So, been here a long time and changed my user name to reflect the user name I use elsewhere. I was formerly known here as "Thought of a good one" I'm the same guy.

As the title says, my H/K amp is essentially dead. Some times it comes on at vehicle start up but most of the time it's just dead. The lights in the head unit come on when you turn on the headlights like all the other instrument panels lights but the display screen remains off. The occasional operation seems to be a little unique from spending way too many hours reading these threads.

What I cannot seem to find is if there is an H/K amp wiring harness bypass out there. Basically, if there was some way to just loop the signal in wires that go into the H/K amp to just connect to the signal out wires so that all the speakers will work. This would be my first option as it would be the least expensive and have the least amount of removal and reinstallation of interior panels.

Knowing that this may not be an option and paying a lot of money for an amp that may crap out at any time doesn't seem the smartest use of money. Though it would keep all full function of the MFSW and again the least amount of removal and reinstallation of interior panels. I do see that you can find H/K amp on eBay for around $50 but that seems like a lot of money for me to spend to potentially just be the one that is throwing away someone else's garbage. This is my least favorite option.

I do not have the technical skill to the the soldering repair that is rumored to be the permanent fix.

Other than getting a whole new head unit and at least two new rear speakers (thanks BMW for installing dual cone no crossover speakers) what are my reasonable options?

Craig

 

I’ve always seen bad HK amp threads with crackling sound or possibly no sound, but no threads with HK amps causing no radio display or other head unit issues. Unless I’m misreading something, your description makes it seem like the head unit itself is working intermittently.

How did you come to the conclusion the HK amp is bad and not the radio?

There’s a lot of technical stuff about the HK system so more diagnostic detail is needed before options can be recommended to avoid being a TLDR post.

 

I went the E46 HK amp route. Sound quality is good enough, but certainly not on the OEM mini HK level. Very little technical ability is required to do this modification. If you're really that disinterested in the work; but want a fix, let's chat. I could order an E46 amp and modify it to work for you, so just a plug and play swap would be required.

I've tried to dive into actually understanding the failure mode of the HK amp with the intent of repairing; but so far it remains beyond my level of understanding and ability.

 

@RB-MINI I have been watching this forum and the H/K issues for many years; the first documented issue that I can find here - just like mine - was in December 2006. Things really start to pick up around 2009/10ish. From everything that I have read here (over several mind numbing eye crossing VLDR [Very Long; Did Read] months/years) and talking to a several other owners and a car audio shop that had/have the H/K, if you replace the H/K amp, all goes back to working as normal until that H/K dies. Problem with replacing the whole system is that you have to remove essentially the entire interior of the car; replace the dual voice coil rear 6x9's and rewire all the speakers. I have not come across a single person that has the standard HU that has failed. I do understand that if the HU isn't sending a signal, the H/K will have nothing to process and send out - so yes, there is still the possibility that it is the HU, though it is, oddly, the lesser likely cause of the issue. There is a thread that has a link to someone who seems to have found a permanent fix but that requires way more knowledge of electronic circuit boards that I have, which is essentially zero, as you need to unsolder and remove a chip or something and solder two other somethings together or something and reinstall that chip - all of which is why out of my wheelhouse. LOL

@megaDan Thank you for the offer and just like you, the failure of this amp is just puzzling - though again, this kind of thing is not within my wheelhouse of complete understanding. I was able to find someone local that pulled their H/K our of their R53 to be put into their R52 with an aftermarket HU but discovered the absolute mess that is the factory wiring harness and the additional mess that was created by the aftermarket audio install. They decided to just leave what was there. They were also very accommodating in the price - $75. They said "worked when removed." There is a second local person that is willing to part with their old H/K that is gathering dust as well but for slightly more money. I will keep you in mind if the one that I'll be picking up this weekend is a dud as well, or only lasts a few weeks. I may be in contact with you later. We shall see.

I am curious about the E46 amp route - total cost for amp and wiring harness modifications? How much for just the wiring harness?

As a side note, there is a guy on Miata.net forum that started a side business making things for the ND Miata; mostly wiring harnesses for things to make the ND be more "premium" from a functionality standpoint. You might be able to do this for the E46 amp. Just make up a bunch of harnesses for plug and play and tell people which amp to buy off eBay or what have you and you may be able to make a little extra money.

 

I have a 2006 R53 with HK.... The head unit was bad...bought a nice used one from eBay for $55 shipped.... all back to normal... As far as I know... the HU is the same HK/standard.

My car is corrosion free... full life Cali car... but I have noticed that some of the ground connections can always use a bit of a remove/clean, dielectric grease and a good tighten.
Might want to check misc grounds... Maybe someone on here has a diagram link for the grounds on the HK equipped cars??


Good luck... Keep us in the loop.

 

Just trying to help as you’ve posted “this kind of thing is not within my complete wheelhouse of understanding.” I’ve also been following bad HK amp threads and reading old posts for a long time as I have the HK system and am not looking forward to the time when my amp decides to go. I’m also an ex car stereo and alarm installer and have a pretty good understanding of car audio and the HK system. There’s so much info, and so many ways to go, it’s hard to address them all, but here’s some general info to add to your research and troubleshooting. Hopefully, it will be helpful

mountainhorse is correct, the same head unit is used for both systems and the HK functions become active when connected to the amp. Don’t pay more for a radio advertised as “HK”. If you do get a MINI radio, it just has to match your existing radio. Also, check the production date on the radio as the very early ones can’t have an aux input added and later radios can play MP3 cd’s if either of those matters to you.

If going with a radio, MINI or aftermarket, and speakers only, the HK front speakers still need to be replaced as they are 2 ohms and can’t be connected directly to the radio without risk of blowing up the internal amp. A pair of 2 or 3 way speakers, or a set of separates could be used for the fronts. The HK rears could technically be used by only using one voice coil, but they’re woofers so it would be better to get new 2 or 3 way speakers for the rear too. All of the speakers or components should be 4 ohm which isn’t an issue since that’s the standard for car audio.

Along with going with a BMW HK amp, the MINI HK amp can also be replaced with an aftermarket amp and still use all of the HK speakers, if you get an amp with at least 6 channels, active crossovers, speaker level inputs, and is 2 ohm capable. There are a few threads here on NAM with info using a JL Audio XD600 or JBL MS-8 as a replacement. I’m planning to go with an aftermarket amp like the JL Audio unless someone comes up with a fix for the MINI HK amp by then.

Again, the part about your radio display not always turning on, but with working radio/button illumination really sounds like a radio issue to me. All of the HK amp issues I’ve read about were about static/crackling/popping from the speaker(s), or no sound in one or more channels. I don’t recall seeing one where a bad amp caused the radio or display to malfunction.

Since you found a local R53 HK amp, would the seller let you test it before paying? If your amp is accessible, it should be a quick swap.

 

Got the amp for $75. Seemed fair to me and it was working when removed 2 weeks ago. The person I got it from is a member of the local MINI club as well. Getting the interior panel off seems easy enough. An old friend with a 2004 had the exact issue I'm having, replaced the amp and it worked fine. I will keep you all posted on that happens next. I should be able to swap the amp out tomorrow, 3/6/22.

 

Okay so the dismantling of the interior was way easier than expected.


The amp I got gives the exact same issue. Could be the head unit. Could be the “new” amp. Could be the old amp or any combination of the, now, three things.

Looks like I may be wrong, though it just seems that it’s always been the amp….

Looks like I’m still trying to find the issue. I’ll post a short video of what all this looks like soon. A bit disappointed in all this and a bit defeated.

Next week is new and I’ll keep plugging away at it.

Next stet is the head unit. If it is the head unit, which it’s looking more and more like, do I have to have it “keyed” to my car? And on that vein, doI need to have the H/K keyed to my car?

Win lose or complete epic fail - I’ll keep this thread going until the moderators lock
it out!

 

Here is the short video of what’s going on.

 

Bad new on the amp not fixing the issue, but I wouldn’t consider it a fail if it’s a working HK amp. I thought they usually went for $150+ so $75 seems like a great deal for a spare.

Not sure if you’ve been able look into the radio yet, or what diagnostics you’ve tried so far, but I would first check the fuse(s) for the radio and also check that there’s +12v at the fuse(s). If so, then I would check the connector at the radio to make sure the constant and switched +12 volt and ground wires are all good, and the connection between the plug and radio is clean and tight.

The only thing I’ve ever seen regarding coding for the 1st gen radios is they are automatically unlocked by the BCM or some other module. I think they only display the code message and require one to be entered if powered up on the bench or installed in a non-MINI. AFAIK, the HK amp should be plug and play.

 

I've checked all the ground wires I can find and reach without taking more of the car apart. I haven't taken the center stack apart.... yet, though that does seem like the next step. aghh.... not really looking forward to that. I have no problem taking the brakes and suspension bits on and off. I really wouldn't mind putting the car into FESM to pull the SC or belt tensioner but pulling the interior bits off just leads to rattles and the old girl has enough of those.

Good to know that the HU doesn't need a special code to unlock. I'll double check with the local dealership on that just to make sure.

No radio isn't that big of a deal for my wife as it's her car but she so rarely has a need to drive it and it is our winter/grand touring car so having music on longer drives and something listen to when I do have to return to the office would be very nice. Miata is always the answer unless you need to go somewhere with stuff.

 

So drove the car today and the radio was off. So all the pushing of the power button in that video turned it to the off position. I pressed the button and it came on, the new to me amp works! It stayed on the whole 15 min trip I took, When I started it up again, it was off. Wouldn't turn on.

I have checked the fuses and they all seem good. The car is a slick top, so no sunroof. Most of the interior is still out of the car. No interior rear right side panel and no rear seat backs. I put the seat bottom back in as the fuel pump is oddly loud when fully exposed. (god I hope that isn't failing....... had one fail in my Justa - not really wanting to deal with that again.) I do not plan to get rid of the car any time soon; so I am still trouble shooting. Anyway....

It's the head unit or a connection to the head unit.

On a slight side note:
I think that I will start to add photos of the tear down of the interior of the car and all that is needed to get at the HU and amp. I did take photos while pulling everything out. It could be helpful to others.

Edit: my wife pointed out that if we do get the stereo to work and there are a few more rattles in the car, we just turn up the music and problem solved! I really love her!

 

Over the past week, the stereo has worked every time........ no clue to what is going on here........ The new to me amp seems to have "fixed" the issue. We shall see...... very strange.

 

Don’t be afraid to take the cernter stack out, it’s all of 10minutes the first time. I’ve had mine apart twice playing with the semi defunct mini iPod adapter and removing the garbage accessory cup holder. Was the first thin* I did to it two weeks ago when I got it home.

t20 screwdriver unless someone put the swinging cup holder on which is t25’s on mine. Just have both at hand. Like all bmws once you get the trim piece covering the screws out of the way, in this case down tubes, it’s super simple to unscrew and pull out.

 

It's been odd. It's still intermittently not working. We have since kept the rear seats folded down and we have propped up the carpet over the battery. That, oddly, have kept it working...... no clue as to why. I'm guessing that there is a small short from an exposed connector plug or corrosion somewhere in the wiring loom that is somehow made worse with moisture. The rear hatch gasket seems to allow water into the battery box back there but I haven't been able to find out where it's getting in. The vapor tube for the battery is clear as is the final drain going out of the box for that. There doesn't seem to be any other drain for the battery either.

Either way, it seems to be working, 99% of the time now. I may dig deeper into this later but for now, it's working.

PS- the classic 94 JDM Mini Mayfair Classic 35 that my wife bought, it's stereo is also doing strange things. When the car is off the stereo will turn on or once on, you can't turn it off, you have to disconnect the battery. That is certainly a short somewhere. That should be easy enough to figure out or we just get a cheap head unit. This is made slightly more difficult as it comes with a period correct stereo modification of a seemingly functional MiniDisc player that says in Japanese "Insert the disk please." Which is cool until you are just driving down the road and the slightly mechanical-ish female-ish like voice says in Japanese "Insert the disc please" for no good reason. You're like, "Ms, I do not have a MiniDisc and if I did, you know it would be inserted."

 

Two places water gets into the back are the hatch handle and the third brake light. The hatch handle gasket might still be available separately, but the third brake light gasket seems like it’s part of the assembly. Also, if you have a panoramic roof I would check the rear drain tubes at the top corners of the hatch jambs to make sure they aren’t plugged and the tubes are still attached. The drain tubes are known to fall off the front, but I haven’t seen much about the rear.

 

The 05 has no sunroof, the 04 in my sig did and front left drain was briefly clogged then unclogged itself after a few days. Both rears were clogged and I used weed wacker line to clear them. They only leaked when the car was in motion. My guess there is that the wind flowing over the tracks had enough pressure to have them leak. Before I sold it I pulled the rear half of the head liner down and zip-tied the rubber section of the drain system to the metal drain parts. Why BMW didn't do this in the first place is completely beyond me.

The rear hatch handle is oddly not a place I looked at for leaks. I was looking at the gasket around the hatch which has factory made holes in several places - not sure why - my 04 didn't have them and that was the one part of the car that didn't leak.