2001 Ls430 W/ Nav And Mark Levinson Problem

[thewiz339]

I am slowly going through the many posts and have some questions for more knowledgeable people.

I have the Mark Levinson setup.

I can play cd's but the radio just stopped working. The nav works but the voice has also stopped.

Here are my questions.

Do all the speaker leads come from the amp in the trunk and not the radio?

Is the radio a din or double din?

Will I have to run leads to all the speakers from the radio?

Is the radio also called the "head"?

That is all for now.

Oh yes, does anyone have ideas about the Make and model of radio/ CD player that will fit?

Thank you very much for any help.

[1990LS400]

Speaker leads always come out of the amp whether the amp is built into the radio "head unit" or a separate unit.

Your radio is neither single or double din - it is a proprietary size. Kits are available for installing just about any double DIN radio into an LS430. The nicer kits are quite expensive.

Have you had the problem diagnosed? It seems a bit early to be giving up. There are, after all, companies that repair these things. Since you are in California, maybe see if John at http://factoryradioservice.com/index.php can help you.

[thewiz339]

Thank you for the quick reply.

I added that link to my work list.

I guess my problem is that I don't know if it is the amp or the radio that is bad.

My cd player works and so does the nav although no voice.

With the radio on pressing any of the buttons does nothing.

I tried removing the neg 12 lead from the battery for about 30 minutes hoping something would re-set but no go.

I am now going through the fuses to find a blown one hoping it can be that simple.

The 30 amp near the battery is good and so are the fuses in the trunk.

Next are the kick panels on driver and passenger sides.

Again, thank you for responding.

[jainla]

Do the volume and tuning buttons light up at night? That would tell you if it's a power issue

[thewiz339]

I never thought of that test.

Tonight I will see what happens.

Thank you.

[jatthomas]

i have a 2001 LS430 with similar problem with the audio head unit. None of the button-controls on the head unit work... The unit still works as the controls in the arm-rest in the back seat still work for changing channels and volume. The touch screen NAV still work...

So, I am also interested in recommendations to fix/solve this.

[kesabsy]

I had a problem with the audio system. There was no sound coming. I found out it was the AMP. Took it to the dealer they wanted $1986 (I guess they don't round up or down to make you think it is a calculated amount). The rebuilt one was $1000 from the dealer.

I took it to car stereo shop after shop, and they couldn't do anything. I even thought about just replacing it with another type of AMP, but this Mark Levinson sh-stuff is just so intertwined with the NAV, and whole system of the car that, that was not an option.

So I finally found a local Lexus guy here in Pasadena, he sent the amp to a rebuilder that rebuilds for the dealers I guess, and I got a rebuilt one that works well after about a week, it cost $450 with the labor and shipping etc. I've been using it for a year and a half now, without any issues.

I've been monitoring ebay to buy an amp if I can find one, so if it happens again, I have a spare. But they are all going for $600. I guess everyone (exept me) knew the price.

[thewiz339]

I finally located the problem which was the remote tuner.

This Lexus has the head up front and the remote tuner in the trunk and a remote amplifier in the trunk too.

I went with an aftermarket double DIN head from JVC and a kit from Installer.com, the mva-23L from Beatsonic.

The kit was expensive but it had the plastic piece and brackets and wiring harness.

Very easy to install. Match up the wires, good directions for that, install the unit and now we have music again.

Oh yes, this head allows a thumbdrive to be inserted from the front and it is a jiff to load the drive with music from the computer and take it with us.

If I can do it anyone can.

[jasonrizo]

 

On March 12, 2013 at 7:03 PM, jatthomas said:

i have a 2001 LS430 with similar problem with the audio head unit. None of the button-controls on the head unit work... The unit still works as the controls in the arm-rest in the back seat still work for changing channels and volume. The touch screen NAV still work...

So, I am also interested in recommendations to fix/solve this.

Hey Jatthomas, did you ever find out what's going on with your audio? I seem to have the same problem as you as the rear controls (UL model) can turn on the audio, but there is no sound or radio signal. There is no power whatsoever from the front console, but the NAV screen works fine... is it an amp problem or front radio unit? Fuses? Thanks!