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2006 Radio and accessory socket woes

2K views 21 replies 3 participants last post by  road2cycle 
#1 ·
So I was driving yesterday with the radio on and I was charging my phone with a charger in the front socket. The radio cut off and the charger quit working. It had happened before so I had an idea of where to look. Last time it was the 7.5 amp ACC relay fuse in the drivers side don't fuse box that was blown. Sure enough it was blown this time too but this is when I started having trouble. Every time I replace it it's blowing plus, when I put a new one in and turn the key to on (from key being completely out) my ignition tries to start the pilot without me even turning the key to crank it?? I'll turn the key to get the pilot started and when I do it blows the fuse. I've looked at the 15 amp fuse on the passenger side and it looks fine. I've also checked the socket for foreign objects but I can't see anything in it. I'm just really confused why replacing the fuse would cause the engine to start cranking just by turning the key to the on position. I really just want my radio to work again. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Had any work been done on the Pilot prior to the issues occurring?
 
#3 ·
None with the electrical side anytime since I've had it. I've only had it since March though. Had engine work done around April shortly after I bought it but that's it. The Accessory fuse blew before and I just replaced it and everything was fine. This time definitely not. I can't figure out why replacing the fuse causes the ignition to start Automatically when the key is only in the on position ? As soon as I turn the key to actually let the car start and to stop the automatic starting, the fuse blows. I took the cigarette(accessory plug) out from the dash and disconnected it then tried to replace the fuse but same thing happened. Is one of the black relay cubes in the fuse box under the hood related somehow? Whatever the issue it seems to be crossed over with the ignition wire or something to make it hot when the key gets turned to on.
 
#5 ·
If the Pilot has an alarm system take a look at the wiring under the steering column and driver side fuse box area. You might have a shorted wire in those areas.
 
#6 ·
How would I be able to recognize the shorted wire? I see loose wires down by my drivers side feet area. Someone really must have done some shoddy repairs before I got it. The shorted wire could make the ignition powered like its doing with just the key being in the on position?
 
#7 ·
Yes, if the starter relay wire is shorted to something it shouldn’t be connected to you could get the symptoms you are experiencing. And since you mentioned shoddy wiring I would definitely start investing in that area. The shoddy wiring job does not surprise me at all.
 
#8 ·
And for determining shorted wires start looking for dangling wires with exposed metal. Or if you see a wire bundle wrapped in electrical tape carefully remove the tape to investigate the mess underneath it.
 
#9 ·
If the wires are shorted do they need to be replaced? Or just separated from where they aren't supposed to be? Should I just tape up the loose wiring if I find any? I've never dealt with electrical issues before so bear with me. I definitely appreciate your input though.
 
#10 ·
Check the accessory outlet. Had a similar issue once. Young child put a penny in there..
Otherwise you are going to have to isolate each part of the circuit one by one to find the fault.
 
#11 ·
If you find shorted wires you’ll first need to separate them. Then figure out where they are supposed to be connected and make that connection with a butt splice, solder wires and cover with heat shrink tubing, or use a posi-tap. Don’t use electrical tape or t-taps as both aren’t very good long term solutions. And definitely look up some videos on YouTube on proper electrical wiring techniques.
 
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#13 ·
Here's some pictures of what I found by my feet on the drivers side. This (relay? ) is hanging down? Does anybody know what it is or what it controls? There are some wires taped up and the black one was loose so I taped it up. I also found a screw jammed in the wiring? I'm guessing someone was using that as a ground or to keep wires in place?? Then I see the empty connector. If someone can help me figure out if these things are related that would be great.
 

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#14 ·
The first photo you took is a relay. The next three photos are what I was anticipating the wiring job would look like.

Is that screw connected to chassis? If it is it’s probably someone’s attempt to create a connection to ground. Is there a wire attached to the screw?

Do any of the added wires run to wiring coming from the steering column? My guess is one or more wires is tapped into the starter relay wire.
 
#15 ·
I'm at work away from the vehicle right now but I'll check to see if they're running to the steering column. The screw is in the plastic connector piece. It looks like the Two wires in the same plastic piece are connected or wrapped to it. The black wire in the other standalone picture is loose. I don't know what it's supposed to be going to.

Any idea what relay it would be? I'm wondering if it's the accessory relay or a starter relay? Either way, it's hanging down and I'm guessing it's a part of the problem. Not sure where it's supposed to sit either?
 
#16 ·
I just saw the photo of that screw used to tap two wires together. Unbelievable!! I’ll add screws to my list of things which aren’t good for making long term reliable electrical contacts.

See if you can take photos of all the wiring connections. Maybe it will be possible to trace where they all connect to.
 
#17 ·
okay just had a quick second to look. The red wire that's by the screw actually runs to the relay. The relay also has only four wires coming into it from behind. I'm wondering if maybe the loose black wire should go in the fifth slot? The connector with the screw in it is on the right underneath the steering column.
 
#18 ·
It’s typical that only four of the five relay contacts get used. Pins 87 and 87a are the normally open and normally closed contacts on the relay, and depending on the circuit usually only one of the two is used.

Before plugging anything into that fifth relay contact I would draw a diagram of what the wires coming off the relay are connected to and understand the intent of the circuit. If you diagram the wiring connections I’ll help you interpret what that relay is supposed to do. For each connection you’ll need to note the endpoints of the wire (As an example: there is a wire connecting from relay pin 85 to the red/white wire coming from connector zzz).
 
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#19 ·
Okay so I traced the wires and this is what I found. The loose black wire is running to the black slim box thing, GPS maybe? I don't have a navigation system but I see the CDMA numbers on it. The other taped up spots run from that relay in the other posts. Could the taped up spots be causing the short?
 

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#20 ·
Unfortunately, there are a lot of variables which could be causing the issue. There is that screw which was used to short two wires together. There is electrical tape covering up wire splices, and from what I’ve seen I have little confidence in the integrity of those connections.

This is what I would do if it were my Pilot:
1) Look on that black box for a part/model number and google that so you have an idea of what the box does.
2) Diagram all of the wire connections going to the relay and the black box.
3) Gain an understanding of what the circuit does. As I mentioned I can help you with this step.
4) Correct the shoddy wiring. You’ll either need to learn how to solder (it’s not too difficult) and heatshrink the solder joints. Or purchase a crimp kit and butt splice those connections. Either way that wiring needs to get cleaned up or the connections will remain questionable.
5) For the connection which used the screw to splice two wires, I would first ensure the screw didn’t damage the connector and its wiring/contacts. If nothing was damaged replace the screw with a better wire tap (I personally prefer Posi-Taps even though they are pricey).
 
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#21 ·
I finally figured out the root cause of the issue and corrected it. Thanks so much road2cycle. You definitely helped point me in the right direction. It turns out that all the wiring of course was not meant to be there. It was a remote GPS starter cutoff device. They had the red wire screwed into the connector to get power and then to the relay to the GPS and then through the dash directly spliced into the starter solenoid wiring. I finally got up the guts to try and disconnect it all today. I didn't want to mess up the starter because I wasn't sure how they spliced it in to the starter but everything seems fine now that I removed it. I had to tape back up where they cut into the starter wire but all is good. Radio works and so do the accessory sockets. Fuse hasn't blown again (yet.. Fingers crossed).
 

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#22 ·
Well that last photo explains the rat nest of wiring. Glad you got it figured out. If the problem reoccurs feel free to ask and we’ll get it figured out.
 
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