So I installed the ever-popular Line Out Converter by Install Edge (rockford) taking extra care not to damage anything, but when it came time to do a test run (before running all the wires), I plugged the negative terminal back into the battery and turned the car on only to find that the stereo (stock) wouldnt turn on. No "CODE" on the screen or anything, just black like I'd forgotten to plug it back in. After alot of scratching my head, I tried entering the security code for the heck of it and the sound of the radio came right through the speakers. NO SCREEN STILL! After a quick dry run of my amp and subs, the line out converter works as advertised, but I'd rather be able to see the screen than have bass at this point...

...Here's what I've checked:
-Took the center unit off and re-installed 3 times.
-Unplugged all connectors and checked for bent pins/dirt/wire seperation.
-Checked all fuses under the driver's side dash and in the fuse box next to the battery under the hood.
-Tested all other operations I could think of (lights/keyless entry/stereo functions)

I'm all out of ideas, so any of yours that you want to give me are more than welcome, thanks...

 

do your dash lights work too?

 

did you try pushing the volume knob in to turn it on?

 

Dash lights work and dim as advertised, and I can turn the stereo on and off by pressing the volume nob in like normal. I'm going to disect the unit to see if the screen itself is damaged (maybe from the twisting of the panel while releasing the clips?).

 

Did you hook up the HVAC control harnesses. One of them control the backlighting for the head unit and that could be why you don't see anything.

 

yup, each time I've pulled the unit out, I've checked to make sure there were no pinched or disconnected wires. All connectors are in ship-shape and snap into their respective sockets nice and firm. Good find though, where would one find that information?

 

Figure it out yet?

 

I have my stock head unit right next to me. There are no exposed ribbons to kink or break, there must have been a cold solder in your head unit itself. Take it to your dealer should be under warranty... provided the wiring you did behind the head unit looks very professional.

 

WHY~?~?~

you have electronics warranty for at least a year... maybe 2... ask the dealership for this info.

 

For those who were wondering about warranty service/replacement and why I didnt just default to that, it wasnt about the wiring I'd done or anything like that, I was so torn between keeping the head unit stock in the first place, I thought I'd learn from the experience and give it a shot myself. Breaking it would give me a reason to put an aftermarket one in. I love this kind of stuff. Anyways, back to the stereo...

So I removed the brackets and cd/stereo unit from the back of the screen and inspected it for anything out of the ordinary. Everything looked good at first, then I noticed something very subtle. A thin piece of metal on the face of the cd/stereo unit was slightly bent (in the same area where a stubborn clip had caused me to pull a little harder than I felt comfortable with during initial removal). The metal was bent just enough to look as though it might prevent a pin or two on the cd/stereo unit from connecting to the screen portion (which I never removed from the panel). After bending it back flush, everything looked to match up well, so I tried it out. Works fine now.

My apologies for the lack of pictures, I regret not taking any and would love to point out the bent piece should someone have a picture of the back of the stock head unit...