2016 JKU Radio stops working when heater is on

[Jskunk]

I initially had this issue years ago. The factory head unit would cut out and black screen when using the heater. I thought it was just a failing head unit so I replaced it with an aftermarket setup and it worked great all summer. Come winter I noticed it was doing the same thing... Whenever my heater was on for more than a few minutes the head unit would overheat and shut off.

Long story short Ive replaced the head unit 4 times now and every one of them does the same thing.

Ive narrowed it down to excessive heat being put off from the heater directly inside where the head unit mounts...

Now for a fix? Ive ordered some Dynamat to try and insulate the area but not sure if this will work.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any known fixes? Ive double checked all the wiring about 1000 times and everything is wired correctly.

So frustrating to not have a radio in the winter!

 

[JeepJeezy]

I have not experienced this. When the heater is on, does the rado malfunction on all the heater directional settings? Is your heater selector working properly? Are you sure all the heater tubing and vents are properly aligned and together? I know the dash vent directional tubes are supposed to have foam inside to help prevent the heat from escaping into the dash. Is the foam still there? Not my vent but that's the foam I'm talking about. Is your antenna wire properly connected? Your antenna wire is a ground for the radio to work as it should. I've had issues before with antenna wires. Just some food for thought.

 

[Jskunk]

I have not experienced this. When the heater is on, does the rado malfunction on all the heater directional settings? Is your heater selector working properly? Are you sure all the heater tubing and vents are properly aligned and together? I know the dash vent directional tubes are supposed to have foam inside to help prevent the heat from escaping into the dash. Is the foam still there? Not my vent but that's the foam I'm talking about. Is your antenna wire properly connected? Your antenna wire is a ground for the radio to work as it should. I've had issues before with antenna wires. Just some food for thought.

View attachment 130666

I saw a thread stating this could be the issue and he resealed the vents with weather stripping but the problem didnt go away.

I spent a some time sealing the lower vents off with dynamat from the area the head unit mounts in and made sure there were no air leaks. Its well insulated and not getting as hot as I thought. The dash is getting warm but not warm enough to shut the radio off ( at least id suspect not ).

I did notice the canbus decoder was SUPER hot to the touch even when outside of the dash. I had a spare decoder because I have went through 3 of these same head units and guess I didnt replace the decoder itself just the head unit. An expensive mistake if that was indeed the problem.

The canbus decoder swap seems to have fixed the issue. I went for a drive and it usually cuts off after ten minutes or so. I left the heater ripping in the driveway after the ride and the radio stayed on for a good hour total which hasnt happened in a long time.

Hopefully it was just a faulty can bus decoder causing the issue but who knows.

I will follow up after a few days and see if it actually fixed it or not.