Aftermarket stereo & Keyless entry fiasco - help needed!

[Ramshackle]

A couple of days ago I bought a 97 Civic EX to use on my commutes. The only thing I wanted to do to it was replace the existing aftermarket head unit with a more modern one that would allow me to hook up my iPod. I figured no big deal - got the great PDF from the Install Doctor on how to remove the stereo, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. Until....

I should back up and say that once I got the existing headunit out of the dash and disconnected it, I tested the keyless entry and it was working. Reading the PDF, I was aware that the original radio still must be hooked up, and I wanted to make sure I didn't mess up the keyless entry along the way. Sure enough, in the spot behind the cup holders, I could see the back of what looked like the original factory unit, with the green and white connectors plugged in. I could trace their wiring to a spliced junction between it and the aftermarket wiring. I should also note that the wiring looked professionally done and was very very clean.

So my next step was to wire in the new head unit. Nothing out of the ordinary here - all the colors matched up and I followed the Install Doctor's instructions on the order in which to connect each wire. Then, I plugged the wire bundle into the back of the new head unit and turned the key to power it on.

Nothing. No power to the stereo at all. Everything else seemed to be working fine, and I started the car normally, but still had no indication that the stereo was getting any juice.

At this point, I assumed I just had a bad connection someplace, maybe one of the two power wires. But just to make sure that things weren't messed up too badly, I disconnected the wires from the back of the head unit and then tried the keyless entry again.

Uh-oh. Not working!

So now I'm confused: I seem to be in the same state I was in when I had simply disconnected the previous aftermarket head unit, but now the keyless entry has stopped working.

The first thing that occurred to me was that I blew a fuse. I checked the fuse for the radio, but it was fine.

Knowing that the factory unit is responsible for the keyless entry, I turned my sights to that. I couldn't find anything obviously wrong - wiring looked solid, but after many minutes of futile poking around, I decided to take it out and examine it anyway.

Now I'm really confused. It definitely seems to be something like a factory deck, but it has no face! Where the face should be, it was just duct-taped over! See attached pics for what I mean. I verified that it is a factory unit of sorts because it has a part number on the top sticker of "39110-S01-A010-M1".

So that's where I am now. I can't even try to reset the key fob with the stereo because to do that you need to use the buttons on the front, and there is no front.

Kind of an odd tale, I know, but I'm hoping one of you Honda geniuses will be able to pull something out of your seemingly endless bag of tricks. Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[eskateboarding7]

I don't remember needing to use the face of the radio to program the keyfob....I'm pretty sure it's a series of key cycles and button pressing on the fob. Looks like someone removed the radio face to make it fit more easily behind the dash. As for your power issue (your story is not very clear, so I'm not even sure if you are still having trouble), you are not going to be able to figure anything out without a multimeter. If you don't know how to use one, I suggest you either pick one up and learn, or drive down to Best Buy and pay for a troubleshoot. I know that BB does not have the best reputation overall, but some locations (like the one I work for) have good guys. We are all MECP certified, but grab an Advanced or Master installer if you are still skeptical.

 

[eskateboarding7]

oh boy, ur tellign my that the unit in the pictures was already installed behind the dash and there was a aftermarket cd player installed correctly.

you wanted to replace the aftermarket head unit and found this old unit behind it????

ive got an 06 civic and in order to get the cd player to work in that thing u have to enter a code on the face.

now that u have no face and a aftermarket unit ur boned/


you might wanna get a complete wiring harness and start anew. i think you can install a aftermarket unit and refab the keyless entry

The 97 Civic did not require a radio code. To my knowledge some, but not all 98's started implementing the codes, so I doubt this is his problem since he owns a 97. Regardless, he would still be getting voltage.

 

[Ramshackle]

Thanks for the prompt reply, eskateboarding7. Yes, I am still having trouble: the keyless entry won't work at all anymore, nor will my new aftermarket head unit. I haven't tried hooking up the old aftermarket head unit.

In any case, the multimeter is a good idea, I don't know why I didn't think of that. But I just tried it and neither the ignition nor battery wires (red nor yellow) seem to have juice.

Any idea on what I can do now?

 

[Ramshackle]

Okay, scratch that: my multimeter was busted. I got a new one and just tested the ignition and battery power lines. Ignition has 12V and Battery has 2V (not sure if that is an important detail because I thought they're both 12V, but I'm not very electrically inclined).

So they appear to have juice, but I'm still in the boat of having nothing show up on the new head unit, and my keyless entry still doesn't work. What can I try next?

 

[lethal6]

2 volts is NOT enough for the constant power wire.

 

[Ramshackle]

Okay, thanks. Even if that's so, shouldn't I get power to the stereo once I start the car and the ignition wire takes over?

In any case, what should I try next?

 

[lethal6]

If you are getting power with key but not constant power, every time you shut the car off you will lose everything. All of your settings, adjustments, clock, presets, etc will erase.

I can't help any farther I am afraid. I don't mess with the factory keyless/stereo combos. I haven't had one that has needed it and they are too much of a pain for me to tackle.

If it were me, I would rewire the aftermarket stereo separate (stop trying to tap into the original wires) and rewire the keyless. That or get rid of it and wire in an alarm that has keyless.

All that you would need to do is to tap the alarm into the power door switch wires. Did it on mine that didn't have factory keyless. It was quite easy, but I have been working with car electronics and alarms on the side for almost 15 years now.