Expert: Cleggsan - 11/15/2008

Question
hello im wondering if you could give me any advice regarding my car cd player. i have a acura integra and the original cd player. when i turn on a cd or fm radio it plays for about ten seconds then becomes really static and the sound shuts off, then i have to wait for a few min. and the sound comes back and the pattern continues.  i checked the wiring and have no clue what this could be. any ideas?

Answer
It sounds like the audio amplifier is going into protection.  This is caused when a shorted condition is seen by the output of the amplifier.  Shorts can be caused by bad wiring (such as a short caused where wire insulation has rubbed off and shorted to metal) or a bad speaker (such as a shorted voice coil in one of the speakers).

You might try disconnecting each speaker one at a time and see if that solve the problem.  The bad speaker will have to be replaced.

If the speakers all seem to be okey then you should check the wiring for shorts.  Do you know how to use an ohmmeter?  You can purchase a VOM (with built in ohmmeter function) at Home Depot or Walmart for under $10 - if that will help.

Let me know if you can't solve the problem.

C