156 Standard Stereo Head Unit Question

[Andrew156]

My 156 has a Clarion head unit fitted as standard. It is described in the owners handbook so I can confidently say it is not aftermarket.

The mystery is this.....power is not connected to the ignition in that unless I remember to turn it off, it continues playing. This applies whether I lock the car, leave it overnight, etc.

Now my Commodore had a function whereby the radio stayed on for a predetermined time even after the key was removed, this isn't the case with the Alfa.

As I am new to Alfa and the Euro car thing, is this right in the 156 or not? Some people tell me this is normal, I don't believe it is.

[JohnMate]

no Id say that isnt normal it sounds as though its been wired that way? I mean its not factory thats for sure perhaps removal and taking a look i had something similar in my first bmw (E30 318i) and it worked out the guy used to be a builder and wanted to listen to music while his car was completely off on the site..

[Andrew156]

Thanks John,

In the grand scheme it is of little consequence as tomorrow I'm having a new Alpine H/U fitted as well as a new set of splits in the front doors.

The Clarion unit has seen better days, randomly goes into search mode, volume control adjusts the opposite way when turned, etc. At least this way I can also use my Ipod in the car too.

I asked the question to get some background so I am a step ahead of the installer!

[John Hanslow]

I flattened the battery after leaving it on for about a week.  Well .... I discovered that you have to hold your finger on the on/off button for about 3 seconds, it does swith off  - otherwise it just switches to CD mode.  I do this as a deliberate action prior to leaving the vehicle.

Cheers.

[shiny_car]

What year model 156? I'm guessing it's an earlier, pre-facelift car.

The later cars use CANBUS to turn the headunit on/off. However, the earlier cars do have an ignition/ACCessories wire in position A4, of the ISO power plug.

Ensure the installer knows what they're doing. Not a major deal, but Alfa's have the 2 powerwires swapped around. The main 'constant +12V' power supply wire (which runs the headunit and maintains memory backup of settings) in the Alfa is in position A7 (non-Alfas using ISO plugs have this in A4). The ignition wire will be in A4 (as opposed to A7). A simple multimeter test will confirm this.

If you find your headunit loses its memory settings (eg: radio presets), then it will be wired the wrong way around.

Who's doing the installation?

[Andrew156]

Thanks Shiny_Car, that's really useful info and fortunately consistent with what the installer said this morning, with the exception of the coding detail.

Installtion is being done at Audiofx in North Melbourne where I purchased from. They came recommended so I hope I too am another happy customer!

[Andrew156]

OK, new Alpine HU installed with new Alpine splits in the front doors. Overall very happy with the result for minimum outlay. The wiring problem has been solved and the HU turns on/off from the ignition.

Only remaining issues are that it won't operate in the ACC position so you can't listen to it whislt stationary/engine off and the damn aerial.

Bought an inline booster that will connect to the positive wire on the rear demister and utilise the demister grid as an antenna. In theory this will work. Just have to make some time to run the cable through the car. Stay Tuned......Hah!!

[Andrew156]

OK time for an update. Ran the cable through the car and returned it this morning to installer to fit off the antenna. It is a boosted cable which wires into the positive on the rear window demister and antenna power lead on the HU. The effect of $70 and a couple of hours combined effort?.....a big fat ZERO!

Obviously reception is great with an external antenna but I don't want holes drilled into the bodywork. So the plan now is to test with a 'rubber ducky' antenna mounted up behind the dashboard. If this works that will be the solution. What a PITA!!!

Stay tuned......get it....stay tuned

[Andrew156]

OK, rubber ducky aerial under the dash failed also. Staggered to understand why this is so difficult

Anyway, off to Freeway car audio on Saturday morning as the man there tells me he has a an on glass aerial solutuion that works.

The saga continues but look forward to the happy ending

[Andrew156]

And a happy ending it is!!

For the princely sum of $55 I purchased a Harada on glass aerial and installed it over the weekend. I now have excellent AM and FM reception so am pretty stoked.

The aerial mounts and works best mounted to the windscreen. It's a little obtrusive I think, but anyone who saw the car didn't notice it.

[L4OMEO]

Gidday Andrew

Interesting post - I've never heard of this product, any chance some pics?

Cheers mate
Rory