75ZT Community

A funny thing has happened to my audio - I've lost the left-hand channel with some of the audio sources Here is the run-down:-

• No left-hand audio using CD-changer source.
• Right-hand and subwoofer channels unaffected.
• Radio, in-dash CD player all function perfectly (all channels unaffected).
• I have the Intravee iPod setup but even with this removed the problem persists.
• I've wiggled all the connectors I can get to in the boot and behind the glovebox but to no avail.
• Before the audio went completely in the left-channel I did experience some odd symptoms. These were intermittent loss during rough roads or (weirdly) when cornering sharply right. Usually the left-hand channel would return following a further bump in the road or overnight.
• HighLine equipment includes Mk3 SatNav, BM54 Tuner, Widescreen headunit and Intravee iPod interface.

So... my initial fault-finding seems to point to the CD-changer cable that runs from the glove box into the boot but I do not know exactly it's full path from the glovebox to the boot nor do I know if there are any breaks or connections within this cable that may have become detached. Other suggestions are welcome or if anyone has experienced this before I'd like to know what your remedies were.

Now if the CD was in the boot so much easier.
If you are using the Harmon Karden system it will be the phono plug most likely or dry joint on the input socket (had that myself) if using the BM54 as amplifier then you have a bit more chasing of connector blocks/cabling to check.
If not sorted before can have a look at next Nano meet.

The CD changer has it's own private input plug on the radio module. The in dash CD player (or tape) uses the other, and radio is produced internally to the radio module.

So I would say the little plug in the bottom of the radio tuner has worked loose, or a dry joint on that connector in the radio module, or a broken wire at one end. The two little connectors are clipped into the big round pin connector or flat pin connector depending which you have.

As far as I know there are no intermediate connections down the length of the car, but I can't be 100% certain.

I don't think there's any difference between HK and standard that could make a difference to your problem. The HK amp is on the output of the radio, and since some of the sources are OK, it points to an input problem.

Having a spare moment I decided to investigate further the problem outlined above.

I delved deeper into the boot to discover one of the wires towards the tuner side of things not connected. However, I am unsure if this wire is meant to be connected to anything and if it is, where is it meant to go?

First picture shows overall layout of the setup in the boot space:



This picture highlights the odd wire. Sorry about the poor angle - it was starting to rain and I was in a rush

Simon that cable is suppose to be connected. It came off when I was installing it aaaaages ago. I thought I had crimped it securely back on. The way I found out which pin to connect it back up to was, and this goes against most things people say, is to touch it quickly to each pin in sequence until the audio came back on. Mainly because I couldn't find the pinouts for that connector at the time! If you can find the pinouts its a doddle, it'd be the only pin that should have a connection.

I don't know how my method would work out with the Intravee and HK system. I did it at the very beginning when I started to upgrade.

A quick post for the pinouts might see you lucky, but the culprit is 99.9% that cable, nothing else. So if nothing else you know it should be a free fix

Thanks David!

I'll do the "quick-test" thing in a bit and see what happens I don't have any pin-outs for the highline to hand so I'll see how it goes

Yup agreed, it will be that cable. It's actually one of the ones I was talking about, except I didn't think about the interconnect to the adaptor beacuse I didn't think about the adaptor at all. The two thick black tubes will be left and right channels from the CD player. The wires inside wil be signal plus and signal minus, with an overall screen connected to ground as well (that funny plastic thing with several wires going into it.

I'll have a look where it should be connected, and pop back.

Edit: I'm back.

The four pins used on that connector for the CD audio are 1 and 2, 6 and 7. So it should be whichever of thos is empty and has a terminal with no wire.

Yup! It was that very wire! The wire actually went into the top-left pin (whatever number that actually is I'm not sure). So - problem solved, thanks everyone!

During my mission though I discovered a puddle underneath the rear seats in the car, presumably from water ingress from the boot area And my rear sunblind has stopped working too HK amp is in the way so I can't give the motor its usual "tap" method" and pulling/tugging whilst pressing the button doesn't work either.