Interesting Radio Behavior to Note

jhax

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Good Morning All,

I just wanted everyone to learn from an experience I had with respect to the stock Premium stereos in our cars. I am unsure if this happens with all of them but it certainly happened with mine (I have the stereo with the CD mono jack from the B3 Passats). Over time as I drove my car daily, I would notice the stereo sound cut out, then come back, then cut out, then come back, etc. The display would remain on but the sound would cut out.

As time progressed I observed the same behavior, with the addition of the entire stereo shutting off and going into "the car is locked" mode (display off flashing red anti theft LED), then it would come back.

I was assuming it was either a bad ground or my ignition switch was going. One day I was driving and noticed that the cutting out and returning suddenly stopped and thought it odd. The next time I drove the car, it was dark out so I naturally turned on my headlights and the radio display light was not on. I have been driving like this for several days now, including a trip to Santa Fe and the radio no longer cuts out.

So perhaps a third reason our stereos cut out, the first being bad ignition switch and the second a bad ground, could be that your display light is going away?

Cheers,
Justin
 

ToddA1

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Maybe it could be because the radio is over 2 decades old. Electronics fail. A repair shop may be able to get it 100%, if it’s not the switch and ground.

Both are easy to test.

-Todd
 

jhax

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96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
Hey, this has an AUX jack, on the other side of that mono cable, why a Microsoft Zune HD is plugged in.
 

jhax

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Well it wasn't the ignition switch. Any other ideas to try to get this thing working properly? How do I test the ground?
 

Steve Addy

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Iowa
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Well it wasn't the ignition switch. Any other ideas to try to get this thing working properly? How do I test the ground?
I'm not sure where to turn next but if you want to check the ground it would be the brown wire at the radio connector.

You must have the "Deluxe" radio if you have a aux jack on the right side. I have two of those and they are very rare as most cars were ordered in the US with either the Premium radio or the later Bose radio (Mk3 cars).

I prefer the aux jack as you can pipe music through the car speakers from devices that don't use bluetooth.

I also like the look of the factory radio...even the later "Sound System" radios from 98/99 that look like the Mk4 stuff.

Steve
 

jhax

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96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
Steve, I do have the deluxe radio with the aux input. I read on another forum about the cluster dimming switch being too low, which mine has been. This disrupts power going to the radio. I turned mine all the way up, lets see if that changes things in the next few days, it really happens when outside temps are warmer. Ill write back with findings. If not, I found an RMT200 for a good deal. Ill pick that up if the problem persists.
 

ToddA1

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Issue with testing ground is it’s an intermittent problem. Personally, I’d either splice in new or depin the plug and add a repair wire. I’d opt for the latter.

Sounds like it’s something internal to the radio, like a bad soldier joint, if it’s temp dependent.

-Todd
 

jhax

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Yeah unfortunately that's what I'm thinking too Todd. The issue persisted today with the cluster dimmer all the way up. I assume its difficult and time consuming to trace down a bad solder joint.
 

ToddA1

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Pull the radio and open it up. I’ve gotten lucky and spotted some issues with electronics, and was able to fix it myself.

You don’t have an electronics repair place around you, although I’m not sure if it’d be worth the spend. That’d be your decision.

-Todd
 

Steve Addy

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The Deluxe radios are actually fairly desirable. There were not a lot of them around to begin with. In all my years I've only seen two and I own both of them. The Premium audio units (93-97) are a lot more common and were ordered a lot more frequently by dealerships and although they've been good for radios you also have to use the dreaded cassette adapters to pipe content through other devices, the Deluxe you can use aux cord or small bluetooth adapter to get the content you want.

You can't connect by USB, which I guess for some might be an issue, but for me I'd rather have a factory radio that works vs something someone might want to try and rip out of my dashboard.

Steve
 

jhax

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96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
Yeah looks like ill bust out the magnifying glass. Steve, I found mine in a b3 passat in the junk yard. Had the code painted on it and everything.
 

Almost1

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My roommate and I both have Deluxe's in our projects. Both were from junkyards, but they are different manufacturers. Mine is what you would expect, you need a code and the lcd looks the same as the premium radios, but his doesn't need a code at all. The lcd is also slightly different. Almost like its a knockoff, but I've never seen or heard of knockoffs.
 

jhax

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Well, I just scored an rmt 200 today for a good price. Ill keep them both.
 

jhax

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96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
After looking at the following thread (http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=5588472#post5588472) I suspect a grounding issue. Key turned to acc position and volume up I hear loud static coming from speakers until the glow plug light turns off. After that happens I hear light buzz, car on loud static returns. Pitch also changes with rpm. Voltage at alternator is 14.6v. Resistance from the ground wire plugged into the back of the radio to the opposite end of the same wire, not plugged in is 0.2ohm, resistance on the same end of the wire but plugged in to the chassis block under the dash is 2.4ohm.
 
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jhax

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Almost1

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What input do you hear this on? AUX? Is the audio source also pulling power from the cigarette lighter? If yes, you have a ground loop. That only explains the noises you hear, but not the audio cutting in and out
 

jhax

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Yes aux, I assume we want 14v at the lighter?
 

jhax

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Well I do get 14.4v coming from the lighter. However I do have a USB charger charging my zune all the time due to the battery on the zine being dead. I have had the same issue while just playing radio. But the zune charger has always been plugged in.
 

Almost1

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Then it points to a bad connection somewhere. Don't limit your search to just the radio ground, but the chassis and engine connections as well. The alternator creates a ton of noise, and if the connections are iffy it makes the noise more pronounced.

Check:
Battery terminals
Chassis ground by battery
Power connection on starter
Engine ground on trans bolt
Alternator mount
Alternator positive terminal
Fuse for the radio (both on the fusebox and the radio itself. Cheap fuses haze over on the blades and cause all kinds of issues)

The radio circuit grounds at the terminal strip above the fusebox I believe, so make sure that is tight against the chassis.
 

jhax

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96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
Thanks sir. I assume I'm checking for 14v with car th bung at all of these points or am I checking ohms?
 

Almost1

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Checking voltage and continuity is a good start, but the key is the surface area of the mating surfaces (also tightness as a loose connection means less contact area as well). The smaller the contact area, the less space the electricity has to flow and increases the signal to noise ratio of the system as a whole. It may test good with a meter, but removal and thorough cleaning of the surfaces would be the only way to make sure you're getting the best contact you can. I also read that the resistance of the ground wire from to the radio increased as you plugged it in. This is kind of hinting at what I'm talking about depending on where you measured when it was plugged in. Is it one that plugs right into the terminal strip above the fusebox? It may be worth squeezing the female connector to get a tighter grip on the terminal. A contact conditioner may be helpful, too. I like Deoxit Gold.
 

jhax

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96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
Sounds good. When I checked resistance for the radio initially I shoved one probe into the radio ground pin of the radio with the plugged into the radio and radio on. Other pin was shoved ok!raise to the ground plug into the grounding lug next to the fuse block.
 

ToddA1

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Have you divorced the original ground and wired in a new one? That’s probably the least labor and easiest route, even if it’s only a test.

You did an engine swap.... I’m sure you have spare wire/terminals. I’m drowning in the stuff....

-Todd
 

jhax

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I have not Todd. You're just saying run a new ground wire from the back of the radio to the ground lug next to the fuse box and leave the old one hanging out so the lighter still has a ground correct?
 

ToddA1

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Pretty much, yes. Personally, I’d depin the ground from the radio plug, then insert a repair wire. If you go back to that multi-spade junction, be sure those terminals/ground point are clean.

You may want to go to clean metal to be sure you have a good connection, or find a firewall grommet, and go to the battery.

-Todd
 

jhax

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Finally found the source of the shutting off problem. For some reason the black connector housing be pulled out slightly after its clipped in. With the radio hanging out I can move the power wire and the symptoms occur.
 
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