Aftermarket Audio Equipment Install Issue

mchiles · November 15, 2003

I have a 2003 Chevy Sububan Z71 with OnStar and a Delphi/Bose in-dash 6-CD changer with built-in XM satellite radio and steering wheel audio controls.

I prefer XM programming, while the wife prefers Sirius. We had both XM and Sirius FM modulated units in the 2001 Suburban we just traded for this 2003.

I had a FM modulated Sirius unit by Kenwood installed in the new 2003 Suburban

And the issue is.... That when the truck's engine is turned off, the aftermarket audio units also turn off even though the trucks in-dash radio stays on for ten minutes or until the driver's door is opened.

The installer at Circuit City said that the many of the newer GM vehicles have audio units that do not have an accessory power lead or a remote "turn on" lead that can signal external amps or CD changers to turn on or off. So my choices are to have the Kenwood/Sirius unit hook directly to the battery and be always "ON" or have the Kenwood/Sirius only on when the truck is "ON", regardless if the OEM radio is on or off.

Is this correct? Isn't there some way that an aftermarket satellite radio unit, external CD changer or entertainment center can be powered "ON" or "OFF" at the same time and/or by the same circuit as the factory audio unit?

This was not an issue with our 2001 truck. This same Kenwood/Sirius unit would stay on as long as the factory radio stayed on. However, the dash, driver information center and radio have all changed in 2003 from previous years. Perhaps the radio wiring has also??

Help... Anyone have an idea how to get around this issue?? What fuse to tap or wire to splice into?. Is there an aftermarket wiring harness I can buy and have installed? Is there some way that we can get the aftermarket audio equipment to stay as long as the OEM audio equipment stays on???

Thanks for any information or insight into this issue.

Mark Chiles

Rocky Mount, NC

kdm101 · November 29, 2003

I know this is a bit late from the initial post, but perhaps this could be useful to somebody.

First, the comment about factory systems not having a power remote lead is usually correct. However, this does not mean that it can not be rigged up. The installers at these places, be it best buy, circus city, or whereever, are interested in speed, so they're not going to do something "extra" (unless they're going to charge extra for it). They probably just tapped the most convenient power source available - most likely the cigarette lighter/power outlet circuit since it's right there in the dash.

If you want any other "accessories" to stay on when the ignition is turned off, then all you need to do is tap the correct wire for your power. According to my service manual, the color coding of the wires are as follows:

Switched power to radio - dark green

Constant power to radio - orange

The orange wire comes from the main electrical center under the hood, while the dk. green wire comes from the dash fuse panel at the left side. You'd want to tap that dark green wire for your satellite receiver. Open your fuse panel on the dash, and look for the fuse "RDO 1". This should be the fuse with the dark green wire. I haven't traced mine, but I got this out of the service manual wiring schematics. If you tap the wire post-fuse, then you would probably want to change to a 15 amp. If you tap pre-fuse, then you'll need to put a fuse onto the new lead for your receiver unit.

Steve1020 · December 1, 2003

Ditto.

The Radio has a timer on the relay side to keep the power hot till the door is opened and shuts off. Just tap your sat radio into he main power wire and not the memory and you should be good to go.

I tapped my wife's radar detector into the map / courtesy light switch and it turns on automatically as soon as the door opens and the map / courtesy light lights up.

She can leave the vehicle and although the radar detector is still powered, it will turn out after several minutes.

I would never take any vehicle to CC or BB to have anything installed in my car period! My best friend had a Mitsubishi 3000? he took to BB to have a radio installed and while he was waiting, there was a loud boom and what appeared to be smoke coming out of his car, he ran into the installation bay along with a manager, and somehow the idiot installer cut a yellow "DO NOT CUT" airbag wire and deployed the drivers side airbag. The "smoke" was the powder residue from the bag deployment. Needless to say he was without his car for an additional 3 weeks, 1 week to order and install the bag from Mitsubishi, and another 2 weeks to get BB to pay the bill for the repair.

Steve