I'm just trying to dot I's and cross T's before pulling the radio and/or amp...

1998 XK8 COUPE, not convertible, with the Harmon Kardon sound system/subwoofer package. Wife was driving to work last week, hit a bump and the sound went out. The radio display works. Antenna still goes up/down when powered on and off (which I believe means power is getting to the amp drive, based on the info on the fuse box cover). Radio hasn't made a peep since then. Can't get sound from any source (tape, radio, CD changer).

I've got quite a bit of experience in car audio, and I suspect a bad connection either at the amplifier power supply (possibly a power supply that's altogether blown) or the radio's output array has burned out. But is there something else we should test first?

All fuses appear to be good, and we unplugged the battery for 10 minutes. No change.

Jess

 

A 'hard reset' (by disconnecting the battery) doesn't affect anything on the audio other than losing the station Pre-Sets.

The HK amp is on the same fuse as the antenna (Fuse #9 in the Luggage Compartment) so the feed is live.

Other than a connector come off the back of the radio, it looks to be pointing to the amp.

Graham

 

I was afraid of that, but at least the amp is in a reachable spot (above the changer, correct?), more so than the head unit itself.

I have had an aftermarket radio in a different car, way back in the past, fry both its outputs simultaneously at the plug itself on the back of the radio, but they were amplified outputs and it was a symptom of a larger electrical failure in that car. Having said that, that's a one-in-a-thousand shot, whereas amplifier power supplies seem to fail with decent regularity.

Jess

 

YES - it's behind the Luggage Compartment carpet on the RH side above the CD Changer.

Definitely quicker and easier to get at than the radio but little consolation if it is toasted.

Graham

 

I won't make the point about not letting women drive Jaguars. My wife can even break the Liebherr....
Does the CD player seem to 'work' - display tracks etc ? If so it can't be the head.

 

Everything works except that pesky no-sound thing. Changes tracks, aerial goes up and down, display works, steering wheel control works, etc. Given that it quit working immediately after she hit a pothole, it's either a loose connection in a plug somewhere, or the jolt caused an already-sketchy circuit board connection to give and/or broke ground at a power supply point and a supply toasted itself.

Don't tell me wife she can't drive a Jag, she'll kill us all. It's all we have in the yard anymore and she's been a Jag addict since I bought her an XJ after we first got married. She didn't want one, thought they were ugly and an "old man's car," until I sent her to test drive the one I found. Five minutes behind the wheel and I can't get her out of one now.

Jess

 

But on the bright side, if she's driving one it makes it harder to keep you from having your own.