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2007 STS Nav is Blank/Dead, need help

21K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  chazglenn3 
#1 ·
Re: 2007 STS Nav is Blank/Dead

How do I find out what controls the power distribution to the 2007 Cadillac STS Nav/Radio. I can see illumination but get no response from the DVD, CD or Navigation unit. I verified that the RED/White wire has 12 VDC. I'm wondering is there a secondary control that allows the unit to power on when the car is in auxiliary or turned on.
My VIN #:C1G6DW677770128996
Nav/Radio
Bar Code: 86AZKJM862121137
Denso P/N: 19116990
9746819-572
S/N: 67701137
YKV295CKY2
GM P/N: 15939015
468100-5720

Just Heard back From Cadillac and Dealer. They offered me a 60/40 split....in other words $1600.00 to repair my fix my Nav/Radio. Don't have it....So I'm going to repair it myself or at least break the issue down to a lower cost solution. My daughter’s G6 had an issue where I replaced the 6 CD changer for $60 bucks in stead of the whole unit.
 
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#6 ·
Based on your symptoms, along with the cost GM reports to repair the problem, I'm going to guess the fault is internal to the radio. It may be possible to have this repaired by contacting a GM Electronic Service Centre (this is usually done through a dealership, but can be done in some cases by an end consumer). The problem will be with shipping. They will require the radio to be put in shipping mode, which can only be done with a dealership Tech 2 scan tool. Other damage may occur if this isn't done.

As for power, the radio is never truly 'off'. Almost everything module in these cars has constant power. Power mode is set over the data bus only. If you have a good ground and battery positive voltage, there is nothing more you can check. Clearly, if the screen doesn't work and you can still do things such as adjust volume, data bus communications are intact. Volume is controlled in the amplifier, not the radio and so adjusting volume successfully confirms data communication.

I would suggest that you purchase a used radio off eBay, install it and simply have the dealership unlock it for you. This will be your least expensive alternative. Unfortunately, you won't likely end up with any sort of warranty.
 
#7 ·
I am currently in the process of replacing my radio as it was damaged in a minor accident I had, the tuning knob was hit and not does not function, anyways the repair shop tried to replace the radio and found that it was the wrong model number for my STS 1SG and they had to send it back, the dealer also mentioned that you have to get the serial number off the back of the unit and match it up with the new unit. The radio's look the same however the steering wheel has different buttons. Also if you purchase a lockpick there are a couple of different ones, my point is make sure the replacement is of the same type as the origional. Also have you tried removing and replacing the radio? I was having issues to where my radio was turning off and found it was a loose connection and since the radio was removed and replaced the turning off problem has went away. I have 170,000 miles on my radio and aside from the damage from the accident it still works great.
 
#8 ·
sounds a bit expensive, but i do know that these units are pricey ...

if they didn't disassemble your dash and get a visual ID of the part number of your nav radio then their price quote was just a guestimate and they were probably guessing on the high side to be safe
(we need to either scan the part number with the tech2 or visually ID it or we can't get an exact exchange price)
that's my post from the previous thread ...

i'd agree that it's probably an internal fault and you'll need an exchange unit ... if you can do the hard work of getting a visual id of the part number on the back of the radio then you could call specmo yourself and just get it straight from them probably

although it would still need to be programmed once it was installed

might be worth checking with you dealer once you have the part number so they can get you an accurate quote and then compare that to what you would have to pay if you just went straight to specmo and got it and then had your dealer program it for you once you install it

good luck,
chris
 
#10 ·
Thanks Folks for all the help.....but I'm not sure my symptons are understood. I get no lights, sounds, clicks of any kind from the Nav/Radio/CD/DVD. I cant adjust the screen angle. I do see light around the knobs and can adjust with the dash dimmer. I have verified that constant 12Vdc at pin 1& 9 on the Nav unit and Pin 1 of the Bose Amp. At this point Im not sure if it's the Nav/Radio or some auxillary item disabiling the unit. I have pulled the unit but have not removed the connectors, for concerns that I would loose the programming ......

Tomorrow I will remove the connectors and reconnect it to see what happens. Once I know its the unit I'd like to repair it by replacing what ever is stopping the the unit from powering up. Has anyone ever troubleshoot one of these units and can direct me to the repair mainual?
 
#11 · (Edited)
To help you understand a little more about how these work, if you can adjust the intensity of backlighting, there is clearly some level of function. These radios are not like those of older cars where the backlighting signal is provided on a dedicated wire and the lamps change intensity because the voltage on that wire varies. In this radio, backlighting is controlled by a data bus message instructing the radio to adjust the level to a percentage of full. Since the level changes, there is some degree of functioning logic in this unit.

Removing the connectors from the back of the radio will, at worst, cause you to lose some of your radio station presets. Based on where you are at with this right now, there is really nothing to be lost by trying. Personally, I'm not hopeful though.

The only "disabling" feature that can be enabled on this radio is "TheftLock" (short of a fault). If this was the case, you would see a message on the display. The radio does this on its own. When you install a radio in the car, it will read the VIN from the data bus. If it is different than the one stored in the radio from the last time it was installed/reset, the radio knows it's in the wrong vehicle and locks itself.

As Rippy mentioned, if you are going to replace the radio you should definitely try and match part numbers. Having said this, I installed a 2010 radio in my 2008 with no difficulty at all (except that I had to unlock the theft protection). There was a change in steering wheel controls starting in 2008. I can't say for certain, but I believe the 2005-2006 radios have the same software and possibly 2007.

It would have been really interesting to know what the GM dealer found when they scanned the radio/attempted to connect to it with their Tech2 or MDI. Did they provide anything further on the work order?
 
#12 ·
definitely match part numbers... specmo will not deal with you unless you have a part number and usually if you don't say it was either scanned with a tech to or got directly off of the unit then they will not let you return it when it doesn't work since it wasn't a direct part number for part number exchange (often the part numbers will supersede, but that's still a same part for same part exchange)

from your symptoms i am almost certain that the radio is faulty and that the only repair is to replace it
(opening up the radio to try and repair it would void any kind of exchange possibility in the future and the core charges on these things can get outrageous so you don't really want to do that unless you've got another one to send in for exchange if you mess that one up)
the only thing keeping me from being certain that it's the radio that's gone bad is not knowing what your dealer found when they tried to communicate with the radio from their scan tool(s)

----------

also, there are other options besides specmo... they are just one of the better known ESC (Electronic Service Center)

United Radio, Instrument Sales & Service, and Model Electronics are the other ones that I know of ... there's probably two or three more (i can find the full list of ESCs if you need it)

but the bottom line is that the ESCs are the only place that you can get radios and clusters (and some other electronics) for GM vehilces
they are the authorized repair centers (even though sometimes they just send the units back to japan for repair when it's a denso unit)
 
#13 ·
The dealer could not establish any communication from the unit. I will provide Specmo with the following information which I hope will be sufficient.
My VIN #:C1G6DW677770128996
Nav/Radio
Bar Code: 86AZKJM862121137
Denso P/N: 19116990
9746819-572
S/N: 67701137
YKV295CKY2
GM P/N: 15939015
468100-5720
 
#15 ·
So I find out that this unit has a prior failure history. Now I'm Thinking!!!!!!!!
1) Nothing was wrong with my original unit...I took it in because CDs would skip at the end of the tracks
2) They replaced my original unit with this one that was refurbished and went dead in 15 months....it also would skip at the end of the tracks
3) If I had my original unit-which worked and had no prior failure history- I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS MESS!!!!!!!!!

So I'm contemplating sending it for repair or buy one from salvage... While removing the unit, I notice that a single wire connector is stuck on....the pink release leveris broken!!!!!!!!
 
#19 ·
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I changed my battery today and have the exact same problem...alarm went off and the nav screen is blank and all buttons unresponsive. I tried the eject buttons as mentioned above but no joy. The fuse under the seat on the passenger side is good...I swapped it for another and removed it as suggested. Is there a fuse on in the nav unit itself? Any other ideas?
 
#20 ·
Try the reset procedure. Disconnect the battery again and touch the cables together for several seconds. Make sure the battery is charged before hooking it back up.

The Navs seem to be sensitive to low voltage and can get in a non-working state until you disconnect the battery. The alarm sounding when you connect the battery is normal.
 
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