8 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHStrange electrical issue with radio and DRL
Leading reported evidence
Install alpine head unit has stopped working
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Problem one: my newly installed Alpine head unit has stopped working.
Check pull between the battery and the unswitched (constant) lead
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
* Pull the battery tray cover and visually check for a pull between the battery and the unswitched (constant) lead for the head unit; also look for an additional inline fuse adapter.
Leading evidence: 'Install alpine head unit has stopped working' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'count by one' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check pull between the battery and the unswitched (constant) lead' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Radio was installed by a mainstream audio/video chain store; the installer seemed competent and professional.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that suspect a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suspected cause
If you had a spare known-good relay to drop in, you could drop the DRL suspect count by one.
Check pull between the battery and the unswitched (constant) lead
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
* Pull the battery tray cover and visually check for a pull between the battery and the unswitched (constant) lead for the head unit; also look for an additional inline fuse adapter.
Replace fuse e1 temporarily (the drl fuse location
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
* Replace fuse E1 temporarily (the DRL fuse location for Canadian 996's)
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
Check pull between the battery and the unswitched (constant) lead
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
* Pull the battery tray cover and visually check for a pull between the battery and the unswitched (constant) lead for the head unit; also look for an additional inline fuse adapter.
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
Here's one thread about the DRL relay - it's light on content; you can probably Google up some far better results for testing a 996 DRL relay...or even just testing a relay in general, since they're all variations on the same principles...
Test relay in general, since they're all variations
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
Here's one thread about the DRL relay - it's light on content; you can probably Google up some far better results for testing a 996 DRL relay...or even just testing a relay in general, since they're all variations on the same principles...
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
8 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
1 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Outcome without a verified action link
I sprayed the inside and outside of the relay with contact cleaner, and confirmed that it clicks when I turn on the ignition, but no change in the headlight behavior.
Two strange problems have recently cropped up. I figure they might be related because they are both electrical and happened at around the same time, but they may not be related to each other. The car is a ‘99.
Problem one: my newly installed Alpine head unit has stopped working. No power at all. It did work for a few days prior.
Problem two: my daytime running lights don’t work. For those who don’t know, Canadian cars are set up to have the low beam headlights on at all times, regardless of the position of the headlight switch in the cockpit. Mine suddenly stopped doing that. The low beams do work perfectly fine if I turn the headlights switch, but they no longer come on by themselves with the ignition.
All fuses are OK, including the ones behind the head unit.
These cars are new to me. Anyone seen the symptoms before?
Thanks in advance.
Without knowing how the radio is wired, it's tough to guess.
Did you test the fuses, or did you just visually verify that they're not blown?
If I was trying to troubleshoot this in my own 996, I would:
* Pull the trim panels from the center console stack and try to see where the head unit is pulling power.
* Replace fuse E1 temporarily (the DRL fuse location for Canadian 996's)
* Pull the battery tray cover and visually check for a pull between the battery and the unswitched (constant) lead for the head unit; also look for an additional inline fuse adapter.
Did I read your post correctly that the head unit worked correctly for a few days, but subsequently quit working?
I'm assuming your car was delivered Canadian and had factory DRL (rather than it having been converted to DRL) - is that correct?
Thanks for the replies!
Yes, the head unit worked for a while before it didn’t.
I did test the fuses.
Radio was installed by a mainstream audio/video chain store; the installer seemed competent and professional.
Yes, the car is original Canadian spec.
If the fuse checks out, and since the DRL is factory, the DRL relay is the next place I'd look. It's part #
996.615.111.00
Here's one thread about the DRL relay - it's light on content; you can probably Google up some far better results for testing a 996 DRL relay...or even just testing a relay in general, since they're all variations on the same principles...
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...drl-relay.html
I sprayed the inside and outside of the relay with contact cleaner, and confirmed that it clicks when I turn on the ignition, but no change in the headlight behavior. I’ve just seen a YouTube video on how to properly test a relay, so I will try that later.
Durametric says it cannot access the xenon headlight module, even though I do have factory xenons. I can’t remember if that ever worked in Durametric, so I don’t know if that’s a clue or a red herring.
Suppose the head unit is drawing its power from the DRL circuit. Is that a plausible hypothesis? How might I check that out, or change it so the head unit’s power comes from somewhere else?
The clicking means you're getting the switched 12v to the magnet loop on the relay - but it doesn't tell you whether or not the load is being switched.
If you power the magnet (clicky) loop on the relay manually, you could use a continuity test to see if the circuit is actually opening and closing when the relay fires.
Do you know anyone else with a 996? If you had a spare known-good relay to drop in, you could drop the DRL suspect count by one.
I learned when I upgraded my 996's stereo that the '99 factory radio harness differs from subsequent years; you have to know to reverse the switched and constant pins. I could see this potentially causing confusion.
