Sick Empeg in car mode...

I need some help again, before I disect my Empeg and have to send it to Rob S. First the history.
Empeg unit #1 - Has been a steady player for quite some time. I fought (my budget, destroyed first unit, CarToys bad instal, etc.) to get a working Empeg in my Toyota (POS) 4Runner. I recently aquired two more Empegs, Empeg #2 fully functioning (put developer software on just to play), and Empeg #3, non functioning, which is now in Rob S.'s gentle repair hands.

However, now when Empeg #1 is in the home dock, it functions just fine. When it is on straight home power (with adapter of course) it works just fine. However when I put it in the car sled in the car, it starts up with the Hijack logo, the empeg logo (little Penguine) and then goes blank, no power light or display or sound, however you can still hear the drives spinning.

Does anyone know what I should check before I start 'operating' on my own (which is how empeg #3 got sent to Rob S.
Thanks,
Ladmo (Hey! I'm a manager, I don't have to know how the tech stuff works)

i suppose if you hit buttons while it's in the car, nothing happens? what if you force a/c mode from hijack?

Have you tried setting it to "Force DC" mode when on AC power to see if it does the same thing?

No I have not tried forcing anything yet. However pressing any/all of the buttons or knob has no affect when in the car. Normal operation in the ML Dock and straight power from AC adapter...How do I force it?
Thanks