OEM radio has power, no sound...
Hi all,
This is my first post so don't mind my disclosure... :)
A few problems have popped up with my '91 525i so hours of searching about how to resolve the issues on the internet have brought me to this informative E34 community!
After searching these forums I still haven't found what coule be the issue with one problem I'm having with the oem radio. It powers on, I can operate all of its buttons, change radio stations, sound settings, etc. But the problem is there is no sound coming from the speakers.
At random times for a few seconds at a time I am able to hear music though. Sometimes it is preceded and/or followed by some cracking or popping. At first I was thinking that the speakers may need to be replaced, but when I am able to hear music it sounds perfectly fine.
Damaged/popped speakers wouldn't be able to produce normal sounding audio right?
What could be the problem?
I checked the fuse in the oem amp and it is fine. Are there any other fuses I need to check? Could it still be the speakers? Are there any common known areas where bad connections could cause this?
All help is appreciated!
EDIT: pictures of head unit and amp on page 2
my radio is from 1988 and still works
Just had a prob this summer, as we have very high humidity in the raining season (+ 95% humidity). It just got stuck and I could not change anything.
Removed the radio, brought it to the Sony headquarters here in Tokyo, which is right around the corner where I live. They could not find anything wrong.
Put it for some days in my fridge to get the moist out and it works again. Also dried it with a hair dryer.
:)
Moisture is a big prob for the connections.
Here are the PIN connections
click
Is it possible to know what radio system ....
are we talking about?.
I have a Babaria C Professional RDS (1992) and it is working fine. Some time ago I got issues with some speakers muting, and found poor contact inside the trunk amplifier/tuner unit (Becker brand). There is a motherboard inside with some boards connected to it; the connector is like some tiny gold plated wires, going into small holes in the motherboard. In one of the boards, the connections were causing the problem, as I kept the system operating, and when shaking that board, noticed the speaker going on and off. May be you’re having something similar. Some contact cleaner, and even a small soldering point can fix it.
Javier
You ask for wiring details, but give no info ....
on the radio system. There should be a model identification in the Cassette door, or in the radio manuals, or in the card with the security code. May be posting pictures of head unit, CD changer and amplifier would help.
Javier
Think you should get a multimeter ...
A Multi-Meter is a handy tool for any electrical checks, not only at the car, but also at home, I think you need it, if you want to carry out this diagnose, as I told you, it is not only to check for not blown fuses that I'm sure you do not have, but for tricky things, the things that make an intermittent fault, poor connections, broken fuse links, and so. There are different prices depending on brand and functions, mine have AC/DC voltage and Amps, Resistance with continuity bell (Ohms), Capacitance, Frequency, and also some Diode and Transistor test functions. I paid about 110 USD about 12 years ago. I think it was a cheap one as the brand is not top (Beckman). You may probably find something better at a lesser price this days (Technology is a b..). Radio Shack is a possibility, check the web though, or get recommendations from someone from the forum living in USA.
If no meter at all, and you have a portable stereo system with a "Line In" RCA input and output to speakers, you may get creative and do some sound testing, but if no sound, you will not be able to check the presence of supply voltage at the amplifier, and, for example, at both terminals of every fuse.
The headphones will let you listen for signal at desired points, just use some extra bare wires to connect, 32 ohms is low impedance but you should hear something with them. At least it will let you discard problems in the head unit.
As for the speakers, you should have 2 components (H/L) below each screen at the rear side.
Javier
Amplifier gets a permanent 12 Vdc supply ...
at pin X605-2, but the only way to prevent it to dry out the battery, is to turn it on only when the head unit is turned on, so X606-9 acts as a turn on signal. This is a white wire that also feeds power to the antenna amplifier.
I would check at the back of the head unit, at the 16 pin black connector (X18126), with the plug connected, that this white wire in position 16 is getting 12 Vdc when power is turned on. If there is the proper voltage, check continuity for this white wire to the amplifier end. A simple check you could perform is to connect power from X605-2 to X606-9. Amplifier should turn on and sound should reach the speakers. Be extremely careful of connecting the right terminals. It is the white wire the one that should receive 12 Vdc.
If head unit is not feeding 12Vdc when turned on to the white wire, you may want to check the head unit socket for corroded, bent or missing pin, or open it looking for a broken internal line feeding this 16 pin connection.
Javier