptly stopped. The LCD still showed the frequency and name of the station but wouldn't respond to any controls - except power again, which turned it off and then it wouldn't turn back on again, just the faint display.
This behaviour is consistent - it will work for 2-3 minutes after being removed (all cables unplugged) for a while and then just freeze up/stop responding. At first I thought it might be overheating but I've tried it with the headunit out of the dash and it's no warmer when it locks up than it is when it's first powered up. Another thought is that it's building up too much residual electricity (faulty capacitor?) that isn't dissipating unless it's disconnected from the power for a while.
I'm thinking it's time for a new headunit but it's interesting to note that the car has been having problems starting for the last 8 months or so - the battery kept going flat and was replaced once but the problem has recurred a couple of times since then and the car has required jump starting or charging from a mains adapter. I've tried checking for a parasitic draw and caught it drawing 0.5A once but other times it's been 0.01A. So it's possible that the radio has been fried by a jump start or perhaps it was the original fault and is actually the source of the battery drain.
Any ideas?