Car radio goes on, then right off again

I'll start off by saying that, in general, in my humble meagre experience, car radios are a) a bastard to work on and b) very cheap to replace.

Given that the unit tries to turn on, I'd say you have a power supply issue... I'd guess perhaps you've got some electrolytic capacitors which are bad, and your radio's microprocessor controller is detecting incorrect voltage or too much voltage swing. It's fixable, but unless you know how to locate and replace these parts, it's unlikely you can fix it yourself. Taking it to a tech will IMMEDIATELY cost you more than the radio is worth.

Go to either a junkyard or a pawn shop and buy yourself another car stereo for $20 or $30. Or, go big and buy a new one with CD/CD-R/MP3 disc playback capability and an AUX input for your iPod. Installing it probably won't be fun as cars have very limited space and the dashboard removal seems designed to frustrate seasoned engineers, but it'll have to be done regardless of whether you repair your stereo or install a new one. FWIW, if you drive a lot it's probably worthwhile for you to go to your local mobile stereo mart, pick something you like, and have THEM install it... you'll get a better installation and chalk it up to a cost of doing life.

Just my 2 cents.

Dave

You could try disconnecting it or resetting it, and banging on it.

I have no radio in my truck now.Its was acting up for a long time, not comming on, problems with the display. I had a problem a long time ago where the remote did not work. Had to buy a $60 manual for the $450 HU, connected to the $350 CD changer. Its all junk now !!! I wanted to install a top system back in 93, an it served mostly well for a number of years.

greg

I think that initially, I would feel inclined to just reseat all the connectors at the back, or if it's in a cage, pull it and reseat it

Arfa

I'm inclined to agree, to the point that I had started a reply with the exact advice. My only caveat to the junkyard scenario is that you might get exactly what you have.

The other caveat is that--IMM--car stereo installers are the 'cable guys' of the automotive world. You might get lucky, but you might also get your car butchered by some kid with half a clue and no skills.

At least in the latter scenario you will have some recourse...ask around before you plunk down your money.

Finally, consider replacing (or at least inspecting) the speakers. Unless the car's been garaged for 13 years, it's likely the cones are dried out and ready to disintegrate. All they need now is a shot of power from that new stereo....

That makes $.04.

jak

to

Is it possible that one of the push buttons is somehow stuck? Have you tried the soft hammer approach while turning it on?

Otherwise, a new unit is cheap, and if you're friendly with someone at the dealership they might give you a clue as to how the radio is removed from the dashboard, if not, at least have the service dept remove the old radio for you.

Can you give me a hint on how to find the power supply caps? If I can find them, I can replace them.

I suppose I should start where the 12 volts comes into the radio? They're not the same cylindrical cans I see in AC equipment?

I usually repair my own stuff. And I'm not impressed with the authorized Chrysler service center here. A few years ago, I called every three months for 2 years to get replacement switches for a prior radio in a prior car, and they constantly said they were on order. So when I was in Brooklyn, I stopped in at a Chrysler dealer, got the name of the radio shop, and that place had as many switches as I needed in stock. A dollar twenty each iirc. (There was a rubber part in the push button switches that flexed every time it was pushed, and wore out. Once the face was off, it took 10 seconds for each switch to swap parts from a new one.)

If you are inclined to email me for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

Been there, didn't fix that. 95 Dakota, similar sporadic freaky behavior. Googled it, some rec.autos.makers.chrysler posters insist it's just the switch on the volume control. When it finally flatlined, I took it apart, confirmed it wasn't the switch, and poked at the voltages. There's a Philips SIP that supplies 5-6 different voltages to the radio; some voltages seemed odd, then I located the spec and determined that they were in range. Concluded that the problem is in or around the micro, which is buried (IIRC) underneath the VF display module. Set it aside due to other priorities. Meanwhile, a coworker gave me his radio that was having similar problems. Same outward appearance, completely different board design. Saw a free unit up for grabs on Craigslist, owner was sure it worked, but no. Finally got a working unit from another coworker who had removed it ASAP after taking delivery of his Jeep. That worked for the 3-4 months until the truck's head gasket went, whence I sold it.

My advice - if you can't find a known good unit with light use like I did, and don't want to spring for an aftermarket unit, bring a boombox for backup. If you had an ESR meter you might find it's a bad cap, but otherwise I don't think it's worth shotgunning it.

TM

Follow the money. Or in this case the power. It depends on the age of the radio whether they're cylindrical or not. Newer stuff is all surface-mount tiny rectangular components. My gut feeling is that you're setting yourself up for a whole lotta' frustration. If you value your time AT ALL, buy a new deck.

You really have been there and done that.

Thanks to you and to everyone.

You're just the person I needed to hear from.

If you are inclined to email me for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

Thanks.

Repair work is recreation.

If you are inclined to email me for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)