Hey guys. I registered here JUST to ask you fine folks this question!

A few weeks ago, my CD player in my '97 Bonneville received some blunt trauma (it was hit, or kicked, or something by accident) and since then, it began displaying the dreaded E20 error whenever I put a CD in. The CD is then ejected and I'm left with nothing but the radio.

Oddly enough, however, I purchased a new CD player (exactly like the E20 one) and swapped them out. I tried a CD and... E20. Again.

My question is this: Is it possible the CD player itself is intact and there is something wrong with the cables themselves? How can I find out? If not, what do you recommend?

I can't imagine why BOTH CD players wouldn't work. The replacement I bought is supposed to be in working shape.

Thanks a lot guys!
-Papers

I'll let one of our audio gearheads answer this one, but while we are waiting for a response try doing a reset on the radio. Disconnect the battery on your car for 1/2 hour or so. E20 is a general failure error, and there is a chance a reset will get it working. Slim chance, but easy to try.

I've read everywhere else that e20 is a reading error. Hmmm.

I'll try, thanks. But that doesn't really explain why both radios give the error.

Anyway, thanks.

Absolutely, I agree. E20 seems specific to the radio, not the vehicle, and should go away when you change head units. We also have to consider the possibility the 2nd radio (although new) could also be defective. It wouldn't be the first time someone replaced a part to fix a problem and spent countless hours to find out why the problem did not go away, only to find out the new replacement part was defective.

Reset probably won't work, but no harm in trying.

Like I asked in my original post, is there a chance the wires themselves could be damaged? The main plug behind the radio?

I don't want to advise you in an area I am not familiar with. Send a PM to Black_Friday and ask him to look at your thread. He won't mind. Open your thread, copy the address from the address line at the top of your screen, and paste that into your PM. It will give him a link to this thread.

Thanks for your suggestion. Hopefully he can help.

EDIT: Just tried to PM him. I apparently need 15 posts...?

Sorry. I should have noticed that. I will PM him.

E20 is a focus error if I am not mistaken. Are you using burned cd'*? If so, that may be the culperate. Factory radios have a hard time reading data on these types of discs. I would suggest buying a cd player cleaner and make sure it specifically says on the box for automotive cd players, and or try an origional disc. If you have the same problem, time to bite the bullet and buy the harness and get a new radio

I used burned CDs, but I always have and it has been fine in the past. Since this trauma, however, it started displaying e20.

I bought a disc cleaner that is for everything but gaming consoles (apparently, says the packaging). The radio cannot read that either, and it gives the e20 error and ejects the disc.

I'm not too keen on buying a new radio. Do you have a rough idea of how much the harness would cost?