Cadillac Repair/98 deville

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Expert: - 8/30/2010


Question
i just bought this 98 deville and it has an aftermarket deck in it the shows no power and i have checked the fuses and there not blown and tried different 2 other decks and even had a best buy geek sqad guy install a brand new one that i bought today incase i was doing something wrong  so i know its not the deck or the fuses. is there anything else it could be?

Answer
Hello,

Are you aware that there is more than one fuse box?

The deck needs 2 forms of power. One for memory and switched power for the unit.

If after checking the other fuse box and you don't have power, on one of the fuse blocks you will see ign 1, ignition 2. Get the proper connector to attach to one of the ignition terminals. Run a wire up to the stereo. Don't forget to run an in line fuse. You should have switched power.

For constant power for the memory, you can tie into cigarette lighter.

If this information assisted you please rate my answer.

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Rob Painter

Expertise

Alarm system questions cannot be answered on this forum. These systems are not what I can answer. Without being physically at the vehicle and not knowing what kind of electrical service has been done on the vehicle, there is no possible way to give an accurate answer over the internet. My expertise is in Ignition/key based anti-theft systems. These issues include GM VATS (resistor chip in key blade) PASSLOCK (MRD)-ignition lock rotation based, no special ignition key and the PKIII Transponder (computer chip in key) systems. These systems are not alarm based and are integral with the starting of the engine. This is why I cannot diagnose alarm problems without physically looking at the vehicle: Alarm systems are a completely different annimal than ignition key/lock based anti-theft system. Many alarm questions come from vehicles 10 years old, and since older, many hands that had been involved over the years.I am an expert in all GM factory (ignition/key based)systems. Alarm system questions pose to many situations beyond my knowledge as to what has been done to the vehicle over the years. Some guy may have actually wired the stereo into the alarm system. Who knows? Over my past 30 years in vehicle wiring repair, I have seen unbelievable wiring disaters done by guys that consider themselves "mechanics." I have seen stereos and alarms intalled using surgical tape. I have seen modules burn up, un-fused circuits, wiring jambed between the doors and even lamp cord used for a starter kill. To answer alarm questions over the internet without examining the vehicle is like asking; What does it take to remove a dent?

Experience

Education/Credentials-ASE certified. 11 years with a GM dealer and 17 years with a repair facility dealing with only the repair of theft recovered vehicles.

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