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Gs300 Sport 1996 Problems With A Radio And Telephone


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Hello everyone! On the start I need to say I did search the forum for some answers and I've found simillar problems to mines but not exactly the same and with different models.

I'll start from that the radio sound is very quiet and I can hear any music only on full volume and only in front left & back right speaker. I think the problem is connected somehow with a nokia NHK-4RY 2148i telephone I have instaled in the car. Thing is the phone battery or phone itself is dead, I mean I can switch it on but it will go off after 2-3 secs, seems to getting the stereo in mute mode. Even if I plug it in to the charger it's doing the same. Also keeps beping through the little speaker by the passanger legs. I read that is quite common fault and it can be fixed by disconnecting phone ecu. Others saying it's amp gone. If I take the phone off the car plug sound goes totaly quiet.

I have Premium Sound System instaled with CD changer in the boot and since I've noticed the huge speaker on the bck I can't sleep keeps thinking how to get it working! lol

My question is: Are any of You, GS300 users ever deal with same problem? Is it true that disconecting the phone ECU and closing the circuit will solve this? I'm hoping that is only phone turned on mute causing this not the amp. Another question is which one of two small boxes in the boot is the phone ECU? I can make the photos of what I have in the boot if that helps.

I'm a huge music fan and simply can't live without music so please don't let me die!! LOL

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I do not have a GS but many people have reported that unplugging an old phone ECU has restored audio system volume. I personally guided a friend through doing it on his 2000 LS400 and his radio immediately came to life.

Am I correct in my assumption that you are not in the U.S. or Canada? Your phone is GSM which was not offered on North American Lexus cars until the 2003 model year.

By all means, unplug all the cables from the phone ECU in the boot. After you unplug the connectors from the ECU, see if there are two connectors that plug together to complete a circuit. That's the way it is on North American Lexus cars but it may not be the same on your car. If you run into problems, take photos of what you are dealing with and post them on this thread.

It may be necessary to unplug the phone handset cradle. Do not cut any phone cables! If you need to unplug the handset cradle, disassemble the console enough to do that. There may be more than one cable under the center console to unplug including a coaxial antenna cable.

The large subwoofer speaker in the rear parcel/hat shelf sometimes fail. Some people have had success repairing them and they can also be replaced with an OEM or aftermarket subwoofer.

Let us know how it goes.

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Thank You for Your quick reply, I'm in UK so it may be different than in U.S or Canada versions. I located the phone ECU in the boot and there's aerial lead going into it and +,-. There's also second box with +,- botch pluses and minuses where connected to "electronic plate" I've disconnected all of them and tried to connecting + to+ and - to -. It's a bit better and louder but not much. Phone still beping so I think I need to dismantle phone cradle as well. I'm uploading couple of pictures what I'm dealing with, maybe that will give You some trace what should I do next.

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On the first picture from the left You can see aerial lead so it's defo something to do with the phone. On the weekend I will dismantle the phone cradle and we'll see what will happen. Basicly take off all the phone system off. I let know if that helps.

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On North American specification Lexus cars from about 1995 through 2000, there is a phone connector under the center console that contains an audio system mute pin. It is possible that your phone system's mute wire plugs into a connector like that. The Nokia system I installed in my 00 LS400 has its mute wire plugged into the OEM phone connector under the center console.

Can you tell if a "mute lead" was used to install your phone kit? Mute leads were often used in the U.K. to install aftermarket phone kits in the 1990's but became available here in the U.S. only in the past few years and for a fairly limited number of vehicles.

If a mute lead was used, it would plug into the back of the radio head unit or the audio system amplifier if your radio has a separate amplifier and then the OEM radio/amplifier connector would plug into the mute lead. A mute lead usually provides power to a phone kit, mutes the audio system when a call is in progress and routes the phone call audio through the door speakers. So, if a mute lead was used, you might want to unplug it from your radio or amplifier and then connect the OEM connectors directly into your radio/amplifier.

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A little update about what I found out. I've dismantle phone kit completely, including phone cradle, a device from underneeth the central console, where all wires were conected to, speaker, aerial lead, and mic. I haven't take off the devices I have pictured earlier, those from the boot. I don't know what r they for, I guess that's what left from original phone kit cos the one I just striped was a amateur job and not original, just an old style Nokia set.

Radio start finally giving some sound, after few mins of playing but is still quiet, not what U can expect from premium sound system, definetely is not muted anymore just playing quietly.

I took off the amp and find out that it was all wet and very dirty inside. Amazing that it was still working at all. I'm drying it now to see if that helps. I had a look inside and can't see any burned things in it so I'm hoping to be fine.

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It sounds like you found your problem but verify that the phone kit's mute wire (industry standard color is yellow) has been disconnected from the radio, amp or wherever it was connected if it was connected at all.

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Yes there was a four wire connection to the phone device. Two wires + & - red, black and another two, blue and yellow in the same plug so possibly the yellow one was the mute one. I haven't traced where they going to cos didn't want to strip down all the central console, I just unplugged the plug from phone device and leave it hanging loose for now.

Actually I've just finished with amp as well and result is that the front left speaker and sub in the boot works full power but still no sound from other speakers. I guess the amp. have some water damege to the channels, I think to take it off again and check for the damage more carefully, if I only had a amp. scheme it would be easier. Without it I can only read what's on the green plate but I'm not electric mind, only amateur so there's no guarantee I can fix it.

Thank You for your helpfull advises anyway!

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