x300 dashboard illumination stays on after new radio fitted

[tuscan24]

I finally gave up the battle with the original Jaguar radio and reluctantly fitted a modern unit, which doesn't actually look too bad and the sound and facilities are amazing. It looks like the previous owner had already replaced it in the past for a secondhand unit from ASM.

Thanks to the 2013 post from 'johnsoncp' I fitted a Sony MEX-N5200BT using:
Autoleads ascia adapter FP-14-00. £17.24 from Amazon and Autoleads harness adapter pc2-55-4. £5.00 from Amazon.

I chose the Sony because although it has a single CD player, it is shorter than the original unit allowing for all the extra wiring behind. I decided against DAB, to save the hassle with aerial issues and DAB is not great in my area in my other car.

Problems: As stated by 'johnsoncp', the nighttime dimming seems to work in reverse, with the car lights on, the display is brighter, however, its possible to reconfigure the Sony to correct this.

The main problem is that now, when the ignition is off, the radio is off and the car lights are off, the dashboard dial illumination (not air con and clock) stays on, even with the car locked and unattended. The rheostat on the steering column still allows the dash lights to be dimmed to almost off in this state.

I swapped the new Sony unit out for an old ISO/DIN radio and the same happens. With no radio connected, the dash illumination stays off.


Any ideas please? many thanks

[6sabre]

Hi,
The radio must be providing a live 'out' to the lighting circuit.
The yellow is the permanent 12v in, so it looks like the 'adaptor' has linked the the orange/white to it. If you remove the fuse from the radio and the lights still light then its a cable/adaptor issue I think. You need to check what each wire does/is doing

[tuscan24]

Thanks Steve.

As you suggested it is the orange/white wire causing the problem. It's not the adapter wiring. I disconnected the orange/white and the dashboard illumination no longer stays on. However, I have now, as expected, lost the automatic dimming of the radio with the car lights on. Not a big problem as there is a facility to program a time to dim and time to go bright in the radio. Better than worrying about a flat battery.

I can only assume that the car signals the original radio to dim in reverse to a modern ISO unit.

many thanks, Phil