CD player only works when the engines not running!

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Garysz
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CD player only works when the engines not running!

Post by Garysz »

Has any one come across this and is there a solution?

Single factory fit CD player in Xreg Xantia.

Engine not running, insert CD and it plays. Start the engine and it stops - display shows time when it stopped, radio works fine. Engine running, insert CD, searches for first track but does not find it, gives up and spits CD out!

I guess that the vibration from the engine stops the laser finding the 'grove'?
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

How's the radio while engine running/not ?
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f00lzz
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Re: CD player only works when the engines not running!

Post by f00lzz »

Garysz wrote: Start the engine and it stops - display shows time when it stopped, radio works fine.
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rabenson
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Post by rabenson »

try a cd lens cleaner disc - it could be that the laser reception is "marginal" due to a dirty lens but that the error correction can cope with it until the vibration from the engine takes it over the edge and it fails.

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Post by Clogzz »

We clean laser lenses with a drop of window cleaner fluid, and a cotton bud.
We also put a drop of cleaner/lubricant on the sled guide rail/s, and also into the top bush of the spindle motor.
If that doesn’t fix it, then the customer’s often in trouble. :(
It's also very common for sled drive gears to split.
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Post by mezuk04 »

pure alcohol or as highest percentage you can get (whiskey / voda) also works wonders...me and my mate has used this for a good few years :lol:
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

mezuk04 wrote:pure alcohol or as highest percentage you can get (whiskey / voda) also works wonders...me and my mate has used this for a good few years :lol:
... especially like the Whiskey option myself ... :wink:

Back to the point about the radio : What I'm going for is any fault (cabling) to the radio unit as it would carry both a constant battery live for memory - and a switched live for the operation. When you insert the CD then the drive motor and the lens motorwill start moving requiring extra power to the unit.
A weak power would then possibly also show in any situation using the radio. Despite any f00lzz comment.
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Garysz
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Post by Garysz »

Radio is fine with the engine on or off.

Have tried the cleaning solution but no change.
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Post by deian »

what happens when you turn the volume up? do the speakers sound as if they struggle? this would be a sure sign of poor current to the radio.

remember it could show 12v but what matter is the Current it needs. I understand AndersDK's suggestion, also remember the motors on the cd players draw quite a bit more current when spinning up that you'd think, then settle down to something less.

check the earth to the radio, earth can cause all sorts of weird problems all across the car.
luisaam
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Re: CD player only works when the engines not running!

Post by luisaam »

Hello, has anyone come across with a solution for this? I have exactly the same problem...
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Re: CD player only works when the engines not running!

Post by Peter.N. »

The only difference with the engine running is that the radio then has 14+ volts as opposed to around 12v when not running, maybe it has become voltage sensitive for some reason.

Peter
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Xantia's CD player only plays when the engine is not running

Post by luisaam »

Hi, everyone,

My Xantia's CD player can not play when the engine is running, and the odd part is that it plays when the engine is NOT running. If I try to play a CD when driving the CD is either spitted or it remains stuck on the current track time. The radio works just fine.

Please, has anyone had this problem and what needs to be done?

Thank you,
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Re: Xantia's CD player only plays when the engine is not running

Post by KennyW »

What type of cd player is it ?

Factory fitted or other will help.

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Re: CD player only works when the engines not running!

Post by ekjdm14 »

You haven't happened to buy the same car, exported to Portugal by any chance have you? does seem a very unlikely/uncommon fault and both recorded incidences are in Xantiae... Is your car right hand drive? Perhaps the paperwork would show if/when it was imported?

Otherwise, all I can offer is either try all the cleaning/checking of proper wiring connections (maybe a flaky ignition switch causing intermittent IGN+ to the stereo?) and if all else fails then locating a replacement. Would be very interesting to see what the actual problem is though...

Actually, another thought... If you remove the stereo & look at the back (you'll have to do this to check the wiring anyway I suppose), there's usually a plastic/rubber "peg" sticking out the back of the casing which locates the unit more securely into a hole at the back of the stereo slot. I guess it's possible this is either damaged/missing or not properly located in the hole (either too loose or jammed too tight) and causing excess vibration to be transferred to the CD player...

You could actually rule out/prove the vibration theory, if the wiring is long enough to allow you to rest the CD player on a pillow/folded coat etc. & then see if it plays OK with the engine running. (you could even just hold the stereo I guess if the wiring isn't that long)

Sorry, I've waffled long enough now. Hope something in there is of use to you.
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