View Full Version : Clarion head unit on new x2 cuts out
cal2vin
07-15-2009, 11:22 PM
In my brand new X2 the Clarion head unit that came stock with the boat will completely shut off and kick back on all the time. It happens going over minor bumps and always at higher rpm's. This would seem like a short in the wire but its almost like if it is triggered once it will do it spontaneously even at low speeds on smooth water. I tested it when the boat was off and out of the water and it never cut out once. I even went under and jiggle the wires and knock on the stereo and it never cut out. The problem is also getting gradually worse. Its almost unlistenable now. Has anyone had this problem or heard of it?
Another thing is that it seems the volume isnt as loud as it should be on amped JL audio speakers. I turn the stereo to max (33) and you can barely hear the speakers while boarding. Granted I only have two but still.
A final thing is that when I have the speakers turn up loud on songs with lots of treble like rock the tweeters will cut out entirely on the tower speakers and just sound muffled.
Everything has been this way since the day I got it. I will be calling my dealer soon to see what can be done.
Any info on any of these problems is greatly appreciated.
bigmac
07-15-2009, 11:48 PM
You need to provide a better description of your setup--like, what year boat, what model stereo, how many speakers, what kind of amp etc etc.
Based on what you've said so far, I'd say that your stereo is broken and needs to go back to the dealer to be fixed on warranty.
cal2vin
07-16-2009, 12:41 AM
Sorry I forgot to put the year. It is a 2008 with the clarion cdm5. 4 in boat speakers plus the stock 10 inch sub. two tower speakers running off the stock 2 channel amp. Everything is stock and is as I bought it. (no settings changed)
bigmac
07-16-2009, 07:27 AM
Your first job will be to determine whether it's a problem with the wiring, or a problem with the head unit or sub. Jiggling the wires didnt' cause the problem, but I'd still go through all of the connections and make sure they're OK - unplug and replug all the connections to the sub, and the harness connector to the speakers. If those aren't the problem, I'd focus on the power connections, where they plug into the head unit and sub, maybe spray them with some contact cleaner. If that's not the problem then I'd unplug/take the sub out of the circuit and see what happens. If that doesn't do it, then I think you'd have to assume you have a faulty head unit and get it replaced. If it's on warranty, I'd take it to the dealer. If not, I'd buy a new one, either another CMD5, a CMD6, or the Alpine unit mentioned in the other thread on iPod connection.
If the head unit display goes dark when this happens, then it's likely to be either the power connections, or a faulty head unit.
In my brand new X2 the Clarion head unit that came stock with the boat will completely shut off and kick back on all the time. It happens going over minor bumps and always at higher rpm's. This would seem like a short in the wire but its almost like if it is triggered once it will do it spontaneously even at low speeds on smooth water. I tested it when the boat was off and out of the water and it never cut out once. I even went under and jiggle the wires and knock on the stereo and it never cut out. The problem is also getting gradually worse. Its almost unlistenable now. Has anyone had this problem or heard of it?
Another thing is that it seems the volume isnt as loud as it should be on amped JL audio speakers. I turn the stereo to max (33) and you can barely hear the speakers while boarding. Granted I only have two but still.
A final thing is that when I have the speakers turn up loud on songs with lots of treble like rock the tweeters will cut out entirely on the tower speakers and just sound muffled.
Everything has been this way since the day I got it. I will be calling my dealer soon to see what can be done.
Any info on any of these problems is greatly appreciated.
Does the display on the head unit go out when the sound cuts out? If not, it's the amp(s) shutting off, not the head unit. Make sure the battery terminals are clean and the clamps are tight and all of the terminals on the amp are tight (don't over-torque these- they're only small screws).
As far as your volume issues- your amp(s) need to be set up correctly. JL has the procedure on their site and having done car/marine audio for over 25 years, it's the best method I have seen without you needing an oscilloscope (they used one when they came up with this procedure). Once this is done, if it still isn't loud enough, you'll need more power or more speakers. Speakers produce a certain amount of volume (SPL) with a specific power input and being outside, it sounds like far less than if you were inside. Your motor puts out a good amount of noise, too and if your stereo isn't capable of being heard over this, you only have the choice of adding power and speakers. Also, turning the head unit up all the way is like going WOT on a car and waiting for parts to fly through the hood. All amplifiers and head units distort and going to 33, especially if the bass and/or treble are jacked up, will make the head unit distort sooner.
Your tweeters cutting out are directly involved with the distortion/setup problems and it's the crossovers that are protecting the tweeters. If you continue using the system hte way it is, your tweeters won't last long. If the dealer did the setup, it may not have been done correctly. If they don't have anyone who really knows how to do this, they need to get with the program. It's not that hard and is absolutely necessary if the system is going to perform at any level of quality. Use ear plugs when you do this- it's harder to hear distortion at high SPL. You'll need to burn a CD and measure voltage with a digital multi-meter.
JohnE
07-16-2009, 08:37 AM
FWIW, I had a similar problem on my '05 197. There were 6 speakers wired to one of the amps, but only really had 4 speakers installed. (Plus the sub on a mono amp) Well one of the speaker wires that was wired to the amp but didn't have a speaker installed was shorting occasionally. Maybe that's your problem. Or something like it where a wire has fallen off one speaker and will short to the other occasionally. Aside from that, I can't offer better advice than the others that have already replied.
btriantos
07-16-2009, 09:44 AM
I would take it back to the dealer for them to correct the install. It sounds like you have a ground issue on the deck, and might be over gained on the amp for your tower speakers. The speakers will go into a protect mode if over driven. It sounds like a mess. If you want adjust yourself, as mentioned above, JL's procedure is good. Remember to set volume levels at about 75% (~25 on the head unit) to set your gains on the amps. You should never have to go to volume 33, as things will start to sound like crap, and you have a tendency to break things. Blowing up the amp, the speakers, etc.
wheeler
07-16-2009, 09:56 AM
I had a new amp installed in my boat about two weeks ago. My stereo guy said that Mastercraft had wired ALL six speakers to the left channel and used the right channel to send a signal to the other amp for the subwoofer. 2 of the speakers were out of phase (negative and positive backwards). So......You can imagine how I feel now that he has the new amp in there and all the speakers hooked up correctly :-)
Also, you can try wiring your stereo and amps to an auxillary switch. Mine used to cut off. It is a built in safety feature to keep you from running down the battery. It seems to shut down the stereo if it senses you pulling your power below 11 volts or something....
May not be the remedy to your problem, but I thought I would share this with you anyway.
cal2vin
07-16-2009, 02:17 PM
It is definantly the head unit because I watch it shut off when this happens. The thing about turning the volume to max is that it actually doesnt distort the speakers at all thats why I feel like a better head unit would provide move volume with still quality sound. I have the bass and treble turned to -5 and -4 respectively. Could possibly the bad ground wire I will have to check that.
It is definantly the head unit because I watch it shut off when this happens. The thing about turning the volume to max is that it actually doesnt distort the speakers at all thats why I feel like a better head unit would provide move volume with still quality sound. I have the bass and treble turned to -5 and -4 respectively. Could possibly the bad ground wire I will have to check that.
You didn't originally post anything about it going blank, so I asked.
The fact that it's not loud probably has nothing to do with the head unit unless it has a problem that you can demonstrate with it wired and operating out of the boat. You need to check the setup of the amp first, then start blaming things. Your system could very well have a bad ground, too. If the amp isn't grounded well, it'll try to make up for the problem anywhere it can and the head unit is the first place it'll go if that's the next best path to ground. This means the amp will pass DC current through every wire and cable connecting it to the head unit and when that includes the audio cables, it will definitely sound bad and cause problems, including failure of the head unit.
If it's under warranty, have the dealer check it out or have them take it someplace where they have people who know how to troubleshoot it.
If you want to find out whether it's the head unit of the amp and you have a stereo in the garage, connect a set of audio cables from the head unit to the receiver and listen to it. If it never screws up, get a digital multi-meter and check for DC voltage on the RCA cables from the amp, using the battery negative as the ground point. If you see DC, you have a grounding issue or a bad amp. If you have a stereo receiver, integrated amp or preamp, connect a set of audio cables to the amp and find out how it sounds. If it still doesn't sound good, do the JL setup and listen again. Other people here have done this and had good results.
I had a new amp installed in my boat about two weeks ago. My stereo guy said that Mastercraft had wired ALL six speakers to the left channel and used the right channel to send a signal to the other amp for the subwoofer. 2 of the speakers were out of phase (negative and positive backwards). So......You can imagine how I feel now that he has the new amp in there and all the speakers hooked up correctly :-)
Also, you can try wiring your stereo and amps to an auxillary switch. Mine used to cut off. It is a built in safety feature to keep you from running down the battery. It seems to shut down the stereo if it senses you pulling your power below 11 volts or something....
May not be the remedy to your problem, but I thought I would share this with you anyway.
I'd bet the dealer did that, not MC.
bigmac
07-16-2009, 03:39 PM
It is definantly the head unit because I watch it shut off when this happens. The thing about turning the volume to max is that it actually doesnt distort the speakers at all thats why I feel like a better head unit would provide move volume with still quality sound. I have the bass and treble turned to -5 and -4 respectively. Could possibly the bad ground wire I will have to check that.
Miswiring of the amp and speakers shouldn't affect power input to the head unit, I wouldn't think. That would be more likely in the power connections where they plug into the head unit, or their source connection (wherever they get their power from), the ground attachement to the boat, or something internal to the power supply of the head unit. If it's the latter, I'd scrap the head unit (no user-servicable parts inside).
cal2vin
07-16-2009, 04:04 PM
Thanks for all the help. Ill troubleshoot it some more and most likely take it too the dealer. Its hard to test it because the problem only happens when the boat is running.
btriantos
07-16-2009, 04:52 PM
That brings up another clue. Are any other accessories cutting out when the boat is running? This does not happen at all when your key is in the accessory position, only on "engine on"?
If any of these are happening, it could be a bad ignition switch. Unliekly, but a possibility. Regardless of this, I think you still have an amp set up issue
cal2vin
07-16-2009, 07:35 PM
Nothing else cuts out. and it doesnt matter if the key is at the engine on or at accessory, the radio works properly if the engine is not running. How would this be an amp issue? Im not saying youre wrong Im just saying how can we conclude that it the head unit is the thing that cuts out?
Im just saying how can we conclude that it the head unit is the thing that cuts out?
I already covered that. If you know what to look for, it's not that hard to find the cause. Make sure the main fuse isn't bad- I have seen several over the years that barely popped and when they were exposed to vibration, it would make/break contact. The easy test is to just replace it and see if it works better and the reason I recommend this is that you say the lights go out. If the display stayed on with interrupted audio, I would point you in a different direction. If you have a boombox with line level audio input, plug the audio cables into that and see it it cuts out. If not, it's an install/amp issue and if it does, it's an install/head unit issue. Any boombox with line input will work.
cal2vin
07-18-2009, 10:49 PM
I checked the fuses and that wasnt it. I tried to check any and all connections dealing with the sound system and everything was pretty rock solid. Could this be prob with the voltage dopping at the headunit? Also I noticed when checking connections that MC ran the two front speakers to channel two and left ch one completely open. the back to speakers have their own seperate channels. There is even an rca in channel one's input. Is anyone elses set up like this??
I checked the fuses and that wasnt it. I tried to check any and all connections dealing with the sound system and everything was pretty rock solid. Could this be prob with the voltage dopping at the headunit? Also I noticed when checking connections that MC ran the two front speakers to channel two and left ch one completely open. the back to speakers have their own seperate channels. There is even an rca in channel one's input. Is anyone elses set up like this??
If you bought the boat new, take it back and have the dealer wire it correctly. The one channel is seeing a load it can't drive and that will make it cut out. Call MC and ask if this was the head unit it left the factory with. If not, the dealer may have wired a different one, and did it really badly.
cal2vin
07-23-2009, 12:56 AM
Everything came stock from the factory. I ran a wire directly from the stereos power wire to the battery and the stereo worked perfectly all day at the lake in rough water. Without this connection directly to the battery the stereo doesnt even turn on now. I took the breaker box out from under the steering wheel and tested the wires running to stereo power and they were dead. For now I just switched a working hot wire from (Shower) which is an option i dont have anyway and connected it to stereo power's breaker. Its rigged but the stereo now works flawlessly. When I take it to the dealer to winterize ill put the wires back in place on the breaker box and let them fix it.
Everything came stock from the factory. I ran a wire directly from the stereos power wire to the battery and the stereo worked perfectly all day at the lake in rough water. Without this connection directly to the battery the stereo doesnt even turn on now. I took the breaker box out from under the steering wheel and tested the wires running to stereo power and they were dead. For now I just switched a working hot wire from (Shower) which is an option i dont have anyway and connected it to stereo power's breaker. Its rigged but the stereo now works flawlessly. When I take it to the dealer to winterize ill put the wires back in place on the breaker box and let them fix it.
Sounds like it's just a bad breaker, eh?
cal2vin
07-25-2009, 07:31 PM
Na the break is fine its just the wire that says stereo power that goes to the stereo power breaker is dead. every other wire on the breaker box had a hot wire. (I checked with a test light) and now I am current using the breaker that says stereo power just a different hot wire
Na the break is fine its just the wire that says stereo power that goes to the stereo power breaker is dead. every other wire on the breaker box had a hot wire. (I checked with a test light) and now I am current using the breaker that says stereo power just a different hot wire
I bet that if you were to cut the terminal off and strip the wire on both ends, the wire is fine and just needs new terminals.