93 SHO radio - No volume????

[cook93SLOSHO]

As most of ya know I just picked up this SHO. It has some crappy Sony head unit in it now. I can't stand it, small buttons, hard to see, beeps everytime I push a button, the auxiliary controls on the dash don't work ... Yeah, I hate it.

Anyway, the stock radio was in the trunk so pulled the Sony and hooked it back up. No volume. All the stock wires are there and not hacked up. It has the "premium" JBL system with the amp(s) and sub in the trunk. No single CD or changer, just a cassette player. It all appears to be good.

Any ideas as to what's up? Is this a common problem with the head unit?

Can it be fixed?

 

[BasedBidoof]

Are the amps plugged in?

 

[cook93SLOSHO]

Are the amps plugged in?

Looking at the wires that go to them back in the trunk, yes. Is there somewhere else I should look?

 

[BasedBidoof]

Not sure, but I figured I'd ask that. Maybe try look at the connections for corrosion?

 

[cook93SLOSHO]

Not sure, but I figured I'd ask that. Maybe try look at the connections for corrosion?

Did that too... All is good.

 

[hawkeye18]

If it's a JBL and you don't have a CD player (and CD player cable) you will get no volume. There is a cable that carries audio out through the CD player and back in - if you don't have that, you get nothing. A pretty poor design choice, but you'll have to jumper four pins on the back of the stereo if you want sound. I forget offhand which pins they are, but they're on the forum somewhere.

 

[hawkeye18]

http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=83585

Check out post #17. If you are handy with a soldering iron I'd get some solder and a short length of wire and get to jumperin'.

 

[cook93SLOSHO]

Thanks guys! I just went and looked. Damn, the little black jumper is there in the back of my stock radio...

I guess it looks like my head unit is *****.

Can they be fixed?

 

[hawkeye18]

It would seem there may have been a reason there was a crappy Sony installed and the stock unit was in the trunk.

 

[cook93SLOSHO]

It would seem there may have been a reason there was a crappy Sony installed and the stock unit was in the trunk.

Yeah, I know. I was just hoping...

 

[hawkeye18]

I would go as far as to say that there are more non-functioning JBL head units now than there are functioning ones. They have electrolytic capacitors in them that have a very definite life-span. Every JBL head unit is well, well past that life-span of the caps. Once they go, it's dead.

Keep that jumper, though.

 

[cook93SLOSHO]

I would go as far as to say that there are more non-functioning JBL head units now than there are functioning ones. They have electrolytic capacitors in them that have a very definite life-span. Every JBL head unit is well, well past that life-span of the caps. Once they go, it's dead.

Keep that jumper, though.

Couldn't the caps be replaced?

 

[hawkeye18]

Couldn't the caps be replaced?

They can!

You can also clean the heads on an old VCR player, and have a works-just-like-new VCR player!

The point is, yes you could potentially fix it, at great effort and not insignificant cost, but you still have a 20 year old head unit.

 

[cook93SLOSHO]

Yeah, I know it'll be "old" but I like it. I like simplicity, I like the buttons on the dash. I'm six feet tall and with the seat all the way back I have to lean over to get to the radio. I can reach the auxiliary buttons on the dash.
Also, I think the stock sound system would sound great if the amps and sub were working but as far as I can tell they're not.
Obviously, if it cost to much to fix the stock head unit or is too much of a hassle to make the old crap work than it'll all get tossed in the trash and I'll put my own system in with a head unit of my choice with a remote.

 

[hawkeye18]

The aux radio buttons can be used once again - a few HU makers have little adapter boxes that you can plug the aux button wire into and make it work once again. Or, you can get a HU with a remote and just use that. I prefer the remote, personally.

 

[cook93SLOSHO]

Cool! That's good to know. Thanks.

 

[tommyturbo]

for those of us who are purists we could never go for a aftermarket deck.

 

[hawkeye18]

http://www.crutchfield.com/g_118900/Steering-Wheel-Audio-Control-Adapters.html?tp=476

 

[cook93SLOSHO]

http://www.crutchfield.com/g_118900/Steering-Wheel-Audio-Control-Adapters.html?tp=476

Thanks!