!!Low Power!!
Junior User
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 52
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From: Gustavus Township, Ohio
!!Low Power!!
Get under your dash and find out where the power to your "deck" comes from. After-market ones are sometimes hooked up to the cigarette lighter--which is ok if you remember to shut your radio off. Or sometimes they are hooked right into the fuse box via a terminal attached to one of the fuses. It sounds like yours is wired into your lights.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 343
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!!Low Power!!
If it is an aftermarket deck, it needs two sources of power: Battery power for deck memory and ignition power for the rest of the radio. The Ford original radio also had a dimmer power line for the lights in the radio. When the lights are off the dimmer line is off, when you turn on the lights the dimmer line gets some voltage less than 12V (9-10V usually). If the radio installer attached this dimmer line to some part of the radio they shouldn't have (like the ATT line, power atten line, line-in, etc.) it could trigger the deck to shut-off. Try turning your dash dimmer all the way to dark and see if the deck turns back on. If no help there, I would pull the radio and recheck all the wiring.
If it is a OEM FORD deck, the deck is back due to an internal open wire or trace.
Later.
Randy
If it is a OEM FORD deck, the deck is back due to an internal open wire or trace.
Later.
Randy
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Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 366
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From: saramento usa
!!Low Power!!
Basically, your altenator cannot handle the load. Some aftermarket radios draw quite a bit of power. Your altenator may need new internals or you may need a larger output altenator.
Slik
Slik
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Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 35
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!!Low Power!!
My Sony stereo does the same thing - turns off when I turn on the headlights, then comes back on. Weird thing is, it only does it sometimes, maybe once out of every 4 times I turn on the lights. If I start the car and don't turn on the lights, no problem. I have an aftermarket 100 amp (I think) alternator, Sony CD deck, and Alpine 4 channel amp. The stereo's and amp's unswitched power lines are hardwired directly to the battery. The switched line is not on the dimmer, it is on the line that gets power when the key is turned on. I've tried everything except running a new wire from the battery through the key to the stereo! Maybe I have to.... the OE stereo worked fine; dimmer, etc., all worked. I get about 14.5 volts according to the dash ammeter from about 750 rpm's up. I've never had a problem with a stereo install this frustrating! Any other ideas would be appreciated. Any stereo installers out there have this problem?? 
Chuck
Chuck
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Posts: n/a
!!Low Power!!
You might have 14.5 volts but at low idle
you will get almost no AMPS.
I purchased a 100 AMP also, and I called the maker and they told me that you have to run over
4500 RPM to get the 100 AMPS.
I was a littled pissed.. I guess you get what you pay for.
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