New stereo, no power

psa55

Original poster
Member
Oct 29, 2014
116
New Brunwick, Canada
While trying to identify my misfire with some help in another thread, I came across a great deal on the Kenwood dpx502bt which will be a nice upgrade from the factory HU. It's an LT, no Bose.

I was basically finished tonight, when I thought I better test it before I closed it all back up... when lovely... no power to the new Kenwood.

I'm using the Metra LC-GMRC-01 harness. I took my time and followed the instructions. All joints are soldered and well taped.

What am I missing here? Im not using any orange wires.. Should the yellow coming from the kenwood harness not go on the end of yellow wire, but where the wire meet at the silver junction. Or is something wrong with the red wire here? Black to Black should give me a good ground off the factory harness. This seems like it should be simple.
 

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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Stupid question, did you check the radio fuse in the fuse box under the rear seat?

Did you check for power at the two power wires on the harness? Yellow is 12V+ constant and the red is 12V+ switched with ignition. The orange is for lights. Orange/white too but calls it dimmer.

I have found for the main power wires that colours from the harness to the HU match up, as if it's a standard thing. So you should connect red to red, yellow to yellow and black to black.
 

psa55

Original poster
Member
Oct 29, 2014
116
New Brunwick, Canada
Fuse is good. Plugged factory unit back in and powered right up. It got dark out and I popped it back together with just the couple screws holding the factory stereo in till I can get back to it later in the week.

I've got red-red, yellow-yellow, and black-black. Ran out of day light. Will dig voltage meter out and test. Gonna do continuity tests as well on all connections. Just can't see what's missing here.

Could it be a silly as a I didn't have it bolted in place which would ground it? Didn't seem to an issue when putting factory unit back in
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Nope. I've always tested mine outside the dash. It's quite possible you got a bum harness adapter. Axess/Metra are not known for being the best. I've had several go bad on me.
 
Jul 21, 2018
121
Columbia, SC
Did you use a relay to provide power to the radio? Metra fails to mention this requirement in their latest doumentation...

metra-electronics-lc-gmrc-lan-01-page2.png
 
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psa55

Original poster
Member
Oct 29, 2014
116
New Brunwick, Canada
Ahh... thanks southsidesmoka! Guess I'll pick up a fuse tap or see if I can find an available spot in my fuse block and see if I can get this wired up. I'll report back!

Thanks!
 

psa55

Original poster
Member
Oct 29, 2014
116
New Brunwick, Canada
Power issue....

Tried with the relay I had wired up, but no luck... took it all apart and started with my DMM. Power issue... Soon as I found the 12V, I adjusted the harness and it powered right up and works perfectly. Look nice and aftermarket Bluetooth mic is pretty decent.

Thanks for the help guys!
 

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Jul 21, 2018
121
Columbia, SC
Power issue....

Tried with the relay I had wired up, but no luck... took it all apart and started with my DMM. Power issue... Soon as I found the 12V, I adjusted the harness and it powered right up and works perfectly. Look nice and aftermarket Bluetooth mic is pretty decent.

Thanks for the help guys!

I'm glad things worked out correctly for you, brother...just to satisfy my curiosity, did you use the relay or not? That magnificent head unit has GOT to eat more than 3 Amps of current! :yes:

- southsidesmoka
 
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psa55

Original poster
Member
Oct 29, 2014
116
New Brunwick, Canada
No relay required. I picked up the 30A relay this week and wired it up as per the instructions you shared with me. It was done correctly. When I went to put it all in and test it this morning, I still had nothing. Led to believe the issue wasn't the relay, I had something else going on.

So, I took the relay out, and started with my DMM. Pins were not connected to the 12V supply. I found the supply and plugged a lead into the test and all was good. I had to take the Metra Harness apart and add in a 12V supply and put it back together. Stereo, etc. worked as expected.

After running around town for a bit this afternoon, for $109 CAD, its a pretty nice upgrade. I read the mic wasn't great, but I mounted on the wire coverup going to rear view mirror and everyone I talked today said it was great. I picked 6.5" Bose speakers out of the back of two different wrecks last year ($20 for all four)... Sound has never been this nice.
 

hockeyman

Member
Aug 26, 2012
726
After running around town for a bit this afternoon, for $109 CAD, its a pretty nice upgrade. I read the mic wasn't great, but I mounted on the wire coverup going to rear view mirror and everyone I talked today said it was great. I picked 6.5" Bose speakers out of the back of two different wrecks last year ($20 for all four)... Sound has never been this nice.

Not sure if you have them already or not, but if not, you should upgrade to a set of 3.5" speakers in the corners of the dashboard. :Mind-Blown:
 
Jul 21, 2018
121
Columbia, SC
No relay required. I picked up the 30A relay this week and wired it up as per the instructions you shared with me. It was done correctly. When I went to put it all in and test it this morning, I still had nothing. Led to believe the issue wasn't the relay, I had something else going on.

So, I took the relay out, and started with my DMM. Pins were not connected to the 12V supply. I found the supply and plugged a lead into the test and all was good. I had to take the Metra Harness apart and add in a 12V supply and put it back together. Stereo, etc. worked as expected.

After running around town for a bit this afternoon, for $109 CAD, its a pretty nice upgrade. I read the mic wasn't great, but I mounted on the wire coverup going to rear view mirror and everyone I talked today said it was great. I picked 6.5" Bose speakers out of the back of two different wrecks last year ($20 for all four)... Sound has never been this nice.

Just a heads-up, bossman; if you ARE still using the Metra LC-GMRC-01 wiring harness as by its' indications, it is only rated to output 3 Amps...and your head-unit is rated at 10 Amps max - :Banghead: you are about to make the same mistake I did (as shown in the pictures below) and cook your R.A.P. chip / chime retention module IF you are running without the relay. Save yourself some frustration, time, trouble and money and use the relay. :2thumbsup: Best wishes in all your TrailBlazing!

20180801_232620.jpg20180801_232628.jpg20180801_232811.jpg20180801_232823.jpg20180801_232837.jpg

- southsidesmoka
 
Jul 21, 2018
121
Columbia, SC
I read your previous post, and I know it ran fine and sounded great with those Bose speakers :2thumbsup:, but a good, prolonged ride at higher volume will render you some smoke and burned electronics (along with that unmistakable smell of cooked silicon) and some serious disappointment along with A LOT panic when you think your TB is on fire.

I fried my first head-unit and harness. :explode:Had to replace both - fortunately at no cost to me (thank the gods for store warranties and Amazon's incredible service). @psa55 Although troublesome, tedious and laborious, I would definitely advise you pull out your setup and install that relay, brother. You will thank yourself in the long run!

Perhaps we should get the folks at Metra on the line and inform them they need to re-insert that missing page with the relay wiring diagram in the printed LC-GMRC-01 manuals. Without it, I do see serious risk of injury and damage to personal property...just a thought.

:deadhorse:

- southsidesmoka
 
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psa55

Original poster
Member
Oct 29, 2014
116
New Brunwick, Canada
@southsidesmoka If I don't heed your warning, I'm a stupid man.... You have way more experience with this stuff than me. Drove the truck all of 25 ft today... from the driveway to my install bay (garage). Radio is out, relay is soldered in and works great. Haven't closed it up yet... here is a pic of what I've got. I would just like to confirm this is correct.. I don't want any of the issues you describe above.

Relay came with a harness prewired and colours don't match up, but they are in the correct locations.
86 - black wire going to both black ground wires (all together)
85 - green wire going to the red wire on the LC-GMRC-01
87 - red wire going to yellow wires for the LC-GMRC-01 and the Kenwood Harness all together.
30 - blue wire going to the red wire on the Kenwood Harness
yellow wire is on 87a and not connected.
 

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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Just a heads-up, bossman; if you ARE still using the Metra LC-GMRC-01 wiring harness as by its' indications, it is only rated to output 3 Amps...and your head-unit is rated at 10 Amps max - :Banghead: you are about to make the same mistake I did (as shown in the pictures below) and cook your R.A.P. chip / chime retention module

Ah hell. That's probably what blew my 3 Metras. They wouldn't turn off and got no sound, and each time was after I disconnected/reconnected the battery. :mad:
 
Jul 21, 2018
121
Columbia, SC
Ah hell. That's probably what blew my 3 Metras. They wouldn't turn off and got no sound, and each time was after I disconnected/reconnected the battery. :mad:

D'oh! It's an honest mistake to be made by anyone following the included Metra instructions as they are negligent in their lack of mentioning the necessity of using a relay to power anything that requires more than 3 Amps. I mean, hell, I blew my first one, too. Then I did the math and figured out what happened and sought out the solution we are speaking of now, @Mooseman .

I do know that when you hook up a Metra LC-GMRC-01, the module has to initialize itself before becoming functional. I'm not privy to the inner-workings of the LC-GMRC-01, but I'm willing to bet that during said initialization phase enough current to power your headunit came down the line and smoked your 3 Metras - if you disconnected and then reconnected the battery with the harness plugged into the radio without a relay, that initial burst of power is probably what cooked them.

Nothing like collective knowledge! :lightbulb:

- southsidesmoka
 
Jul 21, 2018
121
Columbia, SC
@southsidesmoka If I don't heed your warning, I'm a stupid man.... You have way more experience with this stuff than me. Drove the truck all of 25 ft today... from the driveway to my install bay (garage). Radio is out, relay is soldered in and works great. Haven't closed it up yet... here is a pic of what I've got. I would just like to confirm this is correct.. I don't want any of the issues you describe above.

Relay came with a harness prewired and colours don't match up, but they are in the correct locations.
86 - black wire going to both black ground wires (all together)
85 - green wire going to the red wire on the LC-GMRC-01
87 - red wire going to yellow wires for the LC-GMRC-01 and the Kenwood Harness all together.
30 - blue wire going to the red wire on the Kenwood Harness
yellow wire is on 87a and not connected.

@psa55 Terminal 85 is your "trigger" that engages the relay when it receives a 12V signal from the R.A.P. module's red accessory wire. Terminal 86 should be attached to your common ground. Something doesn't sound quite right with ol' terminal number 87. Terminal 87 is supposed to be connected to the battery through a fuse the same rating as the fuse in your head-unit (i.e. 10 Amps). Terminal 87 collects the current that the head-unit needs to operate. I use these nifty little "add-a-circuit" fuse taps that go right into the fuse box to get the power to terminal 87. Terminal 30 emits, or send out, the current from Terminal 87, when the relay is closed, to power the head-unit - which should be connected to terminal 30. The fifth terminal, Terminal 87a, is left unconnected just as you've done.

With that said, it sound like you've gotten it close to correct, good sir - unless I misunderstood your post. Check your wiring, my brother...I'd hate for your units to go up in a trailblaze of glory. Bad pun...I couldn't resist. Seriously, I have had my head-unit connected via a relay in the manner mentioned above with absolutely no problems since I burned the first Metra and figured out what the problem was. Plenty of sound quality and volume for hours, now. I'm rather certain that's the proper way to wire in the relay, bossman. Let us know how it goes! :popcorn:

- southsidesmoka
 
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psa55

Original poster
Member
Oct 29, 2014
116
New Brunwick, Canada
@southsidesmoka Terminal 87 is my only issue remaining. Everything else seems good. I tapped into the yellow 12V line coming from the original harness going to the kenwood harness to power the relay. It's fused at 15A coming from the fuse box under the rear seat (#41). I suspect the power getting to the Kenwood is less than that, or it would have blown the 10A fuse on the back of the head unit.

I wasn't sure if running a new line to fuse box was necessary or to do what I did above.

I did not retain OnStar. Do you think I could just put the 10A fuse in the radio slot in the fuse box, and continue on? If not, I'll run a fuse tap.
 
Jul 21, 2018
121
Columbia, SC
@southsidesmoka Terminal 87 is my only issue remaining. Everything else seems good. I tapped into the yellow 12V line coming from the original harness going to the kenwood harness to power the relay. It's fused at 15A coming from the fuse box under the rear seat (#41). I suspect the power getting to the Kenwood is less than that, or it would have blown the 10A fuse on the back of the head unit.

I wasn't sure if running a new line to fuse box was necessary or to do what I did above.

I did not retain OnStar. Do you think I could just put the 10A fuse in the radio slot in the fuse box, and continue on? If not, I'll run a fuse tap.

@psa55 There's an old saying that goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it..." So, I propose to you that if your Kenwood is running, then it it's functional and not broken; unless, however, we want to get into the specifics of electrical engineering and safety. Then, I might be tempted to say something like...

Given, ol' fuse number 41 IS the factory radio fuse and hence the factory radio circuit, it would seem perfectly alright, reasonable and even logical to run with the present wiring setup you have. I myself do have a concern or two I'd like to voice: your 2011 TB's wiring is victim to GM's infamous wire gauge problem. Typically, our beloved Chevys come with wiring that ends up breaking from routine flexing or melting through its' insulation after years of loyal service...why, you ask? I believe it's done to save money. Copper wiring is expensive. But, enough with my rant. The factory wiring you are pulling your power through was never intended to power a high-dollar deck like your Kenwood. It was designed specifically for the ACDelco units our TBs left the factory with - down to the tolerances and gauges of the wiring.

You may be running the risk of seriously damaging your electrical system if you end up pulling too much current through those factory wires and they melt through the insulation or arc at some hard-to-find point and short out something in the wire bundle travelling from the rear fuse block to the front of the truck. Even though the factory power line is fused at 15 Amps, a short could spell doom for your TB.

I know it's a few more dollars and more work, but I would seriously consider the add-a-circuit fuse tap route, my brother.

Ultimately, it is your decision as to how to proceed. Just be safe...

- southsidesmoka
 

Mektek

Member
May 2, 2017
656
FL
Even though the wire radio power wire is connected to a 15a fuse, the wire to the radio can't handle 15a. I think it's supposed to be 16 gage wire for 15a......
If you use your radio with moderate volume it should be OK nonetheless.
 

KennyM

Member
Jun 5, 2020
8
Trouble6!
I actually found yall today while I was surfing the net on the exact same problem yall have here. I know its a older thread but, maybe I hope its ok to try to copy the idea of the relay. I have a 08 Silverado Lt no bose and I added a Jvc double din with the help to keep my chimes and steering wheel control with the Matra set up and the wires from the stock plug is kicking my butt. I am trying to understand some of this cause the last time I put a radio in a car was back when sparkomatic made a cassette adapter to plug in a 8 track slot-lololo.
 
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