Have you ever noticed that there is power going to your car stereo but the display does not turn on? You might be wondering why this could happen.
There are a few possible reasons for this issue, so let’s take a look at them to troubleshoot the issue.
How to Fix a Car Stereo that Has Power but No Display?
Follow these easy yet effective ways to troubleshoot car radio LCD display problems-
1. Check Brightness of the Display
If you have a dimmed brightness on your car stereo, it won’t be able to display even if there is power. So check the settings and make sure that the brightness level of your system is not too low.
Some car stereos let you dim the display too aggressively where the lowest level means you can’t see anything in the stereo if there is any light inside the car. So, make sure to check this before proceeding to the next step.
2. Reboot the System
On some occasions, the system may freeze up and you may not be able to adjust the brightness. In such cases, rebooting the system should solve the issue.
To do this, turn off the car so that the stereo also gets turned off. Disconnect the battery and let the system cool down for a few minutes. Reconnect the battery and ignite the engine to see if the problem goes away.
If you can’t see anything on the display after rebooting, try adjusting brightness again. If the problem is not brightness-related, proceed next.
3. Restore Factory Settings
Sometimes, the problem occurs due to software bugs, system freezing, and other unknown reasons that get fixed by a simple hard reset of the stereo. We have detailed guides for this, click on the following brand names to get the specific tutorial for that- Kenwood, JVC, Pioneer.
If all the three ways mentioned above didn’t give you a functional display, let’s try these methods one by one to solve the problem-
4. Faceplate Connector Problem
If you have checked for power and it is available, the problem may be with the faceplate connector.
The faceplate of your car stereo can get disconnected if there was an accident or even sometimes during the installation process. So make sure that the connection to the display screen is plugged in properly before proceeding further.
Sometimes, the display connectors catch up grease and dust which can cause a poor connection between the display and the head unit. Simply take the faceplate out of the stereo and wipe the connectors gently so that they don’t get damaged and you can establish a good connection.
5. Blown Out Fuse
If the fuse of your car stereo is blown out, there won’t be any power going to it. Check if you have a spare fuse and replace the blown-out one with that.
However, since there is power in the stereo, you need to remove the stereo first and disassemble the unit. Now, find the display fuse inside the stereo unit and check if it is blown out or not.
If that’s what causing the issue, simply replacing the blown-out fuse with a fresh one should solve your problem.
6. Damaged Display Connector
If the display connector is damaged or loose, it won’t connect to the ribbon cable inside properly. This will be visible when you disassemble the stereo as there may be no connection at all between them even if you have a proper power supply to your stereo system.
In this case, you have to replace the display connector using a new one. You can get it from any electronic store or even buy it online so that there are no hurdles in your way of setting up your stereo again.
However, some units may come with connectors that are hard to repair. In such cases, getting help from the professionals from the authorized service center is the best bet for you.
7. Damaged Display Panel
If you have replaced the fuse, tightened all connections, and checked the power supply but still there is no display on your car stereo, it may be because of a damaged display panel.
In such cases, since this part cannot be repaired or replaced easily without causing damage to other parts inside the unit unless you are an expert in electronic servicing, getting help from the professionals at an authorized service center is the way to go.
While some models may allow users to replace the display panel pretty easily by providing repair manuals and selling replacement panels, most of them are pretty hard to replace without any prior experience.
8. Mainboard is Defective
If you have checked all the above methods and still there is no display on your stereo, it may be because of a defective mainboard. It is hard for a regular car owner to identify whether the issue is caused by a bad motherboard or any other issue.
A simple rule you can apply is doing easy troubleshooting yourself. If that doesn’t fix the issue, take the unit to professionals. They should tell you where is the fault without charging you anything.
In case you find that the mainboard of the unit is defective, it is better to find a new head unit within your budget. Since this is the most expensive part of any electric machine, you can easily buy a new machine by adding a small amount with that.
9. Bad Display Backlight
This is applicable in the old car models that have an old-school stereo in them. However, you should still see information in the display, not as bright as it should normally appear.
People often refer to this as car stereo display light not working. However, this is not a display light, rather a backlight that illuminates the display for you to see comfortably.
In most cases, the backlight replacement is as simple as buying an aftermarket backlight and following the instruction coming with it to replace the bad one with the new one.
Conclusion
Car Stereo Displays are an integral part of the car infotainment system. If your display is not working, it can be for any number of reasons; from a blown fuse to faulty connection or even damaged parts like backlight and mainboard.
You need to hire professional help if you find that a tricky part is damaged. But car owners should always follow basic troubleshooting steps before getting their unit repaired by professionals as this could save them a lot of money in repairs they don’t need!