Hi all...

I was driving home yesterday with the radio playing, and the sound abruptly stopped. The radio was on, and indicating the station and the song that was playing...but no sound. I tried different stations and both AM and FM to no avail. Same thing with the CD and the tape player. You coud see the display indicating which CD and track was playing...but nothing.

I checked the trunk fuse for the power amp and antenna (#9 I believe) but it was fine. I also checked the passenger side fusebox for the radio/CD fuse and it too was OK. I even tried disconnecting the battery to see if that might correct the problem. It didn't, but I did get the opportunity to clean the battery terminals and re-set the window travel!

At this point I suspect either the power amp in the trunk (yes I do have one) or the radio itself may be the problem. Before I consider replacing them is there anything else I could try? If not, any suggestions on how to determine if the amp or the radio is the culprit? I'm believing it to be the radio. I tried re-setting the stations (remember I disconnnected the battery) and while the display showed the new station as stored as I held the radio button for a few seconds....I didn't get that audible beep.

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Jim

 

Is your power amp indicating it is on? It sounds to me like the power amp lost a fuse?/

 

Don't know...how do you tell...is there a indicator light somewhere on the Power itself? It's possible the amp is getting power since the specific fuse indicated for the Power Amp in the fuse diagram (5 amps) is good. The same power is also supposed to power the antenna...and that extends and retracts just fine. Is there perhaps another fuse to check? It may be possible that eventhough the Power Amp is getting power, the output isn't working. BTY...Jag quoted $968.00 for a new one.....OUCH!! Anyone know where you can buy one for a lot less or if there might be an aftermarket replacement that will work?

Cheers,

 

Jim,

I took the amp out of mine when I redid my stereo. It was working fine at the time. If you find out yours is bad I know where you can get one for a lot less.

 

Kevin:
Thanks for the quick response! I may take you up on that. The key is figuring out if it's bad or not. Not sure as yet how to do that by myself or if I'll need to take it to a audio shop to diagnose. I did see a few Amplifiers listed on E-bay and ranging in price from $35 to $135. When I spoke with the dealer they advised there were 2 different listings depending on the VIN number. So...I've got a little homework to do as yet. Is the amp you have a Harmon-Kardon unit? For comparison the last 6 digits of my VIN number is: 022178. If yours is close to mine and falls within the same range of VIN's chances are your's would work as a replacement.

Best regards,

Jim

 

Jim,

The last six of my VIN are 039354. Here are some pics of the amp:







Let me know how it works out.

 

I've helped a member out before by shipping my unit to them, and if it fixed their problem, they purchased it. Currently, a member has my head unit to aid in the diagnosis, since he originally determined his amplifier was NOT the problem (he swapped the amplifier with my old one as well) You could work out a purchase agreement, whereby if it didn't fix the problem, you could get your purchase amount back, and just pay for the shipping...if kevin W is willing, that is. $20 for diagnosis is much more palettable than $200-$250 for a used amp, and find it wasn't the problem to begin with. Discuss by PM if this is an option you both would be willing to do. If I can help in any way (mediator, etc) please let me know privately also.

 

BTW jim, you need 3 more posts to get PM privileges. Use this thread to get your post count up, permission granted.

 

I have one as well. If you or any other member need's it, just let me know. It's the same part number as Kevin's.

 

Sounds good, Matt. Hit me up with a PM when you can, Jim.

 

OK...Kevin...will do. I'll pull my amp tomorrow to verify the part number.

 

Matt:

I'm pretty impressed with the willingness of the members here to offer assistance the way they have, and for you to suggest a very reasonable way to fix a problem and not spend tons of money doing do. I'm also on a fantastic UK based BBS for old MG's (I own a 1955 MG TF1500....I know...2 british cars!) The members there are always willing to help and no question is too dumb to ask. I sense the same willingness to help will hold true here as well.

Thanks for the support. Cheers,

Jim

 

hmmm, you may be onto something Jim... perhaps it is a british owner thing? hey, I can't take all the credit, we've got many members willing to help out. Pay it forward is a rule-of-thumb around here. one more post Jim and you're PM ready!

 

Well....I got the Amp removed. See photo Same part number as Kevins.

 

And the saga continues.....I did receive the Amp from KevinW, plugged it in...but still no sound!. DARN! So....would that pretty much indicate the Radio unit itself is the problem? Other than the wiring harness, not sure if there is any other component left to check/test/replace. Given the failure mode....a wiring issue seems highly unlikely. I'm open to any suggestions from the group and also would ask if anyone might have the radio itself (AM/FM/Phone/Cassette/CD) and willing to sell it.

Cheers,

 

sorry, my spare is a little newer, and setup for the alpine system. It wouldn't even fit.

 

Matt:

At first glance it looks spot-on. The facia looks identical to what's in my car now. The key is probably the part number. The one KevinW has is an AJ9850A. I suspect your might be an AJ9850W. I have not pulled mine yet to verify but since it's a harman/kardon system it's probably the A. Thanks for checking!

Cheers!

 

here's the rear...lets see if I can get a part number off of it...sorry, nothing on the back. if you want to try it, I can see if I can arrange for it to be shipped over to you from the current member (whos waiting for better weather before taking it out of storage).

 

A long time ago (say 6 years) I had a similar situation with my XJ6 (since replaced with an XKR, so this is NOT off topic!). The radio would just go silent. Oddly, when I shoved in and ejected a cassette, it would come back to life for a bit.

I tried older forums than this one, and someone suggested THE DEALER!!!! Turned out they had a swap out program for the head unit. Took it the car in, gave them $125, and drove home with a refurbed and fully functional head unit.

It worked until the day I sold the car. Give them a call - I THINK calls are free...

Dave in Atlanta

 

Matt:

Let me take a look at my radio first this weekend to see what the connector set-up looks like.

Thanks!