mkaye

i have had the '96 for 2 months
while driving yesterday my wife noticed that the volume dropped and was not adjustable - she said it did appear to change by itself a couple of times
i have the same low volume with all radio stations (AM or FM)
the volume control does nothing
i have the same low volume from all speakers
The other thing my wife said was that the dash where the radio & climate controls are was very warm
i just had it undercoated (they didn't drill any holes)
it's almost like the sound is muted, but not completely - could it be the phone mute circuit (no phone installed) or does this mute the sound completely?

mark

i am going to check the line-level inputs to the amp as a starting point, unless i get better info from the group

Kansas

It may be different in the 96 LS but when the aftermarket phone system in my 00 LS mutes my Nakamichi radio, I can still barely hear the audio from the radio. My aftermarket phone system is plugged into the same mute circuit that a dealer installed Lexus phone system would have used to mute the radio.

In early 2008 the audio in the right channel of my Nak started fading to about the volumn level of when a phone call is in progress. I would have thought that the amp was the problem but it was a loose connection in the head unit. Since then, the shop that repaired my Nak and most other radio repair shops have stopped repairing Nakamichi radios due to lack of parts.

You might check the audio system and phone system wiring harnesses to see if there used to be a Lexus or aftermarket phone system in your car. There is definitely an audio system mute pin in the 3-pin connector phone connector on the drivers side underneath the vent you see when you raise the center armrest. There should be a second auto system mute pin on one of the phone prewire connectors in the trunk -- at least there is on my 00 LS.

Have any friends with a 95-97 LS with Nakamichi? If you do, you could remove and test your amp (it's under the front passenger seat) on someone else's car. That's what I did to determine that the amp on my car was OK. You can test your amp on another car without removing the other amp from where it is mounted.

jbreezy27

while nakamichi sounds great, they seem to hav constant issues
the factory tweeters and amp went out in mine and thats wen i just went to an aftermarket system. i would possibly consider that
the harness required is like $10 at car toys

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

based on what facts

the oem stereos in 95-00 cars are actually quite solid, with the occasional sub going out at most.

mkaye

i cut the MUTE wire coming in to the back of the Nak, no change - it is 7.78V at the back of the Nak
the MUTE wire from the NAK to the amp has the same 7.78V
not sure that cutting it is going to fix the problem
should it be GND or +12V to not mute?

mark

more...
i grounded/+12 the MUTE input to the radio - no change
i grounded the MUTE output to the amp & got FULL volume, but the radio's volume was at minimum
so i am suspecting the radio is causing the false MUTE signal

and more...
The MUTE wire to the radio has +12V (fixed the wire i cut)
The amp has +12V on the MUTE wire with the radio disconnected
When connected I get +8V from the radio to the amp, so I am fairly sure it is the radio
anyone have a schematic of the radio (or mute portion thereof)?

mkaye

i have never seen a harness for the Nak system and couldn't find 1 at cartoys
do you have a pointer?

mark

jbreezy27

they have to order it, its not for the nak system itself but for an aftermarket deck were you to put one in, such as a pioneer like i had put in.

puredrifter,possibly in the 95-00 they are solid, however i hav a 93 n have talked to people with issues with them most of them which were the same as mine. i cannot say for sure the same is true with the later models, i was just throwing it out there

mkaye

anyone know the model # for the Nak radio in the 96 (starts with a C)
i put it back in before realizing that it may come in handy to identify the correct schematic

mark

the cassette player is just below centre