The volume knob on the 98 XJR WAS "slipping", like a stripped gear - going too far one way, then the other. Anyway, bought a used radio from e-bay, and after installing, did not have the CD or Tape function - doesn't display when I push the buttons. I called the seller and they're shipping another one out tomorrow and told me to just keep the one I had bought from them ( goes to show you that these are becoming throwaways ). Finally to my question. The plug-ins are identical on both units, but the black cable (what does it service ? ) looks like it could plug in either way. Could I have this on backwards ?
Thanks, Jim

 

The black wire 99% of the time is your ground cable. You want to make sure its mounted to something true metal in the car. Id imagine easiest would be wherever your old stereo had the wire screwed into would be our simplest bet, but just about anywhere else solid metal will do

 

The 'black cable' could be three things, although I don't recall there being a separate earth, I thought that was in the loom?
The aerial cable should be obvious, and usually the other one is the ai-net cable that goes to the cd stacker

I would be very surprised if a fault in any of these would stop the tape and radio though. Hopefully the next unit is better

 

Right you are. The ground strap is securely attached. The cable I am referring to has 4 pins set equally and this is the cable I'm wondering about plugging in backwards (if that's possible) ?? The cable going to the CD stacker makes sense, except that the tape player has also vanished. Thanks, Jim

 

Check the underside of the radio for a switch.set it to standard unless you have premium sound system or the other way around.then your cd player will work

 

I have looked at my old radio, the first unit I bought, and finally the 3rd unit that replaced the second (because no CD function). None have a standard/premium switch. As soon as it warms up a little, I'll try the last unit I just received. Keep you posted !

 

The ground wire is in the power loom for the radio; the 4 wires, if you are looking down from the top are, from left to right:

AI net cable to the stacker in the back.
white connector is under the yellow locking connector about 2" in from the left
then, on the right, the antenna cable.

Make sure the switch on the bottom of the radio is set to match the radio you took out. Either base or premium. If it is not in the right position, your radio won't work properly,

Some of the issues I've seen, having a pile of Alpine radios on my electronics bench right now to get a couple that work properly, is that:

1: the face plates get grunged up with coffee residue (spilling coffee), grime from dirty fingers, and the like. If your buttons are sticky when you push them, the faceplate needs to be disassembled, scrubbed clean, and put back together.

2: the actual switches on the faceplate circuit board are surface mounted microswitches. And more than one of them I've investigated have cold solder joints. This will either be evident because they fall off (!) or don't seem to work when you press the button on the faceplate. If, when you push a button, you don't feel a subtle click...the switch probably fell off. Luckily, most of them end up rattling around the inside of the radio and are relatively easy to resolder on the board (if you have the proper soldering iron tip, a good magnifying glass, and haven't loaded up on coffee that morning...)

3: Switch on the bottom of the radio has to match the installation: base or premium. I can tell you that if the switch is not in the right position, it won't work properly, since it's not seeing the signals it's expecting. The Alpine system is well integrated with the component parts for the car; if what it is being told is the class of radio installation isn't there...it won't work properly.

PM me if you would like more info.

 

Jaguar changed radio type and model in 2000 to support navigation.
Therefore pre 2000 radios are not the same and don't have the stand/prem switch

 

^ I believe this is correct also.
In the 97-99 models the premium units use either a different, or additional plug on the back of the headunit, which connects to the amp in the boot, rather than the standard wiring which goes straight to the speakers.

On the 2000+ models the standard setup runs the speakers off the headunit, but the premium ones talk to the amp via the ai-net

 

Update on my initial post. I received the 2nd unit ( 1st unit I bought had no CD showing up) and now have the CD player working. I have the Harman Karden Premium set-up and have 5 connections - black ground strap, white rectangular plug at top, one white round, one black round - both near the bottom, and antenna. On my original, 2nd and 3rd units, there are no switches underneath as mentioned in the above posts. I would appreciate comments on this, as I may be overlooking it.


I would like your input on why I changed radios to begin with. When I tried to increase/decrease volume using the knob, I could expect no change in volume or erratic jumping around. This was frustrating when trying to change mode settings. The steering wheel control functions normally and I have been using it for volume control. I have just had a thought - is it possible to select a mode, with the radio controls, and then use the steering wheel to scroll up and down ? This last unit I installed exhibits minor slippage, but I'm giving up for now and will live with it. Last question, are any of you also getting the slippage ? Are the knobs belt driven ? Looking forward to your responses.
Thanks, Jim