QuestionI have a factory radio in an 89 ford thunderbird it is the non jbl premium audio with a factory amp for the speakers.
I have cleaned the contacts thinking the noise was due to loose or dirty contacts as I bought the car used. The noise is in all audio not just the radio but also the tape player. Could the speakers be shot though they look good or maybe the amp could be damaged not even sure where it is located maybe the trunk?'I am not sure where to start to eliminate things without costing piles of cash buying parts that won't eliminate them from the equation if it doesn't fix the problem.
john
AnswerHi John,
'Noise and static' are pretty vague from an email standpoint. But I can give you some advice about 17 year old factory systems.
If it is not an obvious system ground problem, I know better than to chase that kind of problem in a system with that many years on it (especially so, when I am asked to advise someone else to do so).
1989 factory system. The wiring insulation (among other things) is starting to deteriorate from age.
The best answer is to replace it.
Piles of cash?
Perhaps, but done correctly, it will indeed eliminate many possible problems from the equation.
You can replace that head unit for under 100.00 with an aftermarket one which has 50 watts x 4 channels built in. You'll get AM/FM/XM(sattelite capable), CD, MP3, CD-R/RW, so you can burn your own MP3 tunes on a pals PC (up to 256 per cd).
You can get this (and get in installed) at Citcuit City for under $150 or so.
At that age, (normally) the speakers are probably shot, too. Spend as much as you can afford on these if you are after fidelity.
But generally, you can get acceptable replacements for all 4 corners of the car for under $150 +install.
By-pass the factory amp entirely and have all new speaker wiring ran.
Your problem may be from the radio or the amp or the speakers or the wiring.
If you do the above, all that is left are new wires for power/memory/ground.
If you are careful, you can do ALL of this yourself for well under $300 (if speakers are needed), and you'll have a fresh warranty on the system.
First, I would start with a new headunit, and a speaker rewire (new wires will be routed from the speakers to the headunit and let you nix using the factory amp, altogether).
This may be enuff to stop the problem, unless it is coming from the speakers. Since speakers cost so much more, I would start with new wire and a deck.
Alternately, you could pull the speakers and test them.
Remember the 1st thing I said.. Check the GROUNDS for the radio and the amp. If that does not solve it, start shopping.
If you want to try to interface through the existing system for that particular 'bird, go to www.crutchfield.com and go to the live help icon. I would not recommend this, but it is an alternative if you want to try and retain use of the factory amp.
This probably is not what you want to hear, but it is probably the most resultant efforts you can put towards fixing this problem.
Sincerely,
J Mael
