Troubleshooting Your Car Flip-Down Monitor
If you have installed a flip down monitor in your vehicle (or if your car came with one installed), there may come a time when the unit does not function the way it should. Perhaps the display is not clear or there is no display at all. Other times, there may be no sound from the monitor or other problems. This article will address some common problems with flip down monitors and how to recognize them so they can be corrected.
No Display
If you turn on your flip down monitor and there is no display on the screen, there is a good chance that the input settings for your monitor are not set correctly. For example, if you last viewed a DVD movie, and then removed the DVD from the player before changing the input options on the on-screen menu, the display screen will usually be blank. So, if you want to watch regular TV on the monitor, you will need to use your remote or the on-screen menu options to adjust the input setting.
Another reason for a blank display could be a loose or disconnected video cable from the player, so check to ensure that the yellow RCA cable is plugged into both the monitor and the DVD player. A video RCA cable that is connected but is loose in the connector slot will also cause display problems. While you may be able to see something on the screen, there may be moving horizontal or vertical lines that cause the picture of the display to be unclear or blurry.
Audio Problems
Just as a loose video connector cable will cause display problems, loose audio cables will cause problems with sound from your flip down monitor. If you are experiencing problems of no sound or sound from only one side of the monitor, check the red and white cables that run from your DVD player or other input source into the flip down monitor. Simply making sure the connectors are secure in the slots will usually fix most audio problems.
No Power to Monitor
If you are unable to power on your flip down monitor, this could be the result of several types of problems. In most cases, the lack of power to your flip down monitor will be attributed to a loose plug-in connection into the inverter or cigarette lighter if you have installed an aftermarket monitor. If the monitor was installed by the car manufacturer, the problem is probably related to a fuse. So, make sure that you check all plug-in connections and fuses if you're unable to see a power light on your flip down monitor.
After Monitor Installation Battery Dies a Lot
Placing a flip down monitor in an area where a dome light or trip computer was installed is a very common method of installing aftermarket flip down monitors. However, the installation may not be performed correctly, so if you've recently had a flip down monitor installed and are experiencing problems with the battery in your vehicle dying a lot, look in the area where the flip down monitor was installed and look for loose ground wires that were connected to the dome light or trip computer. Shield the grounding wire with a wire nut or electrical tape. Another option is to simply remove the fuse for the device that is no longer being used in the vehicle.
