Repairing stock system.... multiple issues

[Night Fury]

Hey.... So I am SICK of my current crap. To listen to the radio, I have to have the cassette player fast forwarding. It also has an awful background noise, but only when the engine is running. Results in a headache in 2.5 seconds. I have switched out the alt, no avail. I was told it was likely the amp.......

 

1.) Where is the amp, how do I fix it and/or what do I replace it with?

 

2.) Cassette player holder is stuck in the down position, how to fix?

 

3.) Anyone have the link handy for hooking up a 3.5mm jack to hook up a phone or iPod or something?

 

I would enjoy this car 500% more if I could listen to something other than static/humming/hissing/whining

[RobertISaar]

3 piece cassette unit? Penglii both replaced his amp and added an aux port recently.

[Night Fury]

Yes? Do you include the HVAC when you say 3 piece? It's the separated thing though, yes. Do you know if all went well?

[RobertISaar]

i know it's "split" via the radio bezel into 2 visible pieces and has a amp hidden around the glovebox area. Jay has mentioned using the amp from a buick something due to it having better sound quality too?

 

i seem to remember him getting it all figured out after a couple of minor mistakes.

 

http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/75232-88-89-Prix-3-Piece-AM-FM-Cassette-EQ-Info/page2

 

that should be enough info to get you going?

[Night Fury]

Ah, that's one link I was looking for. Thanks Saaaar!!

 

I hope Pengilli sees this, to chime in on amp replacement and why he did it

[White93z34]

how easy can that goony 88/89 unit be changed out for a standard 1.5 din 90+ one?

 

buy a new HU? sounds like yours is kinda screwed.

 

Amp is below the radio, behind the console. little silver box thing with one plug going into it.

[Night Fury]

how easy can that goony 88/89 unit be changed out for a standard 1.5 din 90+ one?

 

buy a new HU? sounds like yours is kinda screwed.

 

Amp is below the radio, behind the console. little silver box thing with one plug going into it.

 

That's also a question I had. Wouldn't mind going to the single piece, but I would prefer to keep it stock in appearance IE no aftermarket hu

[RPE1992GPSE]

I recommend unplugging your amplifier (the one under and slightly behind the radio) to see if the noise persists for troubleshooting. The amplifier only powers the speakers in the doors, so you should still have sound from the dash and rear shelf speakers.

 

[Night Fury]

Thanks, I'll try that!

[Penglii]

I will post more when I'm not at work.... but first things first the amp that goes bad and needs replacing is behind the glovebox. (The amp that is right below the HU is just for the rear speakers or maybe the door speakers, I forgot, but that amp is basically indestructible in it the simplicity of it's circuitry.) ManicMechanic found an amp for me out of a 93 Park Avenue or something like that (he kept the rest of the head unit and sent me the amp)... he seems to have really good yards near him for radio parts.

 

Switching over to the single piece 1.5 din OEM head unit would require pulling out and replacing the entire dashboard assembly... probably not worth the effort. A modern single din aftermarket HU can be made to fit into the 3-piece spot with a single piece bezel and minimal other modification.

 

Putting an aux switch was easy once I figured out that my EQ module was bad and that was the source of 80%+ of my headaches in that department. I think I posted a writeup of the final wiring configuration I went with...

[Night Fury]

What was your bad amp causing? The same noise crap I'm hearing? Did it stop I assume?

 

Thanks

[RPE1992GPSE]

I've come across plenty of Delco radios with bad receivers (ETRs or CDMs, as they're sometimes referred to) and the symptoms you describe definitely sound like a bad one in your case. Static, poor volume, strange sounds, etc. are typical symptoms. I even had one once that couldn't tune properly to frequencies. They're a dime a dozen in junkyards, but you may have difficulty finding the proper replacement if your radio has AM stereo, DNR (National Semiconductor's patented "Dynamic Noise Reduction" circuitry), and loudness ("LD") buttons on it. Not all receivers are created equal.

[Penglii]

What was your bad amp causing? The same noise crap I'm hearing? Did it stop I assume?

 

The bad amp was causing lots of hiss and static and crackles and pops, even with the volume all the way down. Replacing the amp fixed it.

[Night Fury]

Was that sound present with the engine off as well?

[Penglii]

Yes, it was very much present with the engine off.

[Night Fury]

DANG IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Mine is only with the engine on........ I've tried a different alternator, and without the second charge wire hooked up, but it still whines.....

[RPE1992GPSE]

Night Fury,

I still suspect your radio receiver (i.e. the "ETR/CDM" behind your glove box) is failing. Like Penglii said, the amplifier (located underneath and behind your radio head unit) is pretty much indestructible. I am not aware of the amplifiers failing, however, the receivers are known for failure, typically due to venting capacitors. I would suggest obtaining a new receiver box from a junkyard. They are readily available from any of the Delco "advanced ETR" radios, however, like I said earlier, they are not all the same.

 

Does your current radio have the remote equalizer with the cassette? Can you take a picture of it and post it? I might be able to help you narrow your search for a replacement receiver.

 

I know you're frustrated...I get it! I love these old cars but they frequently make you just want to junk the whole system of whatever it is you're having trouble with, but I keep telling myself the same thing: "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." You'll figure it out!

 

[Starflare5]

Um, aren't the amplifiers and reciever integrated into one box unless it's a Bose? Didin't the 3 piece radios consist of a controller head, a tape deck or CD player, and a tuner/reciever/amplifier box?

 

Night Fury,

I still suspect your radio receiver (i.e. the "ETR/CDM" behind your glove box) is failing. Like Penglii said, the amplifier (located underneath and behind your radio head unit) is pretty much indestructible. I am not aware of the amplifiers failing, however, the receivers are known for failure, typically due to venting capacitors. I would suggest obtaining a new receiver box from a junkyard. They are readily available from any of the Delco "advanced ETR" radios, however, like I said earlier, they are not all the same.

 

Does your current radio have the remote equalizer with the cassette? Can you take a picture of it and post it? I might be able to help you narrow your search for a replacement receiver.

 

I know you're frustrated...I get it! I love these old cars but they frequently make you just want to junk the whole system of whatever it is you're having trouble with, but I keep telling myself the same thing: "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." You'll figure it out!

 

Edited December 14, 2012 by Starflare5

[White93z34]

A lot of the early cars had a extra amplifier for the door speakers.

[Starflare5]

Are you talking about the Bass Gain type or the Bose system?

A lot of the early cars had a extra amplifier for the door speakers.

[RPE1992GPSE]

Are you talking about the Bass Gain type or the Bose system?

 

White93Z34 is indeed correct. The first-gen Ws with advanced ETR radios did offer an additional amplifier for the door speakers (in the case of the Grand Prixs) or the bi-wired 6x9s on the rear shelf (in the case of the Cutlass Supremes, for example). Since Night Fury drives a Grand Prix, we are talking about what I am assuming you are referring to as the "bass gain" type amplifier. Bose systems were only offered in the Luminas of the same era.

Edited December 14, 2012 by 1992GrandPrixSE

[Night Fury]

Yes, I have the EQ cassette radio thing. So the receiver is in the case behind the glove box? What does it look like? I'm wary of replacing it with a junkyard part, this is the second 1g I've had with this problem. If it's easy to replace, I will, it's worth a shot.

 

Thanks for your help so far!

[RPE1992GPSE]

I'm sorry, but I don't have a picture of one with me because I am at work.

 

The receiver will look like a silver metallic rectangular box with a heat sink on one end of it. It will have two sets of connector cavities on opposing ends and its longest sides. It may have the pinouts of the connectors embossed on its top and it should have a part number sticker on the opposite side (the bottom).

 

Since you have the equalizer radio, I am assuming that you have a "DNR" button, an "AM ST" (AM stereo) button, and a "LOUD" (loudness) button on the control head. Am I correct?

[Night Fury]

Correct.

 

And this could cause it to sound near perfect with the engine off, but far from it with the engine on?

[Penglii]

I still think it's the ETR/AMP unit failing... when stuff like that fails I believe it can do so in a variety of ways.

The unit I got from ManicMechanic was from a "1993 Park Avenue with EQ" does not matter if it was Cassette or CD... just that it has the EQ with the proper number of bands.

Although the 3-piece sound systems had all the components in seperate locations, and the 1 piece units were all put into a single form factor... the ETR/AMP is the same.

You can get the head unit from the aformentioned 93 Park Avenue and take it apart and you will notice that the ETR/AMP in it will look just about identical to the one behind your glovebox... all you have to do is pull out your old one, swap over the mounting taps (they pop out and click in, easy peasy) and re-install.

 

1992GrandPrixSE is right, even though the ETR/AMP units are all more or less the same from generation to generation... they have small differences... apparently the Buick ones sound the best. But technically any such module from any One Piece 90-93 GM Head Unit with 5-Band EQ will work. It's totally worth getting one and replacing your old one and seeing if it works.

 

The only functionality that "changed" when I put the new amp in was that the DNR button does nothing anymore (probably because it was a module from a CD deck not a Tape deck)... but that is a small price to pay for working sound.