cd player+dash problems

[Panda Technique]

bought a cd player, put it in. it works fine, plays music, sounds great.

problem: wiring was jacked from a cd player install from the previous owner. the old cd player wouldn't keep settings after the car was turned off. i figured that he wired it wrong, because the wiring was cut and taped together. got the wiring diagram, figured out he didn't connect the 12 volt wire. i connected it, still nothing. the wire doesn't get 12 volts. so, there's that problem. BUT now the dash doesn't light up when i turn on the headlights. also, the seatbelts and dome light only work when the ign switch is in the on position or when the car is on. on top of that, the power antenna goes down when i turn off the cd player, but not when i turn off the car. it used to go down when the car was turned off with the last cd player. (keep in mind that all this stuff worked before i swapped the cd player). i'm almost positive my wiring is correct, because i went by the fsm wiring diagram. i tried putting the old cd player back in, the way the previous owner had it wired. still have the problems with the dash and seatbelts. i switched out all the fuses related to the lights, audio, and electronics.

would all these problems be linked to that wire not getting 12v? also, what would be some causes for this wire not getting 12v? relays, fuses, broken/cut wires, bad ground, shorting?

any suggestions, i need some direction.

[sourcandy]

It sounds like you got a little confused when wiring in the new cd player.

You have a couple types of power wires. You have hot or constant power 12v this gets power when the car is on or off.
You have accessory power (first click on the key) this only gets power when the key is in and turned to that notch or past it. IE you get power in ACC and ON
Then you have ON or IGN power. This is where you only get power in the ON position of the switch or when the vehicle is running.

your seatbelts( I"m guessing this is a 13 with the autobelts should have power all the time)...so that wire should be 12v constant

My guess is you switched your constant with your acc power wire. Your antenna probably doesn't see power after you shut the car off so it's staying up. Check your wiring again and post up some pics if you can. "that wire" doesn't help us a whole lot.

[iworshiplemons]

Take off the constant +12v wire, and run a wire straight from where it connects to your cd player to your battery.
If everything worked fine before, everything will work fine again, and your CD player will hold your radio stations, or whatever it is you need it to.

[Panda Technique]

It sounds like you got a little confused when wiring in the new cd player.

You have a couple types of power wires. You have hot or constant power 12v this gets power when the car is on or off.
You have accessory power (first click on the key) this only gets power when the key is in and turned to that notch or past it. IE you get power in ACC and ON
Then you have ON or IGN power. This is where you only get power in the ON position of the switch or when the vehicle is running.

your seatbelts( I"m guessing this is a 13 with the autobelts should have power all the time)...so that wire should be 12v constant

My guess is you switched your constant with your acc power wire. Your antenna probably doesn't see power after you shut the car off so it's staying up. Check your wiring again and post up some pics if you can. "that wire" doesn't help us a whole lot.

i guess i was kinda vague on that...

it is an s13 and according to the wiring diagram in the fsm R/B is the constant 12v wire. i tested it with a multi-meter and it had no voltage at all (car off and on). then i went and tested all the wires there to make sure i didn't get confused. none have 12v when the car is off. the only one that had 12v is the L (blue) wire (thats when the car is on). i'll try to get some pics. maybe i am mistaken. but that would still only solve the radio problem. what would cause the seatbelts, lights, and dash to not work? i'm looking at the wiring diagram again right now to make sure i didn't cross a wire or something. could i have fried the fuse box??

thanks for the help guys.

[sourcandy]

typicall nissans uses white and red wire for main power wires, red and black are power as well but usually not main wires. Blue is acc power on all the nissans i've worked on, although they do vary slightly. That red black wire is probably cut somewhere so you tested a dead lead more than likely... I'd track that wire and see where it goes compare it to the fsm.

Of course it's much easier to run a fused power from the battery, but it'd be to your benefit to track that wire since you are having other electrical problems around the dash.

[Panda Technique]

ok sooooo, i'm not very observant. in the fsm it says that the fuse for "room lamp" is the one that supplies the radio with constant 12v. (that's a very misleading discription for that fuse) so i took it out and it was blown to S**T! :o so i replaced it. now my seatbelts and antenna work. :biggthump

BUT i still have the problem with the dash. headlights turn on, but the lights for the dash don't. i went through and checked every single fuse, because i didn't want to look like a jackass TWICE. i didn't see any more blown ones, but i have to check them with a fuse tester or something to make sure. i'll keep looking and hopefully i'll take care of this problem, cause it sucks driving at night now.