[jrob]

So I own a 2007 Tahoe and I put in an aftermarket radio yesterday. This morning I went out and the battery light came on with a warning to check the charging system.

I’m pretty much 99% certain it is from the new radio because we’ve never had this issue before. The battery is only a couple years old.

I color matched everything one to one. I have the same issue on another car, but the radio face is detachable and that seems to stop the drain. This one is double din and not detachable.

Any help is much appreciated.

 

[coledp]

You have to be careful with mixing up the 12v constant and the ignition wire. The orange is the constant and the yellow is the ignition wire. Make sure you didn't mix those two up. If you happened to connect the ignition wire from the head unit to the 12v constant that's where your drain is coming from. Hopefully that was of some help

 

[RayVoy]

Most of the electrics in today's trucks "talk" to each other over the trucks computer LAN. This means 12v power is always on at each system.
The radio, because it's used for OnStar, is always connected to 12v hot.
The radio goes to "sleep" when it receives the sleep command from the LAN.
When you install an aftermarket radio, you need to install a module that will communicate with the LAN and remove 12v from the headunit when the "sleep" command is received.

 

[xPosTech]

Most radios and amps use constant 12V and a switched ignition source to turn on. They also have a switched output to turn on any amps or equalizers. If the constant 12V is connected to the switched output the radio won't turn off. Some of the radios have a Normal (switched)/On(no switching) option.

Ted

 

[jrob]

Thanks for the info.

So everything is color matched for the connections. There is no OnStar on the stock radio I took out and none on the one I put in. Should I look to color match the connections with the wiring coming from inside the dash vs the wires on the harness connecting to the unit?

 

[xPosTech]

Go to crutchfield.com and get a wiring diagram for your radio and truck. For an 07 you need to connect it to one of the many RAP (Retained Accessory Power) feeds for the "On" signal. You'll also need to connect to a constant 12V for station memory and clock functions.

You can also get wiring diagrams at gmupfitters.com.

Ted

 

[RayVoy]

Thanks for the info.

So everything is color matched for the connections. There is no OnStar on the stock radio I took out and none on the one I put in. Should I look to color match the connections with the wiring coming from inside the dash vs the wires on the harness connecting to the unit?

OnStar isn't in the radio, it uses the radio and the speakers.

You require an adaptor that switches the 12v on/off as required. The adaptor is wired to the truck wiring and the driver's speaker; the non-factory radio is wired to the adaptor