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Radio Cuts In / Out - Horn Turns Radio On


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garrybunk
New User

Feb 6, 2008, 7:15 AM

Post #1 of 4 (1468 views)
Radio Cuts In / Out - Horn Turns Radio On Sign In

I've had this annoying problem over the past three winters now. First of all the vehicle is an 1989 Ford Ranger with 214,000 miles. The radio is the second aftermarket radio I've installed (installed with wiring harness adaptor, not butchered with electrical tape). About three years ago the radio starting going off out of the blue in the winter. The radio has power and will do every function - just no sound. Spring came around, the radio came back on for good and stayed that way until the next winter. Like I said, this has been happening for the past 3 years. I've attempted to fix it a few times, and have lost track of everything I've done. I think it was last year that the memory lead (the constant 12v wire) lost all power so I ended up splicing in a section of new wire from the radio harness to the cigarette lighter circuit. I've checked all wire connections and fuses and even replaced the "radio" fuse at the fuse panel (I've seen fuses that looked good that were really bad). This winter the radio quit again as usual. I happened to find out that tapping the horn triggered the radio to come back on! The more I tap the horn to turn the radio on the less time the radio stays on. For instance, the first tap of the horn may keep the radio on for 1.5 mins (then the radio cuts out again), the next for 30 secs, the next for 5 secs, then the next will only last as long as the horn is on, and then the radio may not come on at all - at least not until you wait awhile. Banging on the steering column does nothing - you have to make electrical contact with the horn circuit.

Other issues (related?): the dome light circuit has a short in it now and I can't remember if it shorted when the radio developed it's problem or not. Also, just the other day the engine started cutting in and out very quickly (like someone turning the key off and then back on immediately) - it's a manual transmission so I didn't have to restart with the key. This was happening frequently as I drove - very annoying. It was also a very rainy day. When that started happening I had two thoughts - a wiring harness thats getting worse and worse until it has now affected the engine, or the ignition switch (I looked up the syptoms of a failing ignition switch). So I bought an ignition switch, since it was cheap, and put that in. At the same time I was checking all connections I came across. In addition to replacing the ignition switch I cleaned every ground wire to frame connection I saw under the hood, cleaned the battery terminals, check the "maxi" fuses at the power distribution block, and taped up a small section of frayed wire I found hanging down to the steering linkage(which I think was going to the crankshaft position sensor). The engine hasn't cut off again yet (but the rain is also gone). At first I thought the radio was fixed (I did have to tap the horn to trigger it on, but once on it stayed on - even after turning the key off & on to check it), but this morning I get in the vehicle and the radio is back to acting the same.

It's driving me crazy! It's boring driving without a radio (I used to put a boombox on the passenger seat). The horn triggering on the radio really boggles me. The horn, dome lights, and radio are not even on the same circuits!

Help!
Garry


garrybunk
New User

Feb 7, 2008, 8:20 AM

Post #2 of 4 (1452 views)
Re: Radio Cuts In / Out - Horn Turns Radio On Sign In

New information. The fuse on the dome light is blown (blows everytime it shorts out). I started the truck this morning, tapped the horn to turn on the radio sound, and then decided I'd jump up and down on the side of the truck to see if a loose wire movind around would cause the radio to cut out. Well the radio didn't cut out, but I did notice the dome light flickering and glowing slightly (remember the fuse is blown) and smelled a little bit of something burning (couldn't tell from where). The light eventually quit and the radio went out on it's on after driving a short distance.

Garry


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Feb 7, 2008, 2:22 PM

Post #3 of 4 (1446 views)
Re: Radio Cuts In / Out - Horn Turns Radio On Sign In

Garry,

I don't know what to say but hang in there - folks are watching,

T



garrybunk
New User

Feb 11, 2008, 6:47 AM

Post #4 of 4 (1439 views)
Re: Problem SOLVED! Sign In

      This weekend ended 3 years of frustration (no - it has nothing to do with my marriage if that's what your thinking). I FINALLY found the electrical short in my truck which has been causing my radio to cut in and out and the dome light to blow the fuse (and then even glow dimly while the fuse was still blown)! Turned out that my drivers seat has been crunching down on a wiring harness and split 5 of 9 wires in half. The seat bracket has rusted to nothing and so the seat bounces up and down. The wiring harness (9 wires in split-loom tubing) was running directly under that bracket. It was quite a wild goose chase to find it! It's so nice to have the radio and dome light back to normal now! The carpet in the truck is always soaking wet through the winter (so the wet carpet must have been causing the short between the wiring - hence the reason it only happened in winter). The output through the speaker wire was shorting to the dome light wire causing the dome light to glow. I'm not sure what the horn had to do with anything, except that maybe it was discharging the current in the short for a short time? The 12volt constant lead to the radio was fed by the dome light circuit, hence my need last year to run a new wire to a different circuit. I'm glad it's over!

Garry






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