aftermarket cd player probs

i have recently bought a pioneer mp3 player for my 147. the only way i could get this to work is link the yellow (memory) cable to the red (live) cable as there is no yellow memory cable on the car's stereo loom. i have found that this has caused a problem though. if i leave the car for over 3 days the battery drains and i need to jump start the car. has anyone else had this problem and is there any way around this? as i only tend to use the car on weekends and come friday i have to jump start the car.

any input on this situation would be greatly appreciated.

also i have found that there is no way of linking the steering wheel controls up to the unit either as there is just a standard auxilaury input for an external remote. is there any way that i could use part of my standard cd player unit loom to possibly connect to an auxilaury pin to plug into the back of the new unit?

again, any info much apreciated.

cheers

tom

Did you use a wiring adaptor that converts the Alfa wiring to third party wiring?

For steering controls you will need something like this

Car Audio Direct for car stereo, navigation and audiovisual electronics.

your problem is a normal part of owning a fiat. the solution is to take the faceplate off, then the drain is virtually non-existant. if that isnt the case for you then your pioneer must have a fault, because it isnt a cheapy chinese headunit so it definately wont drain when faceplate is removed.

unfortunatly the unit is not face off, and the car's wiring plugs straight into the head unit loom. i was thinking of running a seperate hidden switch somewhere on the live for the unit but leave the memory conected?

I thought the stereo +12v feed on
the 147 wasn't switched.

You can turn the stereo on without
the keys in the ignition.


So sounds like it's wired up as always
on at the moment.


The steering wheels button are not connected
to the stereo directly, they go through the CANBus
so you'd need something to interface between the
CANBus and your new stereo to get them working.

would help if you told us exactly what model pioneer HU.

the YELLOW wire on the pioneer (and virtually all aftermarket HUs) is the main powerwire to supply juice to the unit to function. plus it provides memory backup for all settings/radio. so it must be connected to the main 'constant' +12V powerwire in the plug, which is wire #7 in the alfa plug.

the RED wire on the pioneer is 'meant' to be for a 'switched'/ACC +12V powerwire. one that is 0V with key at OFF, and +12V with key at ACC/ON. of course, fiat's/alfa's do not have such a wire in the plug. as such, most people also connect this to the main powerwire, #7. this means the HU does not turn off when you turn the key to OFF. this wire does NOT provide memory or supply the main power to the unit. it is merely an 'electrical trigger' to turn the HU on/off.

it is the RED wire you can put a manual switch along if you wish, which is a good idea. extend the wires and position the switch in a convenient position somewhere under the dash or wherever.

note, there may be a suitable 'switched' powerwire you could tap into for the RED wire, like the cigarette lighter powerwire. use a multimeter to confirm the wire is appropriate (an essential tool for any such electrical work).

as mentioned, you will require an SWI (steering wheel interface) to connect between the alfa mini-ISO green plug and the pioneer, which converts 'alfa signals' into 'pioneer signals'. surprised the retailer did not explain this to you (though you may be buying online which would explain a lack of service! ).

Moved to ICE Lounge