Oem radio only plays static on FM and AM and only plays out of 1 of the 4 speakers (driver side pillar speaker). Already swapped out the CDM and radio unit with the same problem. I have a third one I have yet to put in as I’m about to swap the dash. Any clue on what it is?
Oem radio only plays static
- Thread starter Jjbiskup
- Start date
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slow_c1500
I'm Awesome
I’m not sure what the problem with the radio only playing static is, but for the speakers (I know this sounds dumb, but it happened to me) have you checked to see if the speakers are actually there? My truck was only playing out of 2 speakers and it turned out the other 2 were missing for some reason
Static only on both AM & FM bands is usually the symptom of a poor/bad connection between your
radio and your antenna. Especially if substituting a different radio yields no improvement.
Here's some guidance from the Service Manual on troubleshooting this further:
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Note: The trick to the above is having a readily available 'test antenna'. Old guys normally have
an old freebie (liberated from a retired vehicle) stashed in the shop rafters for just these
troubleshooting occasions.
If you don't have one handy, either the treasure yard, ebay, or Amazon will have what you need --
with a little hunting you should be able to find something suitable that's also wallet-friendly.
Happy Hunting -- Let us know what you discover...
I'm with Road Trip,I think it's the antenna or lack thereof giving you static.
Those magnetic base antennas make good test mules.
A good way to check speakers is with a 1.5V battery. Find your speaker connector and insert two small wires into each pair of speaker wires at the connector then hold one wire to end of the battery and strike the other wire across the other end of the battery,you should here thumps as you're striking the battery. If not you will have to check the speaker wires for breaks or as said if there is even a speaker in that hole.
Even when they do work the stations only broadcast mindless static.
Those magnetic base antennas make good test mules.
A good way to check speakers is with a 1.5V battery. Find your speaker connector and insert two small wires into each pair of speaker wires at the connector then hold one wire to end of the battery and strike the other wire across the other end of the battery,you should here thumps as you're striking the battery. If not you will have to check the speaker wires for breaks or as said if there is even a speaker in that hole.
Even when they do work the stations only broadcast mindless static.
After a couple months of not having a radio I just yanked the Oem one out and put in a cheap $80 dollar Sony head unit and some cheap speakers. The problem was not the antenna but the actual CDM after trying about 3 different computer boxes I finally got a split second of radio on the 3rd CDM out of what I believe to be an 89(my truck is a 94) so now I have 3 OEM radios with the interfaces and none of them work. If there is somebody who knows how to fix them at a reasonable cost it would be greatly appreciated if somebody points me their way.
