Fried stereo?

[pat8839]

Last weekend I took a wave over the bow when a met a large wake and immediately there was an awful loud low tone buzz from the speakers instead of music. I shut off the radio at that point to check it later. When looking at the radio itself, all looks totally normal. The display is fine, shows radio stations, shows cd timer as it plays, etc. When I put it on Tuner function there is no sound period, and when in CD function it sounds like a terrible radio signal and only the starboard side speakers put any sound out, and there is absolutely nothing coming from the port side. (I have 3 speakers on each side of the boat).
Can the stereo have been fried that easy? It is a marine stereo and all the speakers are "waterproof" as per their label.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Fried stereo?

Hitting the wake probably popped a connection loose. If the head unit was not wet, I doubt that was the issue.

 

[pat8839]

Re: Fried stereo?

I don't think the head unit itself got wet, as we took water over the bow (I have a Bayliner 195 bowrider) and the head unit is in the glove box. I did disconnect the wire harness in the back of the head unit and spray it with electronic connection spray (I think it's called 686 or something like that) but that didn't help. I'm not sure what else to check now though...

 

[EMC 1810SS]

Re: Fried stereo?

Check the connections at the back of the speakers. It may have jarred them loose. It is odd that the radio part doesn't work. If a set of wires came loose and dead shorted it could have blown the amplifier section of the head unit. I would check all the connections first.

 

[pat8839]

Re: Fried stereo?

I have checked the connections actually. I even took a speaker from my house and hooked it up to the speaker wire and get the same result-crackly on the starboard side, nada on the post side...I even sprayed the speaker connections hoping for a miracle!

Is there any way I can test to see if the head unit is fried?

 

[EMC 1810SS]

Re: Fried stereo?

Maybe try splicing speakers into the harness at the back of the head unit? That would eliminate any wire issues.

 

[pheasanthunter]

Re: Fried stereo?

Check and see if you have any speaker wires that are exposed and laying in water. You can get a buzz like that if a speaker wire is grounded. It happens alot in car audio (a screw through a speaker wire in a metal door) not as much in a fiberglass boat. As the last guy said hook a speaker to each speaker output right at the stereo and see if you have the same problem. I would disconnect all other speaker wires to isolate each one seperately

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: Fried stereo?

i am beting the radia is fried. just because of the fansy name [MARINE RADIO] doesn't mean it's ment to get wet, and still work properly, only ment to take the abuse of waves. i had the same problem when i bought my boat i could get fuzz out of the back speakers if i had it on cd but no music, also had no am-fm. i replaced with an automotive radio wired it in havn't had a problem since.

if your still doubt full id check the inline fuse either in the back of the unit or with in 6-8 inches of the wiring harness maybe it blew and i belive that is for the amp.