Pioneer 6-CD autochanger - no power - any thoughts?

[DickBarton]

My previous car was written off with the Pioneer head unit and multichanger in it...I removed both after the car got recovered and the head unit is currently in the VR4...I'm wanting to get power to the autochanger as it currently has 6 CDs in it but when I wire it up it has no power at all - so won't eject the disc caddy so I can't get the discs out.

There is a reset/manual eject button but when pushed it does nothing.

Any ideas on how I can get the CD's out the autochanger please? Looks like disc 6 is being read but there is no power and when wired up to the head unit it doesn't detect the autochanger...

The fuse on the changer is fine and all the cables seem to fit nicely together...

Any help would be appreciated, I don't really want to throw it off a wall as it it was about £200 new 2 years ago so I'd like to use it again.

[Nutter_John]

dodgy cable ??? tis all i can think off

[DickBarton]

Well if I touch the power cable I get a wee shock so I'm figuring the power is getting to it...

[n13l pm]

Iv had a few power issues with pioneer 6cd changers before. I know you said all the cables seem to fit nicely, which probably means you dont have the same issues as I did, but il tell you what happened anyways..

In my case it was the power socket on the changer which had become slight loose, when ever I moved the power cable it would turn on and off, found out after opening it up that it was a pin connector inside which had kinda broke, I then re-soldered it.

I also had another 6cd pioneer changer which sat in my house for 2 years and when I went to reconnect it back up it wouldnt turn on, it was a faulty cable, for some unknown reason there was some thing wrong within the cable and after changing it with another one it was working fine.

Also makesure you earth it properly aswell.

[White Lightning]

Well, as you may have seen, I have just recently finished installing my autochanger into the VR-4. In fact, I just finished off the cabling up to the head unit yesterday. And mine just happens to be a Pioneer 6 disc changer. It's about 4 years old I guess. On my one, there is the main chunky black signal cable that runs up to the headunit but there is also a 12V feed that goes to the permanent live and an earth wire that must be earthed close to the changer. Is there an earth cable on yours?

[elnevio]

Just a thought - was it playing when the car got written off?

The selected disc (or something else) may have dislodged and jammed the loading mechanism - which would mean you would be unable to eject the cartridge, either electrically or manually. I had a similar problem with a Galant-standard Philips changer. Opened up the changer and freed the mechanism.

Might help - or might be completely wrong! Hope you get it sorted.

[DickBarton]

I had to cut the earthing cable as it wouldn't detach from the previous car so I have the other cables connected but no the earth...the changer is just in my lap so have no earthing source (unless I brave it and touch the earth to a piece of metal on the frame of the car - will I get a shock?)...might try dismantling it...

Car is about to be sold so won't be fitting the changer after all...but I do fancy getting the CDs out of it.

Wasn't playing at the time of the roll...was actually just talking about selling it and it then crashed!

[White Lightning]

I bet that's the problem then. I am sure it would need the earth.

[DickBarton]

Ok, even though the car is fully earthed? Does it need it's own earth just to make sure? Will see what I can do...any idea of how I can earth it without an eyelet to tie on/screw in? Is it just a case of touching the metal frame of the car (can tape it to the chassis?) and then wiring it up?

[DickBarton]

And thanks for the help so far...

[White Lightning]

Hold it against the bare metal on the front door hinge. I did that yesterday to get a voltage for the permanent live to my head unit and it was a good earth.

[MarkSanne]

If it's just for opening up the mechanism to free your CD's you can also use a straigth-bended paperclip and put it into the little 'emergency' eject hole, located (mostly) near to the normal eject button. You will feel a bit of resistance just push it futher a cm or so and the CD-magazine will come out (hopefully).