newer delco monsoon radio

[TeeTopZ]

I installed a monsoon radio out of a 98 Camaro. The radio works fine, but when I turn on the headlights the radio display turns off. I used a 12 pin to 21 pin harness to connect it. My friends GN does the same thing with a newer GM CD player. Is there a wire that needs to be switched?

 

[Paul Lohr]

If you don't have a wiring diagram for that 1998 Camaro, it might worthwhile to find one. Does the radio's display reduce in brightness or is the display completely off? Finding the wire that dims the radio display and unplugging it is probably the first test. Does the radio's display return to normal with the dimmer wire unplugged?

 

[bogies87]

More than likely its the dimmer wire. The newer radios display would dim with the interior dash light dimmer. All the way to off if I remember correctly.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[TeeTopZ]

I don't have the schematic from the Camaro. I did purchase the wiring harness adapter from our 12 pin to the newer 21 pin radio though. I figured this was all I would need. The display goes completely out with the lights on, and none of the buttons light up. I will try to disconnect the dimmer wire and see what happens. Thanks for the replies

 

[garyk1970]

Lmk if i need to do.some research on this.....any modifications needed wont be a big deal with some help...

 

[GNICETRY]

I had originally installed a 1993 Syclone/Typhoon EQ CD radio and that was ONE of my symptoms of a bad main board (or motherboard). The dimmer wire is one of the 2 separate wires that comes off of the main harness. I think it is brown or orange if I remember.

 

[garyk1970]

I think some newer delcos need an illumination ground...older didnt so a wire might have to be added...

 

[aminga]

I have a 2002 monsoon with the 21-12 pin adapter harness and it works fine.

 

[turbofrank]

My 98 unit works fine with no mods

 

[c0v3rr1d3]

Did you use the 12 to 21 pin harness off of ebay thats like 9.99 or so? I just did this conversion myself. I bought the harness off ebay where you solder it together yourself. It was missing one of the illumination wires that goes in to the factory 2 pin connection. You'll see that on the 21 pin harness you have an extra Orange wire that didn't match up to any of the other wires. Its the Illumination Dash Lights wire. What i did to not chop up the factory hardness was i pulled the pin out of the factory 2 pin connection, its the Brown one. The orange in the factory 2 pin harness is the power wire which matches up with the yellow in the 21 pin harness. Then i just crimped a small flat spade connector to the left over orange wire from the 21 pin connector and plugged it into the brown wire from the car. Taped it up and now everything works as it should. Prior to this the same thing happened, everything worked fine until i turned on the lights then the display went dark. Once i connected this wire, it dims correctly as it should. Hope that helps.!