Tony72Cutlass'S'

Hey All,

So i have a factory GM, AM Radio in my Cutlass. The radio works just fine. All except for the tuning ****. It doesnt move the little orange line anymore. The only way i can tune to a different station is by pressing the buttons on the front.

Any ideas on what might be causing this??

-Tony

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Anyone ever take apart an AM radio that can help with this? Is there a little pulley or gears inside that are easy to fix?

jaunty75

Remove the cover, and you'll see the little system of pulleys and cord that move the "line" around. (I think it was more commonly called a "pointer" or "indicator".)

It's possible that the cord in yours has broken. If so, finding one and getting it properly threaded might be a bit of a challenge, especially the threading part. You might take it or send it to someone who specializes in old radio repair. They're on the net, advertise in Journey with Olds, Hemmings, etc.

It's also possible that it's come off of one of the pulleys, which is probably unlikely, or that it has just dried out over the years and is no longer taut. In the latter case, you would still need a new one.

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Great! thanks for the response!

I've never taken out/apart the radio before, is it a big job?

oldsguybry

I was kind of wondering the same thing with my AM radio . The needle moves when I turn the **** , but it's like the station is not changing . I get a constant static sound that does not change when I try to change the stations with the **** or the preset buttons . It just quit working about 3yrs ago ... Oh well , I was getting tired of talk radio anyways .

oldsguybry

Weird ! while I was on this thread , my antivirus had a couple of hits from the following ..... An Intrusion Attempt ! by ww.ccoituo.com was blocked ! I left out one of the w's because it will turn into a link . I'm not sure if it's from an advertisement or what , or if it has anything to do with this site . I just thought I would let you's know .

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Woh, that's weird, Maybe its something that we typed that triggered the antivirus on your browser. Anyone else getting this error?

jaunty75

Not necessarily. It depends on what's in the way between you and the radio. In some cases you can just lie on your back and reach up behind the dash. You'll want to remove the ***** and retaining nuts first.

If the radio is still in there from the factory, there is likely some kind of bracket attached to the back or side of it, and you'll have to remove that as well. Once that's removed and the nuts on the ***** are removed, the radio will likely slide out to the rear, and then you just pull it out from behind the dash.

You'll of course have to unplug the wire connectors, too.

It's possible that there is some lower trim on the dash that has to be removed before you can get at the radio. On my '67 Delta 88, access is easy. On my '73 full-size, though, you have to remove the lower dash panel first.


Like a lot of things, the best thing you can do is get down on your back with flashlight and take a good look. I'm sure how to remove the radio will become self-evident very quickly.


As far as the radio itself, I've never actually taken one apart. Again, I'm guessing close examination once it's out of the car will show you what screws to remove to take the cover off.

Frankly, I don't care that much for AM-only radio myself no matter how original the radio is to the car. I like to put in something aftermarket that fits the slot. You can find aftermarket radios for the dual-shaft style at swap meets and on ebay. You can always save the old radio and put it back in if you ever wanted to restore originality.

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Hmmmm, I already have a 50 watt marine amp in the trunk with two speakers that I can plug into an iPod. That's the only reason why I left the oem In there

They made AM/FM decks too didn't they? I wonder what they go for? That would be an interesting swap if I can find one that bolts right in..

jaunty75

When you say "deck", do you mean cassette or 8-track? In '72, I think if the factory offered any kind of a tape deck, it was 8-track. It probably wasn't until the late '70s or later that AM/FM/Cassette replaced AM/FM/8-track as the common factory-offered tape deck. In '72, the 8-track might very well have a been a unit that hung below the dash rather than be incorporated into the radio itself.

I wouldn't put an 8-track in there if it were me. The only tapes you can get are 30-40 years old or more and will often fall apart after a few playings.

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Ahhh, nono I meant am fm radio in the same unit.

8 track 'could' be cool, but they're really expensive, kinda crappy as you mention, also I already have a couple auto meter gauges hanging right in thy spot, along with my 1405 manual choke cable...

jaunty75

I did a little more looking around. In '72, the only tape system offered by Oldsmobile was an in-dash 8-track.

The '72 Olds brochure is a bit confusing on this. In the main part of the brochure, where each model line is treated separately, a stereo tape player is listed as an available option for each line. But in the back of the brochure, it says that the "AM/FM/Stereo Radio/Tape Deck" was not available on "mid-size" models, suggesting that it wasn't available, even as an option, in the Cutlass lines. I'm sure another '72 owner on here will know for sure.