Mcintosh Car CD head Unit problem

Hi everyone,
As the title of my thread suggests, there is a problem with my Mcintosh head unit in my car. This is a Japan( made by Clarion) unit from a half cut.
The CD player works fine when the car engine is turned off, but only has a problem when the engine is turned on, and refuses to play CD or MD.Only the radio is playable then.
The display either reads as "Focus error" or "Disc Error".
Thinking that it was a voltage issue, I had 5 point grounding installed together with a voltage stabilizer.
But no luck anyways.
I figure it may be a lens alignment problem or a dirty lens or worse a dying laser.
Anyone here with experience on problems of this nature?

Appreciate any input from anyone here.


Cheers & Shalom
teleman51

Quite typical symptom of a defective or flawed optical head inside and nothing to do with grounding or voltage issues. You'd have to have the optical head replaced.

Hi cmboy,
Thanks for the input.
This is what I was dreading.Took a chance in buying one of these but somehow was hoping it would be a problem free unit.
Sadly, it will cost quite a bit to have checked or replaced.
Any suggestions? Or will I have to send the head unit back to Clarion Malaysia.

Cheers & Shalom.
teleman51

I think you'll have to send it to some reputable repairer thats mentioned in this forum. If its head replacement, its not really more complex than any other CDP, save for its compactness and figuring out careful dismantling on the technical side. Hopefully the correct replacement part can be obtained.
AFAIK, no main distri or agent may undertake other makes (even OEM) for repairs. Thats the trouble with make or brands that have little or no representation locally. If in USA...it could be as easy to Fedex the item back for repair at your cost. Sigh!.

Yeah cmboy,
I get what you're saying here.
Sadly,the Mcintosh head unit mentioned was never available locally but was installed on the Japanese Sabaru cars as an OEM.
Bought the entire setup locally from some guy heavy into ICE, and was pretty impressed with the sound quality.

One question that really bugs me is that why does the CD & MD play normally only when the engine is off, and then only shows the "Focus Error" or "DIsc Error" display when the engine is running.

Why would the optical head behave in such a manner when I turn on the ignition.
Could it also mean the the optical head is functioning normally but some engine vibration or dip in voltage triggers it off.
This has got me all in a knot.
Does anyone else have any ideas to share other than those above.

Cheers & Shalom
teleman51

I can only guess there may be some intermittent jamming at the mechanism. Nevertheless it'll need some detailed diagnosis and follow up repair. Highly suggested you bite the bullet and send the unit for repair to solve the problem once and for all. I think thats whats needed most than what went wrong with it.
Regards and good luck.

P.S. I don't know if this may work but put in a cd and switch between 1st and last track continuously for a while to see if it frees the mechanism from any kinks. I dunno lah..a wild guess again.

Telemann, which model is the Mac? Model like 431m or clarion HX-D1 or D2 has a external DC DC power supply. That could be the problem. I don't think local clarion will service the unit for you, but can try.

But try something simple first, clean the lens see if it work or not. If this don't work you need to send in for repair.

cmboy,
Your last comments are noted.I have bitten enough bullets in my hifi journey that I'm surprised I have any teeth left to chew with.
Can't begin to tell you of the amount spent on servicing & repairs.
But that's all part of the hifi journey, just like owning a car.
Will see if Mr.Oh will be willing to tackle this one.Should not be that much of a problem for him.Thanks again cmboy.

kwwong,
can't say what model this is , only that it's a Mcintosh (Japan) made specially for Japanese Subaru cars.It's double Din which has both CD & MD slots.The tuner section only plays up to about 90Hz so the other local FM stations cannot be received unlesss I add a booster/converter.

Will see if this is a DC supply issue when I go back to the installer next week.Heard from some other guy that the local Clarion people will work on these units but will charge an arm and a leg. Like that wan lor!
But I'll give cmboy's suggestion a try tomorrow.
If all fails, it's back to the drawing board for me.Pity though.It's such a sweet sounding unit.

Cheers & Shalom
teleman51