AM Radio Problem

[bjtstarfire]

'61 starfire with stock AM radio with front and rear speaker was working fine then the speakers got a lot of static and this got very loud regardless of the volume and then the radio died. Fuse was blown, so I put in a new one and with out any static in the speakers the fuse blew once again.

Any ideas if this can be an internal radio electronics issue... If it is I may just live without an operating radio.

[kevinkpk]

Originally Posted by bjtstarfire

'61 starfire with stock AM radio with front and rear speaker was working fine then the speakers got a lot of static and this got very loud regardless of the volume and then the radio died. Fuse was blown, so I put in a new one and with out any static in the speakers the fuse blew once again.

Any ideas if this can be an internal radio electronics issue... If it is I may just live without an operating radio.

I'd remove it, and have it looked at/reparied. I do have a link for clock repairs, but you might have it fixed locally. 1961, you might even pull the radio, and clean it, that might be all it needs.

[ozoneblue]

Definetly un plug the radio & replace fuse to check if it is also on another circuit ,If no blow repair radio

[bjtstarfire]

Romoval will have to wait for warmer weather at this point. The circuit is only for the radio. Fuse will blow once radio is turned on.

I was wondering if a failure in the radio electronics would cause a fuse to blow like this, seems like a poor electronics design if in fact that is the root cause. Could a speaker go bad and cause this?

[kevinkpk]

Originally Posted by bjtstarfire

Romoval will have to wait for warmer weather at this point. The circuit is only for the radio. Fuse will blow once radio is turned on.

I was wondering if a failure in the radio electronics would cause a fuse to blow like this, seems like a poor electronics design if in fact that is the root cause. Could a speaker go bad and cause this?

If you want to prove the radio is at fault, and thats what I'd suggest, remove it (when the weather gets warmer), and with a 12 volt battery connected to it polarity sensative, ground the frame to the - neg, and apply + power to the connector with a fused curcuit (you can buy an inline fuse holder at autozone ect.) This will tell you where the problem lies, I'd say the speakers are grounded to frame, but it could be a speaker problem. This will isolate the radio from the rest.

[Oldsguy]

It wouldn't be poor design, it would be age. Something is shorted inside the radio, since the car/radio is 46 years old it most likely has some wiring that is cloth covered. They did that a lot then. The cloth has deteriorated or some creature has eaten at it and you may have a short that way. Or, one of the electronic items may have shorted, electrolytic caps dry out and sometimes they short instead of open. Best bet, have it repaired or replace it.

[Barneyo]

In 61/62 there was a transition from tubes to transistors and thrown in
were some hybrids with both tubes and transistors. (my 62 Pont.Tempest
had a transistor type, my 62 Olds F85 has tubes) go figure...

So, Is your radio - tube (takes a minute or so to warm up and play or
instantly on and playing) - transistor ? - well at least when it worked

*******
The problem could even be caused by vibration over the years having
worn thru the insulation on a speaker wire and it is shorting to the floor
pan somewhere ??? You MIGHT even be lucky and fixing the short will
fix the WHOLE problem and -no- radio repair will be necessary....

*******

Otherwise:

If transistor most likely the output transistor has gone (as OldsGuy said
46 years is a LONG time).
If tubes the vibrator has probably shorted - again 46 yrs.....

Either of these failures would take a fuse in a nanosec

Someday I might need -this- information - IS there still anyone out
there that works on old radios???

kevinkpk - could you pm me the link to the clock repair place. (Hoping
they might have one for sale.)

[Oldsguy]

There are still people that work on the old stuff. You might find some people in surprising places by searching on the internet. A lot of the old tube stuff is coming from ex-Soviet Union countries. I saw a video on the internet of a guy building his on tube type triode, from scratch including the tube itself. He had all the equipment, probable from a defunct factory in the old east block.

[bjtstarfire]

Thanks Barneyo for the info, yes it goes on after a min. of so when it worked. I really don't feel like even getting involved in removing it for repair.

It is only AM and when we go out in the car my 6 year old brings her small AM FM transistor with her anyway so I am not sure it is worth my agrivation to R/I the original radio. Funny I still have to tell her to lower the radio even with that small speaker.

[Starfire61]

AM or not, I like having an original, functioning radio. Think of it as something else to dazzle folks with when you take them for a ride in your Starfire! Unfortunately, it's a monumental PITA to get that radio out of the car. You need to remove the console, & depending on how nimble & flexible you are, you may need to remove the shifter, too. If you have AC, you need to remove the large, rigid duct that runs in front of the heater box. After you get the knobs off the radio, you remove the two retaining nuts at the base of the shafts. There's also a support bracket for the radio inside the dash, which is pretty easy to get at if you don't have a glovebox insert. Otherwise, you need to free it up from underneath. The radio then pulls out from the back.

If you're looking for someone to fix it, I can't say enough about Barry Dalton, the Antique Radio Doctor. He advertises in Journey with Olds & did fine work for me. His prices are competitive & his turnaround is remarkably fast. His email address is radiodoc@rvi.net

Chuck