The radio turns off when the engine starts: possible causes and solutions to the problem

Let's start with the fact that during operation of many cars, drivers notice when starting the engine that the radio tape recorder fails, the head unit turns off for a few seconds, then turns on automatically, etc. Note that this often happens with non-standard car radios, that is, when the head unit in a car is from a third-party manufacturer.

In this case, this situation in the vast majority of cases is not a malfunction, but the possibility of malfunctions should not be completely excluded. In this article we will talk about why, when starting the engine, the radio turns off and the dashboard lights dim.

Operating principle of radio tape recorders

Car radios have long been an integral part of any car. Even such options as the UAZ Patriot and VAZ 2110-2114 are no exception. The operating principle of any car radio is almost the same and does not depend on the model. When the driver gets into his car and turns on the ignition, all systems are automatically started, including multimedia. Next, the starter is engaged to start the engine. At the same time, the instrument lighting dims, and the radio turns off when the engine starts. When the engine starts, the multimedia system starts working normally again.

It is believed that one of the reasons for this behavior of the radio is that the engine is still cold after starting. As soon as the engine warms up, the radio will not turn off when restarted. The starter is involved in the process of starting the car. It consumes a large amount of electrical energy - at the moment of starting a cold engine, the voltage in the car’s on-board network drops significantly and the radio is simply not enough.

Let's sum it up

As you can see, if the radio turns off when starting the engine, then this can serve as a kind of additional indicator of the condition of the battery, as well as the quality of its charge from the car’s generator, the serviceability of the main unit itself and its connection, etc.

In simple words, one-time restarts of the head unit during a cold start of the power unit can be considered the norm, but constant shutdowns will require additional attention.

As a summary, we note that some devices (especially budget versions from the lower price segment) may not have any protection at all. It turns out that such power units do not react in any way to starting the engine, but this does not mean that a voltage drop in the vehicle’s on-board network does not occur.

Radio protection system

For the driver, the main goal is to start the engines. Support for any other devices is relegated to the background. All the energy available in the battery is used to operate the starter. The radio does not have enough power and turns off. Many car enthusiasts are very nervous about this, but this is not a minus, but a plus. If the radio turns off when you start the engine, then the voltage is low, and the device, especially of Chinese origin, may not work correctly. To prevent serious failures in the circuitry or software, the system automatically turns off - this is how protective mechanisms work.

When the car has already driven a certain distance and the engine has been turned off, when you try to start it again, the radio will not turn off. The amount of energy increased due to the battery being recharged by the generator.

Manufacturers also took these points into account: most radio tape recorders have a so-called threshold for triggering protective functions. The condition of the battery must be taken into account.

Tips and tricks

First of all, a normal battery must fully replenish the spent charge from the generator within a fairly short period of operation of the internal combustion engine. If this does not happen, it is necessary to understand why the battery is not charged from the generator or does not accumulate a charge, and also why third-party current leaks may occur.

In the first case, a common culprit is the relay regulator in the car generator. If it is not operating correctly, the battery will not be recharged properly from the generator while the engine is running, resulting in a voltage drop at each start-up that will occur no matter how hard it is for the starter to turn the engine.

It is also worth adding that the generator itself may be the culprit, since in its design a number of individual elements in addition to the relay-regulator can fail.

A sure sign of problems with charging is a situation when the battery is new, but after a short period of time voltage dips appear, the radio turns off when the engine is started, and this did not happen from the very beginning after installing a new battery. In this case, diagnostics of the generator is necessary.

The next reason for a constant decrease in voltage may be the starter and breakdowns in this area. If the starter jams, knocking, grinding, clicking, etc. are heard when starting the engine, this indicates that the device is extremely “difficult” to spin or crank the engine for one reason or another.

Naturally, in such conditions, the starter will constantly take the maximum energy from the battery onto itself, that is, the voltage will constantly drop. In this case, the radio will also restart all the time every time you try to start the power unit. To solve the problem, you need to check the starter and other elements, the failure of which may complicate starting the engine (for example, starter bendix, etc.)

We also note that the problem element may be the battery itself. As a rule, after two or three years of active use without proper maintenance, the battery begins to gradually lose its capacity, the electrolyte in the battery boils away and turns black, the battery plates are destroyed, etc.

This means that even if there are no problems with the starter and generator, the engine will still have difficulty starting due to the fact that the battery works less efficiently. In this case, it is necessary to check and maintain the battery, and also charge it correctly from an external charger.

Finally, we would like to add that even if the battery is new, the generator and starter are working normally, there is always the possibility of so-called leaks. In other words, some devices can actively discharge the battery.

In such a situation, you should contact an auto electrician to accurately determine the cause. Also, one should not exclude the possibility that the radio itself may be faulty, the control unit was connected incorrectly, etc.

Connecting the radio

One of the reasons why the radio turns off when the engine starts may be the connection, or rather the diagram of how to do it correctly.

If you connect a multimedia device in series according to the circuit proposed by the manufacturer, then when you start the engine and turn the key from On to Start at the ignition switch, a power interruption occurs.

This problem can be solved by powering the multimedia device directly from the battery. However, there are disadvantages to this connection: the radio will drain the battery. On a cold winter night, the radio can be enough to completely drain the battery.

This is the problem, the radio in the car turns off and on by itself,

Leave the radio overnight in the car with the window open. It will definitely not turn off on its own anymore. Just like turning on.
This is a radio tape recorder, I got full along the way... There was such garbage at the top five when I worked in a taxi. Or is it powered through the lock, you need to twist the constant plus with the plus on the lock together when connecting. Bypassing the castle, of course.
Andryukha, I have the same problem now. The radio is connected to the cigarette lighter and sometimes turns off on its own. Tell me, did you solve the problem? And how? My mail
the panel is coming off or the connector is on the back, or the wires are half-broken somewhere, or maybe it’s just glitchy.
Mine is having the same problem now. But only when the car is running. It works fine when the engine is turned off. + connected directly from acoma. I don't know what to do.
If the panel is folding, then it’s better to buy a new, I mean, radio!
yes the relay or contact is loose
Either the contacts on the back are loose or there is a glitch in the radio itself.
This panel does not fit tightly. I have the same
The magnet is stuck, I need to sprinkle it with some water.
Magnitollo lives his life untouched, and you don’t.
But I haven’t tried to watch a lot. (grounding the radio). If it is poorly grounded and the ground moves away, then it will turn off from time to time, and also after the radio does not turn off, something else may be the fuse is weakened. The Lada is one of the weak points. In general, look at how it is connected, if it is embedded in a common circuit, then this is not good. It is better to connect the tape recorder and other equipment with separate wires from the battery and put a fuse on the positive one. The wire has a cross-section of at least 4-6, and if the sub and amplifier are all 8. There are special silicone wires with minimal loss of conductive current (they do not freeze in winter). PC: Never connect the tape recorder from the cigarette lighter or any other source of the system. Wiring is rated for specific amps. Their excess leads to melting of fuses and, as a result, to fire.
drummer, definitely...
look at the fuses
The radio tape recorder goes into another world. Mine has already left this world. I bought another one. Everything is fine.
There are modern powerful radios (alpine, pioneer) for which 12 volts is not enough, and in addition to this, many additional devices are required!!! Many people connect their radios incorrectly, and in such a way that even when turning on the turn signals or headlights, they will turn off!!!! The search engines are full of this information!! Read and learn modern auto electrics! But the best option is to entrust this matter to a normal auto electrician!!!

info-4all.ru

Current leaks in the on-board network

If the radio turns off when starting the car, then the problem may lie in so-called current leaks. That is, when the ignition is turned off, there are consumers that discharge the battery. Overnight, due to these leaks, the battery can completely die. In order to solve the problem, you need to detect the leak and find its culprit. It can also be a radio, alarm, central locking and other systems.

Wires

This is another reason if the radio turns off when you start the engine. It could be all about the wires. Radio tape recorders are often connected with thin, low-quality wires. They have insufficient characteristics and multimedia is unstable.

A solution to the problem may be to replace the power cables of the radio with copper analogues with a cross-section of 2.5 mm. This allows you to completely forget about rebooting and turning off the radio. Also, the music does not turn off when the volume is increased. This method can be used to prevent the radio from turning off when starting, but it will only work normally with a relatively new battery.

Starter

Sometimes the battery may have nothing to do with it, and the problem may be hidden in the starter. During the operation of the latter, its parts are subject to wear. If the starter bushings are worn out, the shaft may get stuck in them and more energy must be spent to turn it. Hence the shutdown of most electrical consumers.

To correct this malfunction, an inspection of the starter is necessary. It is necessary to check the brushes, commutator, replace worn bushings, and lubricate the mechanisms. After such a revision, the starter will work like new, which means it will need less voltage.

Refinement of the radio

Car enthusiasts modify their radios themselves if they did not take this moment into account. To solve the problem, you will need 2 elements - a 22,000 microfarad capacitor with a voltage of 25 V, as well as a 10 A diode (the diode must be selected based on the fuse ratings in the radio). In this circuit, the diode will serve as a valve - it will not allow the capacitor to power the on-board system of the car, but will only power the radio.

The scheme is simple. A capacitor is soldered between the power wires of the radio. A diode is soldered onto the positive wire with the positive contact to the “+” of the capacitor.

How it works?

So. When the driver starts the car, the starter takes on most of the voltage, so the radio turns off when the engine starts. To prevent the multimedia system from turning off, a diode and a capacitor are used.

The main supply voltage to the radio goes through the diode and charges the capacitor. When the ignition is turned on, voltage will flow through the diode and charge an additional capacitor. When the starter is operating, the voltage in the on-board network sags. The diodes do not allow the voltage in the capacitor to go into the network - all the charge will go to the radio, so that the radio does not turn off when the engine starts. To operate the latter for 5 seconds, a capacitor with a capacity of 470 uf is sufficient.

Why does it turn off?

When the voltage in the on-board network when starting the engine drops below the set limit, the car radio turns off.

When starting the engine, the front panel of the receiver goes out for a while, and after turning off the starter and starting the engine, it lights up again and the operation of the device resumes. There are several reasons why the car radio turns off when you start the engine.

Protective function of the radio

This mechanism is built into some car players. Protection is applied to prevent disruption of the functionality of the device. The fact is that strong voltage surges when operating at high volumes can lead to settings failure or failure of the radio due to burnout of microcircuits. Thanks to the protection, the head unit does not turn off when the engine is started, but only reboots. All settings set by the user remain the same.

The car radio's protection function will work if the battery voltage drops when starting the engine due to insufficient charge or freezing temperature.

Insufficient battery capacity that does not correspond to the parameters of the vehicle also leads to the radio turning off.

Constant shutdown of the head unit occurs due to problems in the ignition switch if the power connection is made through it. This phenomenon is caused by the occurrence of a strong voltage drop across worn or dirty contacts.