Octavia Mk1 - OEM stereo replacement power question

[SamH]

Hi,

 

I'm new here, so hope this is the right forum for this. 

 

I've tried to do a fair bit of research and read loads and loads of posts on this forum about replacing the Octavia mk1's OEM stereo with an aftermarket single/double DIN one, and not really seen a solution to the problem I'm having, so forgive me if I've repeated anything that others have already experienced.

 

I removed the original Symphony radio/cassette unit and, in trying to install a new one, I'm pretty sure I have avoided the K-line shorting issue (I've tried both an old single-DIN stereo and a new Pioneer double-DIN) - as there is power coming through the car's wiring harness. On a multimeter I'm getting about 9.6 volts when I put the pins in 4 and 7.

 

I also tried the multimeter on the OBD connector, in pins 4 and 7, and got about 6.5 volts, which I believe is fine, and shows that the K-line hasn't been shorted? (Going on the advice here: https://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/aftermarket-radio.html)

 

So then I put the original radio back in to test that - and it's dead. Nothing. I tried disconnecting the battery for quite a while to see if that'd reset it somehow, but still nothing.

 

I can't understand why it's not powering up if there appears to be power coming from the connector? Pretty sure I've tested every fuse that can conceivably be linked to the audio system.

 

Do I need some sort of additional decoder, or have I fried the system somehow? I must also mention that this appears to have coincided with the cruise control suddenly not working. 

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give! 🙂

[SamH]

OK... kinda embarrassing but I've sorted it. 

 

But stuff like this is trial and error if you're a beginner with such tinkering, so I think it's still worth posting in case anyone else has the same issues.

 

Firstly, I should have been putting the multimeter between pics 4 and 8, and pins 7 and 8. This showed me that the switched live current was fine, but there was no permanent live. 

 

Surely it had to be a fuse...? And, long story short, it was. I discovered that number 42, the fuse for the audio system, had blown - and it might have done this because there was only a 15A fuse in there and it should have been a 25A. This could be because every fuse box diagram known to man (even in Haynes) is for the left-hand drive vehicle, as some of the other fuses in my fusebox look a bit wrong to me. A very helpful fellow on this forum has posted a handy reversed layout (below). 

 

Not sure about the cruise control issue as I haven't driven it anywhere yet. 

 

Anyway, the device in question is a Pioneer DMH-A240BT, and I switched the red and yellow bullet connectors as you need to do for a Skoda - plugged the blue lead into the PC5-52 lead for the radio reception... and, hey presto, it worked. Cue major celebrations... a most welcome lift after Hull City's defeat by the Blades today. I've finally brought the old girl into the modern era!

 

I fixed the fan heater last week - after this I might get confident enough to have a go at the front passenger window mechanism which has never worked since I've had it...

 

 

 

 -