Kenwood KDC-MP538U Car CD/ MP3 Player - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

Check your ground wire

Car Radio Constant 12V+ Wire: Blue/White Car Radio Switched 12V+ Wire: Yellow/Red Car Radio Ground Wire: Black Car Radio Illumination Wire: Red/Black Car Radio Dimmer Wire: N/A Car Radio Power Antenna Trigger Wire: N/A Car Radio Amplifier Turn On Trigger Wire: N/A Front Speakers Size: 6 1/2? Front Speakers Location: Doors Left Front Speaker Wire (+): Blue/Green Left Front Speaker Wire (-): Gray/Black Right Front Speaker Wire (+): Red/Green Right Front Speaker Wire (-): Brown/Black Rear Speakers Size: 6 1/2? Rear Speakers Location: Rear Deck Left Rear Speaker Wire (+): Blue/Yellow Left Rear Speaker Wire (-): Gray/White Right Rear Speaker Wire (+): Red/Yellow Right Rear Speaker Wire (-): Brown/White

It could be dirty contacts on the back of the faceplate. Have you tried to clean the metal contacts? Use a pencil eraser on the contacts and try to get them nice and shiny. If the contacts are hard to clean with an eraser, remove the faceplate and replace it on the deck several times and see if that helps. If the deck still doesn't work properly, try a reset by hitting the reset button with a pen tip. It is located below the volume control.

Check the cables in the back of it. If tou already did that how old is it? If relativly new might want to check possibility of wires in back getting wet. If none of those and you have a removable face the connectors between the base and the face are crapping out. Try getting a new face.

make sure you have power going to both the red and yellow wires. also make sure you have a good ground connection.

You can enter a 4-digit security code as an option after purchase of the unit. If you do so, make sure it is noted down somewhere. If you did select a code (or the previous owner has done so) this must be used when the unit is removed from the vehicle, or the constant power source is disconnected from the unit. When constant power is restored to the unit, the security code must be entered before the unit becomes operational. If the code is lost or forgotten I am afraid the unit has to be re-coded by a Kenwood dealer.
Hope this helps, Good luck with it.
However here is a link for a tip as posted by robotek, therefore all credit should go to him, Regards.
http://www.fixya.com/support/r538828-security_unlock_code_kenwood_most_models

you can try cleaning the laser lens, or have a professional clean it for you.

1. Select Clock Adjustment item during Menu mode (In Standby mode see below for standby mode explained). Select the "Clock Adjust" display.
2. Enter Clock adjustment mode. Press and hold the control knob for at least one second. The clock will blink.
3. Adjusting the clock. Push the control knob towards the left or right to select hours or minutes. To adjust each item turn the control knob or push it towards up or down.
4. Exit clock adjustment mode. Press the (FNC) button.

• Turn on the power.
• When the power is ON, select a source.
• SRC Select mode 1: PRess the (SRC) button and then turn the Control nob or push it toward left or right.
• To determine the selected source, press the Control knob.
• SRC Select mode 2: Pressing this button each time switches between sources.
• Turner ("Turner"), USB or iPOD ("USB" or "iPod"), CD ("Compact Disc"), Auxiliary input ("AUX"), and Standby ("STANDBY")
• Press at least 1 second to turn off the power

Protect indicates that there is a short or a grounding problem usually within the speakers or the speaker wiring. Locate and press the reset button (pinhole). If protect comes back then disconnect all speakers, reset and connect them back one at a time until protect shows up again. This will help you find out where the unwanted DC signal is coming from. If protect shows up when all speakers are disconnected, then it may need service.

mine does this too, I have the deck on my boat and on land the deck cuts out when a bass line hits or loud music comes in, cuts out at about 20 on the volume level, however, when on the water and the motor is running, my voltage is up to 14 vdc or so.. At this point, I can crank the deck up to 30-37, and it will scream , doesnt cut out or lose power just rocks. I have heard that kenwood decks are competition stereos and require 14-16vdc, but I have never found any proof of this. One thing you can do is order a battery from summitracing.com that runs higher than 12vdc. But then again im just speculating

sounds like the cell phone mute wire is shorting out somewhere, or the deck is going bad.

good day, you may try to remove the car's battery terminal and put it back again, it will reset the system. hope this helps, have a nice day

try disconnecting power to the radio. either unplug the wire harness or disconnect the battery.

Hit the 'fnc' button (function) turn the control knob until you see clock adjust in the display. Press and hold the control knob until the time display blinks. To select what you want to adjust push the control knob to the right or left to select minutes hours. Push the knob up or down to make the adjustments. Exit the clock adjust function by pressing the 'fnc' button again. Here's a link to your owners manual for future problems. Have a great day and thanks for using fixya!

http://inform3.kenwoodusa.com/Manuals/kdcx592.pdf

If you jump started the vehicle and the radio was on, you may have damaged the unit. If you can remove the radio from the dash, disconnect all power and ground. Let it set for a few minutes then plug it back in. It may or may not turn on. If it still says protect, take the unit to a local car audio shop and ask if they can bench test the unit to make sure that the problem is internal, if so, the average car audio repair is between 100-125 so weigh your options to repair or replace. Hope this helps.

go to kenwood web site download and print hope this helps

Is there any reset button which will restore factory settings? If so use it and the time/date settings will be the first data to be set after that. The rest is the same.................sodeep

My issue was that I didn't have the blue "amp" wire hooked up and I had a factory amp.

I have had the same problem, my problem was that i accidentaly hooked up the constant wire to the switched, and the switched to the constant, causing it to turn off completely, resetting everything. So if this is the problem then just switch the wires in the back of thew head unit, should be the fatter yellow wire, and the fatter red wire
hope this helps

Question edited for clarity. Try the ideas in the videos https://www.google.com/search?q=Kenwood+Excelon+DDX9904S+DVD+receiver+reset ..