I have a 95 Chrysler LeBaron with a standard stock AM-FM Stero
Cassette black-finished radio from another 94, 95, or 96 Chrysler.

The radio goes on when I turn on the car, or when I turn the radio on
separately. The station frequency displays for a second but then the
time reappears and no sound comes out. None of the keys on the radio
do anything at that point, so the radio must be off. I turn the knob
off, and back on again, and the same thing happens, the frequency
displays for a second every time. It's taken up to 8 tries to get the
radio to go on. Today it took 4 tries.

The radio works fine for a few weeks or months after each episode, but
I'm planning to drive to Dallas and back, and I'd hate for it to
totally fail during the trip.

Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??

Thanks

If you are inclined to email me
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"mm" wrote in message
...
Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??


I'll start off by saying that, in general, in my humble meagre experience,
car radios are a) a ******* 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

In article , mm wrote:
I have a 95 Chrysler LeBaron with a standard stock AM-FM Stero
Cassette black-finished radio from another 94, 95, or 96 Chrysler.

The radio goes on when I turn on the car, or when I turn the radio on
separately. The station frequency displays for a second but then the
time reappears and no sound comes out. None of the keys on the radio
do anything at that point, so the radio must be off. I turn the knob
off, and back on again, and the same thing happens, the frequency
displays for a second every time. It's taken up to 8 tries to get the
radio to go on. Today it took 4 tries.

The radio works fine for a few weeks or months after each episode, but
I'm planning to drive to Dallas and back, and I'd hate for it to
totally fail during the trip.

Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??

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

"mm" wrote in message
...
I have a 95 Chrysler LeBaron with a standard stock AM-FM Stero
Cassette black-finished radio from another 94, 95, or 96 Chrysler.

The radio goes on when I turn on the car, or when I turn the radio on
separately. The station frequency displays for a second but then the
time reappears and no sound comes out. None of the keys on the radio
do anything at that point, so the radio must be off. I turn the knob
off, and back on again, and the same thing happens, the frequency
displays for a second every time. It's taken up to 8 tries to get the
radio to go on. Today it took 4 tries.

The radio works fine for a few weeks or months after each episode, but
I'm planning to drive to Dallas and back, and I'd hate for it to
totally fail during the trip.

Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??

Thanks

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

Dave wrote:

"mm" wrote in message
...
Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??


I'll start off by saying that, in general, in my humble meagre
experience, car radios are a) a ******* 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.


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....

Just my 2 cents.

That makes $.04.

jak
Dave

On Mar 5, 11:11*am, jakdedert wrote:
Dave wrote:

"mm" wrote in message
.. .
Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??

I'll start off by saying that, in general, in my humble meagre
experience, car radios are a) a ******* 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.

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....

Just my 2 cents.

That makes $.04.

jak



Dave- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

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.

On Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:27:11 GMT, "Dave" wrote:


"mm" wrote in message
.. .
Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??


I'll start off by saying that, in general, in my humble meagre experience,
car radios are a) a ******* 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.

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?

Taking it to a tech will IMMEDIATELY cost you more than the radio is worth.

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.)

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


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

On Mar 5, 10:02 am, mm wrote:
I have a 95 Chrysler LeBaron with a standard stock AM-FM Stero
Cassette black-finished radio from another 94, 95, or 96 Chrysler.

The radio goes on when I turn on the car, or when I turn the radio on
separately. The station frequency displays for a second but then the
time reappears and no sound comes out. None of the keys on the radio
do anything at that point, so the radio must be off. I turn the knob
off, and back on again, and the same thing happens, the frequency
displays for a second every time. It's taken up to 8 tries to get the
radio to go on. Today it took 4 tries.

The radio works fine for a few weeks or months after each episode, but
I'm planning to drive to Dallas and back, and I'd hate for it to
totally fail during the trip.

Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??

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

"mm" wrote in message
...

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?


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.

On Wed, 5 Mar 2008 21:09:46 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Mar 5, 10:02 am, mm wrote:
I have a 95 Chrysler LeBaron with a standard stock AM-FM Stero
Cassette black-finished radio from another 94, 95, or 96 Chrysler.

The radio goes on when I turn on the car, or when I turn the radio on
separately. The station frequency displays for a second but then the
time reappears and no sound comes out. None of the keys on the radio
do anything at that point, so the radio must be off. I turn the knob
off, and back on again, and the same thing happens, the frequency
displays for a second every time. It's taken up to 8 tries to get the
radio to go on. Today it took 4 tries.

The radio works fine for a few weeks or months after each episode, but
I'm planning to drive to Dallas and back, and I'd hate for it to
totally fail during the trip.

Any advice on what's wrong or how to fix it before I leave??

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.

You really have been there and done that.

Thanks to you and to everyone.

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

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


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

On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:44:54 GMT, "Dave" wrote:


"mm" wrote in message
.. .

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?


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

Thanks.

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.

Repair work is recreation.


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