No electrical power from Ignition, why?

[Migui]

I have a Blaupunkt Hamburg installed in my 97 Jetta. After a month, it just stopped working so I checked the fuse, fuses are okay under the steering wheel section and fuse installed on the radio so I went to check the wires for power. The terminal power with red and white stripe is okay accdg to the meter. However, when I checked the ignition wire (orange wire) I am not getting any power when I turn my key to ON position or even if I start the engine.

Any suggestions what else I can do?

Thanks

[Migui]

Thanks for replying. I cant really check the wire connection of the ignition its hidden behind the dash, unless you know of a specific location. However, I will check the impedance on the fuse box on each fuses below the steering wheel.

When I looked at the fuse box, nothing there states Ignition fuse, do you know where its at? Could it be bundled with the others?

Thx

[Migui]

I forgot to mention that the car engine's still starts without any problem.

One more thing I notice is the door chime is gone when I insert the key to the ignition. It normallys rhymes when the key is in the ignition prior to starting the engine.

Thx

[GLgod]

the ignition wiring harness and the fuse box layout are both in a haynes manual, it should tell you what fuse you need and what wire runs from the ignition to the radio... as for your door chime, alot of vee dubs have the same problem and it is usually unrelated to the ignition... the door light/chime button, found by the door hinges is usually to blame... but the problem tends to go away and come back at random times... hope this helps

[GLgod]

Are you sure a wire just didn't come loose somewhere?... Does your car still start?

[Migui]

I've tried several testing by installing the original radio back but that did not help. Even the original radio does not power up.

I also found out while testing and using a Fluke Electronic tester that the ground is the solid orange wire while the ignition wire is the orange and red stripe. That confused me for a while.

Next thing I'll probably do is to disconnect my ignition connectors behind the steering wheel and check the ignition wire for continuity.

Anyone else has any ideas??

Its boring to drive without any music to listen to and too dangerous to use a walkman or CD.

Thanks

Chris

[Migui]

Well, any testing I did, did not help me resolve the problem I have with my car stereo.

One of the engineers that I worked with suggested that I get a Schematic Electrical wiring diagram so I can pin point where the ignition wire is coming from and if there is an inline fuse that is possibly busted somewhere.

Does anyone have a Robert Bentley, Volkswagen Jetta Service Manual: 1993-1999?

Would it be possible to get a copy from anyone?

I called around and the book cost $60+.

Thank you

[Davein310]

i had the same problem with my stock bose head unit. I STILL dont know why it doesnt get power from the ignition switch, but i did make it work by bridging the Battery + wire to the igniton wire... no i dont need keys to listen to radio AND the door chime ALWAYS comes on..... key or no key. My guess is that the ignition switch must have contact points that either broke off or just wore away.

[Migui]

Davein310, thanks for the input. Infact, I was really considering bridging the +positive wire to the ignition. The only thing that prevents me from doing this is, there's a black wire bridged to my ignition that I dont know what its for. I checked ignition wiring underneath the steering wheel but didnt find any common connection. Do you know what its for??

Thanks

[Davein310]

i found some a red , an orange and a black wire bridged to the ignition , bat, and negative. I traced the wires down and ended up finding an FM modulator under my carpet near the front passenger foot air vent. I'll check my connections again for u , i know i have a black wire in the mix some where (besides ground) . Im pretty sure it runs as the LEAD wire for the bose amp in the trunk.

[Migui]

Thanks for checking. I called a local VW dealership nearby and spoke to one of their electrical technicians and he thinks that based on the info I told him that the black wire bridged to the ignition wiring is called a "K wire", its a wire that is for the door chime or some sort.

[DON'T H8 MY '98 VR6]

Two fuses in your panel send power to the radio....21 and 22.

Check them both.

[cube1980]

Has anyone found the fix for this problem? I just installed a different stereo in my Golf last week and now I get no door chime and no radio unless I really push on the ignition switch or jiggle it. Instead of the door chime I get a buzz....and no radio until I giggle or force the key into the ignition switch. No problems starting etc. Any suggestions before I replace the ignition switch?

[Stygr]

All of you have bad ignition switches...replace it and you're good to go.