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Another Amp Question

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Old May 25, 2018 | 09:42 PM
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Noob here. I just bought a 2004 LS430 with 69,000 miles. My first Lexus. Not UL or Nav. In overall very good condition, but there is no sound from the stereo. All stereo functions work. I do believe the battery was replaced recently, but I have not tried disconnecting it for 15 minutes yet. I have no reason to believe that this is a Mark Levinson system, or are they all ML? I'm guessing that it is just a standard premium sound system. At this point, I am just trying to gather information and troubleshoot. The dealer I bought it from did not know anything. I have read a lot about the ML amps failing. Do the non-ML amps fail frequently also? If so, Is it just coincidence that the non-ML amps also fail at a high rate? Are there any glitches or problems I should expect from disconnecting the battery? Thanks in advance for any insights.
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Old May 26, 2018 | 06:28 AM
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The Mark Levinson amp will have the ML name on the front, on the lower right side.

I would start with checking fuses. That may very well be the problem.

The ML amps can develop problems, but I haven't experienced that. My 01' is a Levinson system and I have almost 195,000 on the car. I did replace the sub woofer, and repaired the front door speakers, but no other issues.

Crazy thought;
I installed a VAIS Bluetooth adapter to use my Ipod in the car. Perhaps the P.O. had something connected and when it was removed, the original harness was not plugged back in correctly?

Just a thought... I would start with fuses.

Last edited by 2KHarrier; May 26, 2018 at 06:32 AM.
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Old May 26, 2018 | 07:34 AM
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To supplement 2KHarrier's recommendation, here's a diagram showing locations of relevant fuses and equipment...

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Old May 26, 2018 | 07:56 AM
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Rkw, thanks. Do you happen to know the location of fuses that are specifically relevant to the amp? Or, which fuse boxes are irrelevant to the stereo? Thanks again

Last edited by caddy3646; May 26, 2018 at 09:05 AM.
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Old May 26, 2018 | 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by caddy3646
Rkw, thanks. Do you happen to know the location of fuses that are specifically relevant to the amp? Or, which fuse boxes are irrelevant to the stereo? Thanks again
Power to the amplifier go through two fuses (see red arrows on sketch below). These two fuses are in the fuse-box on the left side of the trunk.

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Old May 30, 2018 | 07:38 PM
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Well, I thought I had it. I checked the two fuses and decided that it must be the amp. I pulled the amp out, which was more difficult than I expected. Then I found a used amp here in town. I put it in but still nothing. I suppose the used anp could be bad also. They couldn't test it. Any other thoughts? Thanks
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Old May 31, 2018 | 06:49 AM
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Originally Posted by rkw77080
You mentioned that you checked the two fuses in the trunk. Did you also confirm that they are receiving 12VDC power when the ignition switch is on?

If power is not the issue, please run the diagnostic to see which error codes the system will show.

I am in the same boat and got the diagnostic mode to come on. I cycled through using "seek track up: and after PIF0 it said "CHEC"

I can't find anywhere to decipher this code.

Caddy do you have the same code in diagnostic mode?
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Old May 31, 2018 | 11:54 AM
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Well this didn't end up fixing my problem but it did lead me down a very interesting path...THAT DID FIX MY PROBLEM.

I had checked all the fuses to make sure they were not blown but as I was reading through other posts I realized that the fuse diagram I was seeing online didn't match my manual. So I went and looked and apparently at some point someone lost the manual and replaced my 2001 manual with a 2002 manual. The fuse diagram in the 02 manual does NOT match the 01 fuses. So I was checking the wrong fuses!

When I checked fuse 38 (the correct fuse) it was blown and now everything works!!!

I am so pumped!
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Old May 31, 2018 | 01:01 PM
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You bastard... seriously though, good for you. And thank you for reporting back.
How many amps was the fuse? And how was it labeled? Was it in the trunk on the left? Thanks
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Old May 31, 2018 | 01:34 PM
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Haha! it was a 30A fuse in the front passenger footwell panel.

Fuse 38 I believe. Second fuse up from the bottom right corner. I also believe it is the only 30amp fuse in that panel.
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Old May 31, 2018 | 01:41 PM
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Roger. And, did your radio power on and look like it was functioning fine, but no sound?
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Old May 31, 2018 | 01:45 PM
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Yeah that is exactly what it was doing.
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Old May 31, 2018 | 01:49 PM
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OK, thanks. I'm going to check mine when I get home.
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Old May 31, 2018 | 05:59 PM
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Still nothing here. Thanks, Trent.

RKW, I'm going to check for 12v power, then the diagnostic. Thx

Last edited by caddy3646; May 31, 2018 at 06:12 PM.
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Old Jun 2, 2018 | 09:01 AM
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RKW, I took the car to a local car audio place. He tested all fuses and said he tested speakers. He said it has to be either the head unit or the amp. I did test another amp from a junk yard, but I don;t know that it was good or not.
I tried the diagnostic mode but really didn't know what to make of it. I just couldn't tell if it was trying to tell me anything.
Is there also some type of mute mode that the stereo can go into on its own? Thanks again
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