20 Most Recent Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X879 CD Player Questions & Answers

I have repaired many of these cd players working at an authorized Kenwood service center for over 17 years.

There are only 2 things you can do as the end user of this unit.

1. Try cleaning the disc's. If the cd has any fingerprints or scratches on the inner most part of the cd, the laser will not be able to read the TOC. It is the first thing the cd player tries to do and if that fails for any reason, the disc can not be played at all.
You can purchase a disc cleaning kit, or you can do what I do. I spray a small amount of windex on the data side of the disc and then clean it with a soft cloth like a bath towel or terry cloth. This works as good or better than the cleaning kits and is much cheaper.

If that does not work you can go to the next step.

2.. Clean the lens of the laser with a cd cleaning disc. They can be purchased at many stores that sell cd players and music cd's.
You put it in the player and let it run about 20 to 30 seconds and then you eject it.

If neither of these things help, you most likely have a bad laser pick up. You will need to take it to an authorized Kenwood service center and you can count on the repair being anywhere from $120 to $175. Depending on the rates and the mark-up of the laser pick up.

This is a very good car stereo, and is probably worth the repair cost, but it does have a 2 year warranty. It is not too old, so it may still be under warranty. If so, the repair is free for you.

I hope this helps you with this problem, and if so, a good rating is always appreciated.

Let me know if you have any other questions about it.

Press Eject button top right to drop the front panel down, insert CD in to slot.You can download the manual here:Manual

You can download a Service Manual at the following link but it costs $5 to join for 7 Days.

http://www.free-service-manuals.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?g=Detailed%2F27924.html&d=1

This should give you the wiring diagrams to show where you've gone wrong.

red - 12v battery
yellow- 12 ignition
black- ground
blue/white- amp turn on
white FL+
white/black FL -
gray FR +
gray/black FR -
green RL +
green/black RL -
purple RR +
purple/black RR -

A common problem with flip face headunits is the flexible cable that connects the face to the main unit develops a hairline fracture through the cable after a while and disconnects 1 or more conductors. this can have the effect you are experiencing. try gently pressing on the cable and see if any functions return

the new face plate needs to be coded to the deck. with the face on you need to press and hold presets #1 and #3 at the same time. keep on holding and press reset continue to hold #1 and #3 until the unit is in all lighting mode. press AM button one time. p-rom ok will display. press and hold #6 and reset at the same time. continue to hold until display comes on.

sounds like ;you may have a bad ribbon cable, or face position sensor lever inside the unit.

could be a couple of things..1. issue with your ground connection 2. ventilation

thats a special cable that you plug in to the ipod and to your radio, there is some wireless solutions but i dont recomend you re not gonna have good quality sound with it, you can fid it in best buy walmart and radio shack

Yeah remove the unit from your car,
Go to car audio store and buy Kenwood receiver without the
fancy opening front.

CLICK HERE for your manual in PDF format.


Hold down button [5] and press the Reset
button to release the Demonstration mode.

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http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/49041-6-denon-c635-problems

Alot, of the radios have a common problem with the connection from the radio's detachable face. What happens is corrosion builds up on the connectors between the pin and the connector itself. Sometimes you can clean it off with a small file. Also, some KENWOODS with the motorized face are known to have a problem with the ribbon cable connecting the face plate to the main board. The last time I repaired one I called KENWOOD and aquired the cable for about 65 dollars, what the problem is, is the cable is wrapped around a plastic white spindel with a high tension spring and places alot of pressure on the cable from the wear and tear of the face opening and it will cause strange problems such as: turning on and off, some buttons working while others don't, and the display partially turning on and off.

Burned ones? Or do "real" CDs do it, too? If ALL do, then the laser was damaged or misalligned and will have to be serviced.

This is right out of the service manual for the KDC-X879

You must use the remote for this procedure, if you do not have a remote, you can take the radio to an authorized Kenwood repair center and they should do it for a reasonable price.

If this information below is helpful to you, a good rating is always appreciated.

4. Simple way to clear the security code (K type only)
1. During code request mode, press the Track UP key for at
least 3 seconds while holding down the AUTO key. (– – – –
will disappear)
2. Enter, “KCAR” with the remote controller as described below.
• Press the remote controller 5 key twice, and press the Track
Up key. (Enters a “K” )
• Press the remote controller 2 key three times, and press
the Track Up key. (Enters a “C” )
• Press the remote controller 2 key once, and press the Track
Up key. (Enters an “A” )
• Press the remote controller 7 key twice, and press the Track
Up key. (Enters an “R” )
3. Security function is canceled and unit sets to All-Off mode.
4. Code request mode appears if a mistake was made in entering
the numbers.

I am sorry to tell you this, but there is no easy fix after pressing the reset button. The unit is not even recognizing the cd player, so it could be one of many different problems, all of them being electronic and inside the unit.

It could be a voltage regulator that supplies the cd deck, it has 3 of them. It could be the ribbon cable that connects the cd deck to the main board, but that is more unlikely. It could even be the microprocessor.
There is just no way to be certain without putting it on a test bench and troubleshooting it with the schematic in front of you.

If you have some electronic troubleshooting skills, I can email the schematic to you. I have it in PDF format and you can check it out as long as you have a power supply, multimeter and knowledge of electronics.

Otherwise, you will need to take it in to an authorized Kenwood repair center.

I hope you found this helpful, but you do have a serious problem with the unit.

I have been repairing these type of radios since they started making them a couple of years ago and this problem has had several different fixes for this same symptom and it has never been an easy fix.

let me know if you need more help

This is right out of the service manual for the KDC-X879

You must use the remote to do this procedure, if you do not have the remote you can take the radio to an authorized Kenwood service center and they can do it for a reasonable price.

4. Simple way to clear the security code (K type only)
1. During code request mode, press the Track UP key for at
least 3 seconds while holding down the AUTO key. (– – – –
will disappear)
2. Enter, “KCAR” with the remote controller as described below.
• Press the remote controller 5 key twice, and press the Track
Up key. (Enters a “K” )
• Press the remote controller 2 key three times, and press
the Track Up key. (Enters a “C” )
• Press the remote controller 2 key once, and press the Track
Up key. (Enters an “A” )
• Press the remote controller 7 key twice, and press the Track
Up key. (Enters an “R” )
3. Security function is canceled and unit sets to All-Off mode.
4. Code request mode appears if a mistake was made in entering
the numbers.


If this was helpful to you a good rating is always appreciated.