Radio Problems

[Enzo Ocon]

I will be the first to admit that I know next to nothing about radios, but I'd really like to learn more about them and how they work. So my 68 Satellite has the original thumbwheel AM radio with the single under dash speaker. I rarely used it because most AM stations don't play music but one day I gave it a try on a long drive. After about 15 minutes, the radio got super staticky and just died. Hasn't worked since. Any ideas on what the issue could be? Could it be as simple as a blown fuse or is the radio just dead? Also, is the radio supposed to in theory light up? I would love to get the light working if I can as well. Thanks!

 

[turbine68rt]

Your bulb might need replacing. For many years mine would turn on and off randomly until i found a used one that worked perfect and swapped all external parts over to the good chassis since my original was very nice.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

This guy has one for sale here.. Maybe good for parts or may be better than what you have..
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/2-mopar-radio-cores.185972/

 

[twecomm]

The lamp bulb that illuminates the dial has nothing to do with the radio being on or off. That bulb and socket mounts into a hole in the radios cover. It's wired into and comes on with the instrument panel lighting wiring. You will need to pull the radio out to get to that lamp. Based on your failure description, I would suspect that there is a problem with the radio internally. Could be something heating up inside ? Does it blow a fuse when it quits ? After it fails, if you leave it off for a long while, will it work again for some period of time after being left off ? It's likely at this radios age, the radio has a problem with dried up electrolytic capacitors internally. Your best move may be to find a like used working radio on E Bay and swap it out. If you know someone who will fix it for free, great. Used AM radios like yours typically go for abour $ 60 on average on E bay. Spend significantly more and you can find a used AM-FM original equipment radio and have something worth listening to other than AM. Good luck with it..

 

[Demonic]

^ What twecomm said. Also, the Mopar AM system needs a good ground, and a good antenna connection. Check the antenna cable connection at the back of the radio. Sometimes twisting it while tuned to a strong station works wonders.

 

[Ron H]

Of course check the fuse though if it was the fuse other items wouldn't be working on that feed. Having old cars it's common somebody did some wiring for something at one time, though often it was for stereo/speaker install or aux gauges, repairs, etc. Look at the fuse block and wires for bad/broken connections/wires, one thing is to gently bump the radio to see if it tries to come back to life indicating a bad connection. Also jiggle on the dials to do same...this would likely mean internal radio problem. Old wires can be a hassle. I had to repair my fuse block as some wires were making connections they weren't supposed to be connecting and found some bad wiring using electrical tape rather than using decent connectors. All of this includes possible grounding gremlins. If you encounter any visible problems disconnect the battery before making repairs...I forgot to do that once and sorely regretted it.

 

[Enzo Ocon]

Thanks you are all really helpful! I'll try all these suggestions out and post what happens.