car radio acting crazy

[RichZ]

The radio on my 2000 Explorer suddenly starting scanning for station while I was driving the other day. The problem is, I didn't hit the scan button. I don't think I ever used that feature of the radio. When I put the radio on, it stays on one station for a few seconds to maybe 2 minutes, and just starts searching. When I return it to the original station, it just starts searching again. I've tried hitting just about every button, thinking that maybe something hit a button and it got stuck. Ant ideas on what's causing this and how to fix it?

Thanks!!!

 

[troutsqueezer]

That's a tricky one to answer. Could be many things from faulty IC to bad solder joints. For something like this it is hard to troubleshoot without a schematic and test bench to go along with it. I would start by checking to see if the antenna has a solid connection to the radio and to the vehicle chassis. If it is faulty, the radio may be scanning for the signal that isn't there.

 

[chad22]

That is a tough one.

On the topic of car radios. I can't believe that my cheap Durabilt car stereo cd player from walmart that I only paid around $30.00 for about 6 years ago is still working just fine after a wire short circuited under the dash of my truck a year ago and smoke was pouring out the cd slot. lol

I guess it does live up to it's name. I thought it was fried. I fixed the shorted wire under the dash and it came right back on and the cd player even plays fine.

Chad

 

[Willl]

Do you have 'behind the steering wheel' controls ?

 

[dave1949]

Did you try smacking the dashboard near the radio - that would be my first "repair" action :laughing:

Bad antenna or ground connection does sounds like a reasonable starting point.

 

[chad22]

Did you try smacking the dashboard near the radio - that would be my first "repair" action :laughing:

XD. When I was a kid we had an old tv that the picture would start shrinking on. So my repair was to get up off the floor and smack it hard so I could continue to watch my cartoons. :laughing:

I suggested to my dad one day we get a new tv. His response was that our TV was just fine, since it worked every time I smacked it. And that it gets me up and moving every so often.

If I have kids one day. Maybe I ought to get an old tv that the picture shrinks on so they have to get up and smack it. (That way it'll keep them active). :laughing:

Even though I never sat in front of the tv all day. I was really active outside and got lots of excercise.

Even when my dad bought us a used sega Genesis game from a friend. Sega Genesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I only played with it a few times and never touched it after that as I was never interested in video games.

Still don't have an interest in them.

Chad

 

[chad22]

Just remembered another thing I have now that I have to smack to get to working again.

My digital converter box that's sits on top of my television. It every so often shuts completely off, even to where the power button won't turn it back on.

I have to smack it hard and it powers back on. lol

That smacking repair seems to work every time.

Chad

 

[heviduty]

If you have steering wheel mounted remote control buttons for the radio, you may need a clock spring. I had to replace the one in my Ford pickup years ago. Only thing I didn't like was having to remove the airbag. Even though I had the battery cable off and grounded, and shorted the airbag wires, I still squinted and worked with one eye closed until I got that thing out.

 

[RichZ]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think that radio is alive, because it apparently healed itself. It acted like I described for several days, and yesterday it worked like nothing was ever wrong with it. Hopefully, it'll stay like that.