I just got my 1987 300e a couple of months ago and i can seem to turn off the cd player when i turn off the car.

I have been to and car audio intallation shop but
the guys there could not figure out the problem.
I do need some help with this problem if anybody has encountered it before or has any ideas. I did a search but could not find and relevant topics.
Thanks

Most all head units have two power wires. One is for power and the other is for the memory (clock/stations). Some people don't know what they are doing and wire both wires up to a constant power source. You need to take it out and rewire the main power wire to a switched source.

If that stereo shop couldn't figure it out, it was because they didn't want to do the job. Try another shop.

Is that something i can do by myself if so, please give
me more details on the different power wires and which one
to move to a switched source. The headunit is a sony se300.
thanks

[Edited by dalarms on 12-13-2000 at 03:08 PM]

There should be some labels on the wires. I don't know how you disengage the locking mechanism on the Sony, but I will try to find out. My really old Sony had a mechanism where you would slide in two thin sheets of metal on either side of the faceplate to disengage it. Call up Crutchfield and ask them. They are real good about providing help. Tell them you want to replace the unit with a new one from them, but you don't know if you can get it out. Find their number at http://www.crutchfield.com

I can get the head unit out; just want to know which wire
to move to the the right position.
thanks

There should be two wires that have fuses on them. The memory one should have the smallest fuse in its holder. It should stay where it is at, unless your radio doesn't keep its memory. The power wire will have a larger fuse in its holder and it should go to a switched source. The factory radio should have had a provision for a switched power wire. If you can't locate it with a test light, go up to the fuse box and find a source there.

Go and check this link. I installed a new Nakamichi CD player in my 86 300E. This is a step by step installation that someone was kind enough to link me up with. Hope it helps.

http://kirakowalski.freeyellow.com/index.html

__________________
Ron Miller

1986 300E

Most stereo units actually have three power wires. Usually, the Red one is the power that is supplied through the ignition, the Yellow one is the constant power for the memory and clock, and the Blue one goes to the power antenna (the Blue one gets it's power from the receiver, and sends it to the antenna when the unit is turned on).

Do you have a power antenna, and is it always up? Then you are most likely wired into the battery instead of the ignition. However, if you cannot turn the stereo off with it's own power switch, you may have a faulty unit anyway, as the power switch should turn it off even if the power being supplied is constant (battery).

I hope you haven't become confused by this...

Static data: all car stereos sold in the U.S. have Black as the ground wire, and Mercedes uses Brown as the Ground...

The speaker wires are also standard, but I forget the colors.

ALSO, I would NOT recommend using the above link as a guide. (sorry, Ron) There is no reason to cut and solder wires in your Mercedes! IMHO! Instead, use crimp on connectors for the connections that are already just wires, and use a "tap" connector for the speaker wires, or any other wires that you do not want to have to cut. These "tap" connectors allow you to attach a straight wire to an existing connection without having to sever the existing wire. Soldering irons are best kept out of cars, unless you are proficient in soldering, and/or doing a very high-tech sound install...even then...

If you do not know what the hell you are doing, you're better off taking the car to a reputable installer who does a lot of Mercedes autos. Ask your local dealer for a suggestion.

[Edited by longston on 01-07-2001 at 01:03 AM]

__________________

Scott Longston
Northern California Wine Country...
"Turbos whistle, grapes wine..."

Thanks for the tip. I have a power antenna that does not stay up all the time. The issue here is that the only way i can turn off the radio after cutting off the ignition is to turn the wiper off. Thats when the antenna goes down and the radio turn off. Which of the wires should i move and to what location. Sorry the the late response i was out of town.

I did look at the link provided by Ron and i was not what i am looking for.

I don't understand. What does the wiper have to do with this? And what do you mean when you say the antenna does not stay up all the time? When the radio is on, the antenna should go up and stay up until the radio is off...

My advice would to take the unit out of the dash, and use a 12v test light to find out what's hot and when it's hot. Now by hot, I don't mean temperature, I mean whether or not it has voltage... If you don't know how to use a test light, or how to do any of these procedures, then forget everything I suggest and just go to an installer who can fix this for you.

1. Take the deck out of the dash, and use the test light to determine what wires are connected to what kind of source. Test the Red main power wire first, does it always stay hot even when the ignition is off, or is the power to it switched on and off by the ignition key? The Red wire from the deck should go to a power source that is switched off when the ignition is switched off. If not, you need to find a power source that is switched on and off by the ignition key. In my car, that's the cigar lighter for example.

2.The Yellow wire from the deck should go to a power source that is always hot, one that comes from the battery/fusebox, and not through the ignition, or any other switched source. You need a source of constant power for the yellow wire to keep the clock and memory power on, so turn off the ignition, and poke a couple of wires with the tester until you find a hot one. Then make sure that the wire you have selected isn't controlled by an accessory switch. With the test light lit, try switches for accessories to see if they interupt the power.

3. The Blue wire from the deck should go to a blue wire in the car that goes to the antenna to give it power, and it should not be connected to anything else. The blue antenna power wire should only be hot when the radio is switched on, not just when the ignition is switched on.

When you think you've got it right, turn on the radio with the ignition off. Does it not come on? Then turn on the ignition. Does the radio come on? If the radio was off with the ignition on, and came on when you turned it on, and the antenna went up when the radio came on, and went down when you turned the radio off, you're probably there. One last thing is to be sure that the clock and memory stay on after you turn the radio off.

Oh, and don't forget to put the deck back in the dash!

__________________

Scott Longston
Northern California Wine Country...
"Turbos whistle, grapes wine..."