I put a new fuse in but my radio still will not turn on. Does anyone have any troubleshooting suggestions?

 

What year and model?

 

1970 442

 

Is it the factory radio?

 

yes

 

1. Was the fuse you replaced blown?
2. Did you have symptoms before the radio stopped playing? For example, would it work for a few minutes and then stop?

 

1. the fuse was not blown but I felt putting a new one might help.
2. no symptoms. I just turned the car on and it just didn’t work.

 

Is this a factory air car? I ask because to get at the radio, a/c ductwork has to come off.

AM, AM-FM, with or without 8-track tape player?

My first guess is the wiring may be unplugged at the radio itself. Worst case is its output transistor has failed. Do you hear a pop, thump, or any noise at all when you turn it on?

 

Also- does this car still have its windshield antenna, or has it had a mast antenna installed? If antenna or cable is bad, or not plugged into the radio, usually no sound.

 

Is there a pop thru the speakers, or any indication that there is power to the radio when you turn it on? Does the radio light come on? If no, then as mentioned the plug at the rear may have come loose. If yes, do you hear any static or a hum when the volume is all the way up? If you don't hear anything, and the plug is seated, your radio is probably dead. Not a lost cause, it can be repaired.

 

so I played are like with the radio and got the AM portion playing but still could not get the FM portion to play.

 

Slide the AM-FM selector bar back and forth sharply a few times. May be gunked up from lack of use.

 

sounds like a plan. Thanks for your help!

 

Spray the slider and all of the ***** HEAVILY with a good HD electronics contact cleaner while sliding the bar and rotating the ***** VIGOROUSLY. Radioshack, Fastenal, etc sell contact cleaners.

 

perfect

 

Be careful with the contact cleaner. It will remove paint. If any portion of the dash is painted, like the A/C vents along the bottom of the dash, the cleaner may effect it. Have an old towel or something similar to catch the run-off as you spray the cleaner. Also, you want the contact cleaner to get into the controls of the radio so spray it on the shafts where it can wick into them as you rotate them. Spray it into the rear of the AM/FM selector as well. Operate the controls vigorously like mentioned above, and hopefully it will clean up well.