I have a problem with my AM/FM portion of my audio. Reception so bad can't listen to any stations. It is the Bose CD/SAT/2G unit without Nav.
My radio part number is 2591A-ZX77C.which according to Infiniti is superseded by 2591A-ZX78A. I picked up the 78A. When it was plugged in and powered on the screen said that audio was off. It would turn on and also with the pushbutton start in the on position my warning lights on dash didn't come on.
I couldn't get it to power up. Put the old radio back in and it was fine.
I am just wondering if there is something that has to be done to get it to recognize it or if i just got a faultly unit.
Thanks for any help!

 

Is the replacement unit NEW from Infiniti or USED from eBay?

 

It is used from ebay

 

Ok, two issues:
1) You used the incorrect part number to begin with. You based your search on a NEW item p/n from Infiniti. When you buy new, the unit gets configured to your car by the dealer.
2) When buying USED, especially on eBay, always match the p/n to your existing item p/n AND make sure that the donor vehicle matches your car. This saves having to get the unit configured.

Now, all hope may not be lost.
1) Do you know the donor vehicle info? Does it match your car?
2) Did the seller include the Meter AC Amp (plastic white box) with the unit.? Many sellers will include both as it saves them time having to separate the two.

If so, swap the amps (making sure you know which is which) and see if everything works as intended. The amp that came WITH YOUR CAR must stay IN YOUR CAR. If the issue persists, return the eBay unit and find one that matches your p/n and go from there. A hassle, yes, but...

Are you 100% certain the headunit was/ is the issue? Gotta play Devil's Advocate but the AM/FM antenna could be going bad. Just saying...

 

Wow, they don't make it easy do they. I bought just the unit so I had to swap over the amp your talking about.
As far as the rest is concerned, I have a replacement antenna wiring and antenna amp. Goes all the way from headunit to the rearwindow antenna.
So it is either the head unit or the actual antenna on the glass.
As someone that works on classic audio equipment I have never experienced such bad reception as this car gets even on the equipment when I don't have an antenna connected.
Thanks for your help!

 

Does everything else (CD, iPod, XM SAT, etc.) work? In other words, does all of your audio work except for the AM/FM?

I rarely use the radio but even on the worst of weather days I get top-notch reception.

As it appears you had audio issues in the past with this car, makes me wonder about its history.

 

Yes, all audio except AM/FM.. FM works but so poorly you can't listen to it. Even the Bose sub works now after I replaced the relay.

 

Something to think about.....

Many folks over the years complained of poor/ spotty XM SAT reception and ended up switching to a aftermarket antenna. Most agreed that this resolved their issues.

If you rely heavily on AM/FM radio, I am sure there are aftermarket alternatives that you could wire into the existing antenna harness. The antenna "puck" could be placed in a inconspicuous location and forgotten about.

 

Something else to keep in mind, there is a powered antenna amplifier mounted up in the C-pillar (next to the rear window) on the driver's side. If you are only having issues with radio reception you might check to be sure that little box is powered and operating correctly. I can't recall what fuse it runs off of but THAT would sure be a simple solution to your problem.

 

I had initially thought of that, but the AM/FM antenna amp is fed directly from the headunit:


There is no "external" power supply. My guess is either the amp went bad or there is a wiring issue. While possible the antenna embedded into the glass failed, this is rare unless the glass was damaged.

As OP has had issues in the past with this issue, I suspect the previous owner either did some mods or the car has a "questionable" history. I have not come across of anyone having issues with the terrestrial radio in these cars. XM SAT, yes.

 

When I say that I had replacement for the all the wiring from headunit to the antenna, I meant everything including another antenna Amp. I ran the whole other wire to the impeded Amp. I also checked the 12v signal that turns on the antenna Amp.

 

[QUOTE=ILM-NC G37S;4323383]Ok, two issues:
1) You used the incorrect part number to begin with. You based your search on a NEW item p/n from Infiniti. When you buy new, the unit gets configured to your car by the dealer.
2) When buying USED, especially on eBay, always match the p/n to your existing item p/n AND make sure that the donor vehicle matches your car. This saves having to get the unit configured.

Now, all hope may not be lost.
1) Do you know the donor vehicle info? Does it match your car?

When you say donor vehicle matches my car what exactly does that mean?
I have a 2011 G37X.
Does it have to be a X version or just another 2011 sedan?

 

In other words, you can not mix-and-match headunits. If you have a sedan, the donor (the car the part was removed from) has to be a sedan. A unit from a Coupe, or 'Vert, may not necessarily work in a sedan even if the wiring appears to be identical. Each car has it's own specific configuration files applied at the factory. Staying as close as possible between models helps to alleviate the possible need of getting the unit re-configured at the dealership. This is as important as matching p/n's.

For all intents and purposes, the headunits are physically the same across practically every Nissan and Infiniti that uses this system- even the GT-R. The distinguishing factor are the configuration files (Bose, cameras, sonar, VDC, etc.) that get applied as the car comes down the assembly line. Configuration files can only be applied at the dealership or other repair facility that has access to the CONSULT3 (Nissan proprietary software/ scan tool).

If you are getting the 12V signal from the headunit and the two (2) input wires have good continuity, then the issue has to be the antenna in the glass. It can not be anything else.

Can you test the continuity of the window antenna? The reading should be really low.

 

Nope, the window has been tinted. The thing is if I even just attach a short piece of wire at the end where it would attach to the window antenna, it should work well enough to bring in a station clearly seeing as how close i am to them.

 

Is it possible the tint could be causing some interference? Others will have to chime in on that possibility.

Either way, we know the issue is in that part of the equation as everything else checks out.

Best advice: search for cheap, aftermarket AM/FM antennas and see about splicing that into the harness.