Amp Trigger Woes, Help!!!

[paladin]

I was trying to install a trigger for a powered sub in my Mk3 by using the (Brown/red) ignition wire (which seeemed to be the switch for the radio and door chimes).

Well, no more chimes, no more radio.

I disconnected the patched wire and can't find any blown fuses in the panel, but still no chimes nor radio.

Help!

[Dizzie]

retrace your steps before it all stopped working. if none of your fuses are blown something must be wired up differently to when it worked previously.

[modulater]

As Dizzie says you need to trace your steps back. In theory you should be ok using a low voltage wire for an amp trigger as it is minimal current but combined with the door chime circuit and radio on too this may have overloaded the fuse.

If the radio feed fuse is ok and you cant find anything else you are going have to trace the wires and see if you've got a burnt out wire.

Normal practice is to take the amp trigger wires from the blue wire/wires on the back of the head unit.

[Overseer]

Normal practice is to take the amp trigger wires from the blue wire/wires on the back of the head unit.

what i was gonna say.. thought i might have been missing a trick..

(normally run it up with the RCAs)

[modulater]

What head unit are you using as a lot of them allow you to turn the amp trigger on and off through the menu?

[paladin]

It's the factory 'premium' system...

I'm gonna start fresh tomorrow.  I've disconnected the additional wire and still no sound (or door chime) yet.

I'll take the radio out, if for no other reason but to look for the blue wire for a trigger mentioned (I heard it mentioned before as the antenna wire, I just didn't see it.)

If I burned out the wire it'll be a real b!tch to replace.  As it was, I had spent 3 1/2 hrs to find that one, splice into it, and run a wire to the hatch.

I attempted to test the wire with a multi-meter to see if it was strong enough to kick on the amp before attaching it.  I turned the knob on the meter slowly to the test setting while it was still on the wire, could that have sent enough feedback to blow it?

[Blue MK2]

If the headunit has stopped working have you tried the fuse behind the headunit?

[Overseer]

ohh and triple check the fuses.. i had one that had gone the other week that looked ok, but didnt buzz out ok with the multimeter.. there was a hairline crack in it.. and I did that while i was fitting the new headunit...  i could actually make it work/not work by slightly flexing the fuse.. crazy huh

[paladin]

I wanted to thank you guys for your help...

So far, it seems the wire I was trying to splice into was the correct trigger wire as verified by the back of the factory radio.  Unfortunately no power is going though that wire now. (the fuse on the radio is fine)

I've found the (wire brown w/red) on the radio, near the fusebox, and going into the ignition switch.  Each one used to have power (that's why I decided to use it in the first place), nothing now.

I'm gonna recheck for a burned fuse (I broke one of the plastic fusebox hold down clips the last time  ), but if it's a trigger in the ignition switch, I don't think I'm messing with it.  Although, I'm not looking forward to running a different trigger wire into the radio's harness, I'm not changing an ignition switch so I can have door chimes... I'll have to use a different trigger.

Any Ideas?

[Blue MK2]

Its a good idea to buy a small volt meter.

Use the (+) wire from your heater?
I you do, get an in-line fused wire and connect it up to your radio.

Not too sure about mk3 golfs but this is how my mk2 golf is set up.