Stully

Some thing I found out by accident. My97 Impreza is fitted with a non-standard radio before my time. The Radio works fine when ignition turned one click & when engine is running. But when the ignition is OFF there is NO power to the radio or the cigarette lighter.

Q: Has the wiring been changed or do all Impreza's work the same!

Q: Is it a simple job to change & have the radio working and cigarette lighter working when the ignition is OFF.

Any help would be appreciated.

Ederijke

Most radios use two wires for +12Volts. Normally they are yellow and red for + (and a black one for ground). Both should be connected. One should be connected to a constant + (not switched by ignitionkeynd one should be switched by the ignitionkey.
The first is used to power the memorybackup when ignition is off. The second is to switch the radio on and off. Which color goes to constant plus depends on the radio.

As far as I know, all Impreza's will have a special connector to connect a radio to, by means of an adaptercable (ask your dealer, they should have one). This connector should carry the constant plus, switched plus and ground (and probably speaker connections).
If you want to have the radio and lighter on when ignition is off, you should change the power to them, from the switched + wire to the constant + wire.

Eric