LW ES300

NO POWER from wiring harness to radio

Stock stereo was replaced 2 years ago & the aftermarket one was working fine. For some reason in the winter it had power and all functions displayed but there was no sound/audio. Even though the illuminations on the display flashed to the music like it was still playing. A friend advised me that something was shot inside that powered the audio out. I tried 2 faceplates for this radio because someone I know has the same stereo. My faceplate worked on his, but his had the same "no sound/audio" in my car.

So I just bought another aftermarket stereo but the radio constant 12V from the Lexus wiring harness doesn't seem to have power. This would drive anyone nuts so you can see why I am looking for advice.

How/where can I get a constant 12V? Can't go direct to the battery cause that will blow the stereo. Thank you for any advice.

Big Mack

iTrader: (1)

Did you (or the installer) leave the aftermarket harness intact with the fuse? That's the best place to start. Check the fuse, be sure it is okay. If it is, check to see if there is power to the input side of the fuse, it's something downstream from there, possibly an additional fuse (there are several, check your manual). You will want to use a multimeter to do this.

No surprise that swapping the face wouldn't fix the problem. It has absolutely nothing to do with it. If one works, they all will.

See above.

It will only drive you nuts until you solve the problem. Start troubleshooting.

No, it won't, but don't do that. Fix the problem, don't band aid a solution together and cause more damage.

You're welcome, now keep us posted once you start taking it.

Big Mack

LW ES300

Thanks for the feedback Big Mack. Not sure I described the issue enough
I used to do this on 5 or 6 1980's Mustangs and it could be done very easily.

The yellow wire from the aftermarket harness to the Lexus harness is the power. There is NO power from the factory harness & even the hard wire for my radar is inoperable & it was spliced to the same wire on the factory harnesss. Checked this with a power tester/gauge & there is no power in the factory harness.

So I ran a wire to the fuse panel & this powered the radio. This is NOT a constant 12V & that's my problem (speakers are another problem)

Tried to follow a chart of 1996 Lexus ES300 speaker wiring, but these all go into a "female connector" that can plug into a radio and I cannot figure out their sequence "male connector" the 8 speaker wires that go to the radios harness:

Is there an availability of a plug & play harness (eBay/Amazon) that can be "male" to back of radio and "male" to factory wiring harness? This would be AWESOME. I'd hate to pay a stereo intstaller for something that can be done on my own, and at worst would just be a learning experience. Any ideas on this speaker mess? This may solve my 12V problem, but probably not if there's no power from the factory harness.

Thanks again for whatever advice you can share.

LW ES300

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Didn't have the patience to fuss with this anymore. Took car to The Sound Concept in Bedford Hills, NY & they solved the problem(s). Waited for 30 minutes and gave him $50 and the problem is solved.

Thanks Big Mack for your advice last night. I had to get this done asap cause I'm driving on a business trip 7/22-7/27 (weekend appointments w/ clients throughout New England) Good thing I "went somewhere" for this problem because after they hooked up the radio the door speakers were inop Turns out the factory speaker wires on the doors had seen their day (96 ES300). They ran new wires & set up the radio all for $50. I would've been quite flustered after doing the radio w/ your reccommendations & then (still) have no sound

Big Mack

iTrader: (1)

Glad to hear you got it all worked out, mang. $50 to do a rewire and get the deck working is a smoking deal. They must be hurting for work. If you think they did a good job, do them a solid and recommend them to the people in the area. Word of mouth is powerful for a small business.

Big Mack

LW ES300

QUOTE=Big Mack;5659571]Glad to hear you got it all worked out, mang. $50 to do a rewire and get the deck working is a smoking deal. They must be hurting for work. If you think they did a good job, do them a solid and recommend them to the people in the area. Word of mouth is powerful for a small business.

Big Mack[/QUOTE]

I spent THOUSANDS here on my Mustangs from 1987-1995: NEW: '89 GT, USED: 84 SVO, 87 GT w/ T-tops, 88 GT convertible. Between Alarms, built in radar detectors, Amps for new front speakers (dash & doors), equalizers, CD player, 12" kicker box style speakers for the rear (and another AMP) and whatever the hell else I could put in these "hot rods" (nevermind the motor work on a couple of 'em

Had been "stuck" driving a Caravan from 2001-2008 cause I needed it to show "demo" medical equipment to my clients. Well 2 transmission rebuilds & 194,000 miles later I sent the van to the junkyard & ended up getting my current 1996 ES300 from Mom when she bought a new ES350 late in 2007. Helluva Christmas present! I now have vendors who carry the demo equip & I can manage things in the Lexus & never really entertained anything stereo wise until now. Lucky for me The Sound Concept (Bedford Hills, NY) still has Great Techs & knows how to treat customers. Thanks Mark

One last thing you may be able to help me with - I replaced the instrument cluster last year because I replaced it in 2008 (added blue LED's, see my pic under profile) & unfortunately when tightening the screws on the back two were overtightened & now the Temp LED & 2000-3000 tach area LED flickers in & out. Do you know if a 1995 instrument cluster will fit properly on a 1996 ES300 (have all the same gauges)? I see a '95 cluster on eBay for $49.99 w/ a $150 Buy it Now price (possibly reserve price) & free shipping. Other eBay prices are $350 & up and for that cost it's not that important to me. Thanks Mack and/or anyone else who can contribute. Have a Great Weekend!

Big Mack

iTrader: (1)

I have no idea if the clusters will fit each year. I'd suggest a call to the dealer and see what part numbers they reference. If they're the same, you should be okay.

And yes, loyalty does buy a better bargain when it comes to getting work done. I always made sure my clients knew they were appreciated, even if it was just an added service they wouldn't have gotten elsewhere. It's the little things that make the difference for a lot of people.

Big Mack

95lexsc300

check your illumination wire it might not be used dued to most ppl never used it on a aftermarket radio and it might be grounding itself causing it