Radio sound dead

[632 Regal]

I looked in the trunk and there does seem to be an amplifier in there, bolted to the underside of the rear window shelf. So my next step will be to remove the amplifier and see if I can get inside it. If I can, then I will see if the problem is within.

Not under the window shelf, on left side of trunk under the insulation stuff. Under the window is CD changer and some old style phone modulator stuff.

[bob91343]

John you may be right. I am aware of the CD changer but didn't know what the other box is supposed to do. In any case, I will look into it to find out what it actually is. I am still plagued by the intermittent radio operation. Shaking and banging on the radio itself has no effect so I decided to look in the trunk.

Any advice to solve this problem is welcome. Replacing the radio seems not to be an option, as there is nothing I can buy that would replace its function, assuming the problem is within the radio. I want the AM and FM and CD functions but they are no longer available. Maybe a junkyard, at an exorbitant price. And I am unsure if that will fix it.

[632 Regal]

John you may be right. I am aware of the CD changer but didn't know what the other box is supposed to do. In any case, I will look into it to find out what it actually is. I am still plagued by the intermittent radio operation. Shaking and banging on the radio itself has no effect so I decided to look in the trunk.

Any advice to solve this problem is welcome. Replacing the radio seems not to be an option, as there is nothing I can buy that would replace its function, assuming the problem is within the radio. I want the AM and FM and CD functions but they are no longer available. Maybe a junkyard, at an exorbitant price. And I am unsure if that will fix it.

Mine is doing it again, it's the smaller wad of wires going to the front end of the amp. Going to see if I can find which wire turns it on and fix it. I'll post a picture of where the amp is for you. There are 3 phillips screws holding the gold plate on. If I turn the radio on when I get no sound and wiggle the one going to the forward connector it will turn on sometimes.

[bob91343]

I can't really tell much from the pictures. My 'amplifier' if that's what it is, is mounted above by three screws on the right hand side as viewed from the rear of the car into the trunk. I need to remove those screws and see what's in that box. The CD changer is a separate box and mine isn't even mounted, since I had to repair it and didn't go to all the trouble. It's better unmounted anyway, since that allows me to put large items in the trunk without having to manipulate too much.

[632 Regal]

Pictures man, what year is your car? I just went over the amp connector giving me the issue a few minutes ago. Hot water and baking soda with soft pipe cleaners to get the green out. The white/red socket seemed larger than the rest so bent it closed a bit just 'cause. Not sure what your looking at, amp supposed to be next to the left quarter panel as far as I know.

[bob91343]

My car is 1994 530i sedan. I will look again but don't think there is anything on the left side. I remember having trouble with the trunk lamp switch so I bypassed it and put in a manual pushbutton. That is on the left. There is a black box hanging from above halfway over to the right side but nothing else. The CD changer is laying loose on the trunk floor. But I will look again - maybe my memory is faulty. At the time my car wasn't available, being at the shop for failing smog test but it's back now, although it's too dark and cold to mess with right now.

[632 Regal]

My 94 and my 95 were almost identical except the CD player was different. After reading this last post of yours I am thinking you have trunk wiring issues. Pull the wire loom cover on the left side and inspect the wires. I would guess that there are a bunch totally fubarred. Especially since you bypassed the auto trunk light. The trunk loom wire issues can cause such a myriad of issues there is no way to isolate anything. Too vast.

[bob91343]

Well apparently you think I may have caused the problem when I put in the trunk light switch. I will climb back there and see what's what. I don't know why the radio has wires in that part of the car but maybe I will find out.

[632 Regal]

No, I think you have wire issues because you needed to wire a trunk light switch lol.

[bob91343]

The reason I wired the switch was that the original switch failed and I didn't want the cost and effort needed to replace it.

I was in there today and wiggled every wire in sight with no change in performance. I will have to take stuff apart now.