Overheating XJ CD player?

[Yucca-man]

Posting here for general knowledge instead of the sometimes slower XJ Forum.

I have a Pioneer DEH-P735 removable face CD player that I recently instaleld in my 96 XJ. Prior to that it was in my 89 XJ as a replacement for a stolen unit. I noticed that CDs removed from the drive were VERY hot when removed after playing inhte old XJ.

I haven't gotten this one installed completely yet, but it is sitting in the 'gap' over the heating controls. After playing for 30 minutes or so, the top surface is almost too hot to touch, and I don't have wussy hands...I took a roadtrip out to Utah this weekend and after 20 minutes or so the CD started to skip.

By design, the XJ radio/CD enclosure is right above the heater controls; would this have any bearing on the amount of heat generated? If so, how can I reduce that heat? I'm hesitant to install the rest of the bezel if it's going to trap even more heat...

[frank_c]

i used to have a Pioneer Premier tape deck in my last car, and it also ran hot. the tapes were warm when they came out, and when the unit got too warm in the summer, the belt squealed. the Sony i have now in my TJ doesn't get that warm. radio was below the HVAC controls, at least in the 90 Sundance i had, so i ruled that out.

[Boogeyman]

In the pre97 xj the Highest point of the dash is where the radio goes, And as we all know heat rises.


The heat from the duct work warms up the dash, and in the summer can cause extreme amounts to heat.

Now there are options.

1 - Buy a new cherokee made after 97.
2 - Gut the dash, Drill some holes into the metal and install an electric fan that blows hot air out.
3 - Rearrange the Dash instraments a bit. - I'm going this route.

I'm goint to remove the Control's, Stereo, and Lower heat duct.

Plastic weld the duct to the upper (stereo) position,
seal the hole, Install the Stereoin the CC spot, and the Climate Controls into the vents original location.

Or maybe move the Controls back upto there original location and the stereo deck down.

Either which way it's alot of work, but at least it will be different.

[Colo.TJ]

It's that damn salsa music you like so much.:D

[Yucca-man]

It's that damn salsa music you like so much.:D

That's salsa and chips that I like so much...and I doubt those go well in the dash.. :D

[RedBull99XJ]

Jim-

I feel your pain! I have a 99 XJ and my Pioneer CD player went out last week. Even on the 97+ Cherokees the radio is mounted in the wrong place. If I drive for more than 2 hours with the heat on (even on the lowest setting) the front of the radio gets extremely hot. When I take CD's out, they are almost too hot to handle. It goes into "Heat" protection and I can only listen to the radio. Last week the CD player stopped working completely. This is the second Pioneer that had done this to me. I called some audio shops and they said it would cost more to fix it than it would to just buy a new deck. :confused: It's only a year old!

I think Boogeyman is right. The best route to take is to design some kind of 12V fan behind the dash to blow the hot air out. I also wouldn't recommend Pioneer decks, but of course that's just my opinion! Good luck, and if you figure out a design that works to keep the radio cool, let me know!

[Yucca-man]

Thanks all - while reformatting the dash is not beyond me, it is not something I feel like tackling on a daily driver either. As I sit here, my toes are being warmed by a Pentium 4 1.4GHz machine, and I am seriously considering some of the cooling tricks learned on my PCs. Boogeyman's #2 option might work here.

[99XJGuy]

I have a '99 XJ with an Alpine 60x4 and this sucker is smokin'! :smoking: I got thermal a couple of times, shutting down the deck. Installed a 12v .5amp PC cooling fan on an automotive relay, now she stays cool as can be, although summer operation will be the true test. There is a small opening in the dash going out to the winshield vent, sufficient for moving warm air to escape. I'm also noticing less distortion at higher volumes for extended periods, which tells me I placed the fan in a decent spot(over the vents, duh!)