hi -

new here and learning quite a bit.

i have been having an issue with my z120 lately. i've had it installed for about two years without fault or problem. every time i start the car, after a random amount of time, my unit will turn off and back on. usually during this process i will get a weird screen. sometimes white and black horizontal lines, white scatter screen (like on old tv channels you couldn't get) or a split color screen for ten or so seconds, audio is cut off, screen goes black while the buttons stay lit the entire time, and then it will restart and come back.

sometimes it just restarts and there is no weird visual on the screen.

i have not done anything electrical or otherwise that would affect my unit so i don't know what it may be.

also, the odd screens i get don't make me think it is a short or the yellow, red, and ground from the harness conflicted.

here's a video i took of an instance of it today. my depression of buttons did not cause any change in the video. it was taking much longer than normal to restart and was just hanging on the dark screen (which it does sometimes instead of an instant restart) so i turned the car off and on which always restarts the system perfectly. this is in idle so nothing is moving.

sorry for the misalignment but i was trying to record as quickly as possible to catch it on video.

any idea what it could be?

thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRHsC1JKj-A

How old is your battery? It seemed to hesitate a little when you were crankng. A bad cell in the battery can cause lots of wierd glitches in automobile electronics. I've even heard of windows going crazy and digital A/C controls acting up. If the battery and power wires are good, and the unit is not overheating, then it looks like your HU is malfunctioning. Time for a Z140.

One more thing to ask. Do you have HID lights? If so, are they aftermarket? THey have also been known to cause odd behavior. I haven't followed those threads closely, so I'm not sure if that could cause this behavior.

How old is your battery? It seemed to hesitate a little when you were crankng. A bad cell in the battery can cause lots of wierd glitches in automobile electronics. I've even heard of windows going crazy and digital A/C controls acting up. If the battery and power wires are good, and the unit is not overheating, then it looks like your HU is malfunctioning. Time for a Z140.

 

One more thing to ask. Do you have HID lights? If so, are they aftermarket? THey have also been known to cause odd behavior. I haven't followed those threads closely, so I'm not sure if that could cause this behavior.

ron, thank you for your helpful reply.

my battery is about two years old but it is an optima redtop and in proper shape. the hesitation is normal for this car and has more to due with the fuel and power delivery setup.

i think your diagnosis of a malfunctioning HU might be accurate because of all the weird screen anomalies.

are there locations that would be this or is there a way to go through pioneer for repair if outside the 1 year warranty?

i do have HID lights, and some are aftermarket. i read a few threads about interference. i've had my system running for about two years with the same ballasts and lighting setup, though. because of this, i do not believe it to have to do with my HID setup.

Unplug the HIDs and see if the problem goes away. That way you will know for sure.

Unplug the HIDs and see if the problem goes away. That way you will know for sure.

ok, removed the HID units completely and it actually got worse. now when i turn the car on, it won't play at all. odd screen displays, and black screen with lit pad, no function, though. here's the video of it now.

edit: about an hour later, i went out started the car and the radio was working well for about a one hour drive, then it restarted to the black screen.

any ideas?

I guess the next step is to remove the HU. Before sending it off to a service center, I'd bench test it by hooking it up to a 12V source and turning it on and off a bunch of times. See it it fails. If you can't repeat the problem in a bench test, the repair center may not be able to identify and fix the problem either.

Where did you buy it and how did you pay for it? If you used a Platinum credit card, you may have doubled the warranty coverage to 2 yrs. That would be great news. However, I'm not sure how/if that would apply if you didn't buy through an authorized dealer. 2 x 0 = 0.

To find a service center, check the Pioneer USA web site.

I am having similar issues as if the last couple of days with my x920BT. It now runs normally for approximately 10-15 min and then starts the wieredness and then goes blank with no funtions . Any thoughts?

Same problem here, but with X930bt. Buttons light up, but only black white lines on screen. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the xm tuner, which lost all channels before this happened. Anyone else have the xm tuner? Tried to reupdate and boot into service mode, nothing. Unit 4 months old, bricked

i dont have the xm tuner on mine so i doubt that is your problem. unfortunately, none of the advice here helped diagnose the actual problem. i sent mine in to pioneer for repair/replacement. i'll let you know what they say if you don't find your own solution in the interim. supposed to have it back within 10 days...we shall see.

No XM on mine either. Mine is at Pioneer also.

tx*, let me know how your unit works out, what the problem they state is, and final resolution. i'm hoping they resolve whatever it is soon!

Received a replacement refurbished x920 yesterday. No explanation of problem but better still NO CHARGE! Im happy.

txfire, that was fast! when did they receive your unit? mine is till at their place of business but not covered by warranty. i assume yours was determined to be covered and listed as such on your online ticket or during submission process?

I believe it was received on 4/5. It was past the standard one year warranty. It stated on the receipt that it was replaced at their discretion.

so when you set up the RMA, did they make you pay to receive your RMA number or did it pull up as past warranty and oyu paid and then they refunded you?

I paid nothing at anytime. I did it all online. Don't recall they details of my RMA.

i really dislike when someone posts a problem identical to mine and never follows up in the thread so i wanted to be sure i did, this time.

my unit was repaired.

the part they replaced was the "control unit". it was listed as defective and they had to wait for the part to come in stock and then replaced it and my unit is on its way back to me now. took about three weeks total from time they received it to the time i will.

PM or post up here if you have any questions.

thanks!

@monkiboy. I really apprieciate your follow-up. Unfortunately I have the same problem it seems. My unit works for about 30-40 mins and starts to reset and then go blank. You stated you got the repair and it was the "control unit". I'm looking to repair it myself if I can order the part from Pioneer. I looked on their website and didn't see any parts listed as a "control unit" but their descriptions don't give much details. Do you have a part number of what they replace?

Thanks

got to love subscriptions to threads, haha.

there was no part number. just the name unfortunately. i dont have the invoice any more either. i did ask if i could do the repair myself and they said they don't sell it at the time.

hope you get it figured out!

Thanks anyways. I'll see what I can figure out. If I do, I'll definitely post.

How much did it cost you? Did you have any kind of upgrade hack on yours? I have a z110 with a z120 upgrade. I want to send it in but not sure what the cost will be.

i did have mine "hacked" and nothing came up in diagnosis or in repair of the unit about that. i don't recall what the cost was but likely around $150 including shipping. i'll see if i can find an invoice or something.

nope - no luck with an invoice - sorry. you can call them up and ask them how much it would be to replace that part, though.

Ugh, I have this issue now. I was hoping it was some funky software issue, but it won't boot to update either, time to yank it out and start tearing into it I guess