i just had a stereo installed a couple days ago, a sony cdx-gt700hd, in my 2003 1500. i took it home and drove it the following day making sure to remove the faceplate before turning the truck off. yesterday i didnt turn off the stereo or remove the faceplate leaving the truck off for a couple hours, when i tried to start the truck it was struggling to run and i noticed the check engine light was on, after starting it died when going in reverse. the truck started up fine after dying and ran just like it had before leading me to think the battery was being drained by the new stereo. i reset the computer and the engine light didnt return after running the engine for a couple minutes. after driving it during last night the engine light came back on. i made sure to disconnect the faceplate before i turned the truck off. all my dials and lights were working normal throughout this entire process. any ideas on what is setting the light off?

 

You really should scan for the code that is causing the cel. I don't think a weak battery would trigger a cel.

Also, removing the faceplate shouldn't make a difference if the stereo was installed properly. There are typically 2 power feeds to the radio. The main power is on when the truck is keyed on and then there is a constant power feed that is a very low draw to maintain radio settings and presets and such. When you turn the truck off, if the radio turns off, then removing the faceplate will not help any further.

Now, I see that you have a Sony head unit. I recently helped a member of the golf cart forum I go to that just put a Sony deck on his cart and he said the faceplate stayed lit even when he pushed the power button to turn it off. Turned out it was a "feature" of the radio and in order to turn the unit off completely, he had to hold the power button for 2 seconds. His unit also had a function to set it to auto-power off after an amount of time. All that said, a cart install and a vehicle install are different in that the main power on a cart is usually not keyed so the radio doesn't know when power should be off. However, I have seen people install car radios and just tap a 12v source that is not keyed and forces you to have to turn the radio off manually.

Not sure how any of this could be related to your cel but having the code may help clear that up.

 

What year is your truck and did it have the Infinity Sound System installed from the factory. (it should say "Infinity" on the door speakers).

We need to know what the Diagnostic Trouble Code is in order to help you a little better.

 

I can't see a stereo install having anything to do with the cel light. Do the switch trick(turn the key on and off three times quickly) and see what codes pop up and get back with us.

 

the fault code is p 0344

 

Well, I'll be damned. That code indicates a faulty camshaft position sensor but among the possible causes is a dead or weak battery.

Click here for info:

http://engine-codes.com/p0344.html

Is your faceplate not turning off when you turn the truck off? If not, I would take it back to whoever installed it and get it installed right. I just put a new unit in my truck and had to purchase an adapter for the vehicle wiring harness and was told that one would be required no matter which unit I installed, at least that would be the case if I wanted to keep the factory sound system, which I did.

Post more about what you know you had for factory system, what you bought and had installed and what you kept. I am wondering if they bypassed the need for an adapter and just started cutting and splicing wires and made a mistake.

 

i dont know if they spliced wires installing the new stereo, i have the infinity sound system. i also didnt get the adapter needed to enable steering wheel controls, i know that required splicing wires. how else would i check without pulling the panel off and manually checking the work performed other than calling the shop that installed it and asking them? i didnt receive a work order or receipt from the business so i dont know if the technicians even recorded what steps they performed.

 

Wow, doesn't sound like somebody I would want installing anything for me. I buy from crutchfield and do the work myself. They told me an adapter is required for an aftermarket stereo to be compatible with the factory wiring and factory amp and speakers. And part of the reason for that had to do with where power has to be drawn from on these trucks as opposed to what is available on the factory harness. I also had to get the steering wheel adapter and it just basically plugged into the other adapter.

 

im guessing they bypassed the wire and just tried to splice which is a no no with these trucks especially if you have infinity system as I believe all infinity's have the rap where some settings will stay on after key is off till the door opens. There are tons of people who have issues with the rap functioning correctly with aftermarket stereo's as well. Another possible cause is if they cut some wires and didnt cover them correctly and left them bare and free floating if it grounds it could put extra draw on your system as well.

 

looks like im going in and taking a peak around, kinda defeats the purpose of having "professions" do it to save me time huh. on a related note, would this CEL cause my idle to drop and almost kill the truck by letting off the gas? i was checking the battery to check charging output and really noticed it.