Dash radio on the fritz

[RonaldNC]

I'm not a particularly mechanical guy, so am looking for some guidance as I attempt to fix my radio problem. The dash radio (one of those oversized jobs) all of the sudden started turning on and off. I suspect there is an electrical short somewhere, but why all of the sudden is that happening? Before I remove the dash plate, I would appreciate any thoughts on "likely suspect" things to check.

BTW... nothing else on the dash seems to be having any problems.

Thanks!

Ron

[norwestie]

I would strongly suspect that he radio itself is faulty. Most car stereos have 2 power leads; one that is switched when the ignition is on and another that is hot all the time. The latter keeps the clock and station memory. Either of those shorting out would probably blow the fuse.
From Monaco's pdf of your model, it looks like the radio is a standard double din size. If that is the case, you should be able to remove the old and upgrade to one of dozens of new radios fairly easily. If it is a nonstandard size, you might go to a single din size and a filler panel.
I would think that either option would be less expensive than repairing the original radio and would probably sound better, too.

[roscoesdad]

Ron,

If your MH is like my 2005 Ambassador, you have a switch on the dash (mine is next to the gen. start and stop switch). It turns my radio on and off. Enables me to keep the volume preset instead of using the on-off-volume knob. Sounds like you have a loose connection on that switch or a bad switch.

[Diplomat Don]

RonaldNC......If your radio is an original Magnadyne, they had an issue with the rear connector. It didn't get a positive connection and would lose power when the CD player was being used.

Here's a link to the problem Magnadyne DVD Problem - Possible Fix

[nodine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roscoesdad Ron, If your MH is like my 2005 Ambassador, you have a switch on the dash (mine is next to the gen. start and stop switch). It turns my radio on and off. Enables me to keep the volume preset instead of using the on-off-volume knob. Sounds like you have a loose connection on that switch or a bad switch.

In addition to the front switch on the dash to turn the radio on and off, our 2006 Diplomat has a second switch in the bedroom that can be used to turn the radio on and off. Might give that a look also.

Bob

[RonaldNC]

Thanks for all the advice. I will check the connection in back of the radio (seems pretty straight forward). I also have the radio switch on the dash and the bedroom, do it sounds like I will need to do some tracking of wires, connections, switches, etc.

BTW... I'm not particularly impressed with the radio... it's really big to just provide a radio and CD player (not even multi-disk)! Is there a decent radio that will fit in that big space? I would hate to have to put some kind of spacer to fill in the gap.

Thanks,

Ron

[e8seabee]

We bought our 03 HR Ambassador a year ago. It has a Kenwood AM FM single CD player in it. Does anyone out there know if that was the standard radio for this model or it this an aftermarket installation? It worked well for this last year but is now giving us issues asking for a security code of some sort and won't play radio or CD. Been trying everything we can from the owners manual and still stymied. Ready to make a boat anchor out of it!!!!! Any help much appreciated.

Al

[moisheh]

IF your radio is a Magnadyne they are really junk. An odd size 1.5 DIN. I dont think anyone else makes that size. I think Mgnadyne has a newer model that is better. Someone on this forum installed one a way back.

[roscoesdad]

This seems to work for some: Tech by Bucky: How to reset the security code on a Kenwood stereo

[Golfingene]

I replaced a Magnadyne in my Winnebago with a Panasonic and it was a great improvement...also got XM radio with it. The best thing I liked was the remote control which I velcroed to my steering wheel so I could mute out the commercials. We think XM is a mandatory accessory if you travel much.
My new Diplomat has a Magnadyne with Sirius/XM, no remote, and is a pain to change stations, or mute. Can hardly wait for it to crap out. (They offer an optional remote but it doesn't have a "mute" that I can see in the picture.)