thomaszr

Everything looks fine on the control panel; all AM/FM radio stations show, volume bars grow and shrink as if I'm turning it up and down, the antenna goes up and down & the tracks change and show as if they are playing on the CD.

But no music, cracks, pops or any sound comes out of any of the speakers in my 99 RX300.

Anyone else have this problem before?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

2KHarrier

It could be either the amplifier or the wiring going into the amplifier. The amp is located under the back seat on the right side. Fold the rear seats forward and pull the carpet up and the spare tire cover. That's where I would start. And, there are many informative threads discussing RX audio. Is this a Nakamichi system?

salimshah

Verify the mite is not engaged.

Salim

JAB

I think he means 'mute.'

thomaszr

2KHarrier: It is a Nakamichi system. I've pulled it. What do I check in the wiring? and/or Amp?

Is there someone that can fix it or should I look for a replacement in a junk yard?

salimshah & JAB: I don't think it's "muted" it worked intermittently before it quit. When it did work, it was at a low volume that I could not adjust.

JAB

I too have a Nakamichi in my 99 RX and periodically I experience no sound, and the mute button has not been engaged. Inevitably the sound has come back, but I have yet to understand what the problem has been.

salimshah

There can be gremlins in the software which can be cleared by disconnecting the battery for about 20 mins.

Salim

2KHarrier

That is an excellent suggestion. When I had my RX, I was experiencing similar issues with the audio. Here's what I found;

The amplifier is mounted (as I mentioned above) under the right seatback area. It's a pain to access, but not impossible. The wiring that leads to the amplifier comes from the left side of the vehicle. Just inboard of the left door frame, if you follow the wiring loom through that area, you'll see a connector. It's located roughly where the outboard rear corner of the left rear seat bottom would be. Slide the seat all the way forward, and you should be able to access that area where the connector is.
You may find it's loose. Mine was. I have no idea how or why it became loose, but it was. If you look at the diagram below, the loom I'm referring to is the White/Red/Green/Black bundle that connects the amp to the Radio/CD changer

I wish I had a better diagram. I'll keep looking and see what I can find...



EDIT:

OK, so I found another diagram. It's in the area of the Ground Point B1 (inside the upside down triangle). There should be a connector right in that area.

randinator

Resetting the ecu resets the security system. Your car thinks that someone is trying to steal the head unit so it shuts off power to the amp. I'm dealing with the same problem

thomaszr

factoryradioservice.com wants $185 + S&H to fix it.

I'm glad I found someone out there that fixes them;

but I think I'm going to go with a (Fe)ebay replacement and then tear apart and play with the old one.

JAB

Have you found a Nakamichi amp for sale? Understand that the two versions - the premium Nakamichi and the standard Pioneer - are not interchangeable.

thomaszr

It was listed as a Nakamichi from another 99 RX300 that was in an accident.

I sent pictures of mine asking him to verify that its the same.

JAB

Lucky you; they are hard to find.

thomaszr

$114 from a junk yard in Georgia (via ebay & the USPS) :-D


Out with the old & in with the new; even though the new one is older than the broken original one.

trhs75

This was surprise to me, but the "head units" are completely interchangeable between the Nakamichi and standard sound systems. I have two '99's. I had to replace the head unit on the non-Nakamichi one because of scuffing on the tan part. It was simpler to buy the whole screen, head unit, and console assembly. As you know, it's an easy swap; it just took some time. For curiosity's sake, I took the scuffed one and tried it in the Nakamichi-equipped RX. It worked and sounded exactly the same. All the plug-in connectors fit. I think they're the same part. I seem to recall checking with the Lexus dealer on that long ago, but I'm not positive I did. The only difference was that Nakamichi badge. I think all the Nakamichi upgrades are in the amplifiers under the seats. My GROM Audio iPhone setup would only work in the non-Nakamichi car, no matter which head unit was in it, and it would not work in the Nakamichi car regardless of the head unit installed. (Some may recall that for whatever reason, the GROM adapter is not supposed to work with the Nakamichi.)