HELP with Mach Audio System

[double_take]

Radio Keeps turning off

I have The Mach audio system in my '00 EB. Sometimes when I'm driving it will turn off or turn on all on it's own.

This is driving me nuts. Any ideas?

Also sometimes when it turns on it is showing "SPEED VOL 6" on the display. What is it?

Thanks

 

[gerry]

Double Take,

I have the same radio in my '00. The "Speed Volume" is an undocumented feature that adjusts the volume based on vehicle speed, on a rate scale of (I think) of 0-9, where 9 having the most increase in volume with any speed increase. It is adjusted by pushing and holding in the on/off volume control and then turning it when "Speed Volume comes on the display.

There is a common problem in these radios where the display will go blank. Mine will be blank in the summer when the car is hot, but will come back after the A/C cools it down. There is a bad connector on the circuit board in the radio that can easily be resoldered to fix it.

Are you losing the radio or just the display? If its the actual radio, it may be somehow tied in with "speed Volume" coming in by itself. If that's the case, I would try to squirt some electronic cleaner into the volume pot/switch.

Hope that helps. Good Luck!

gerry

 

[double_take]

When it goes out it's not just the display it actually shuts off.

This morning it was doing it for at least 2 min, on then off, then on , then off. It seemed to stop when I turned the volume,On/off knob.

 

[gerry]

Does it keep the correct time and station presets? If so, try the electronic spray cleaner. If that doesn't work, I would pull it out and look for a bad solder joint.

If it loses the time and presets, pull it out and check the external connectors and wires, including the fuse box.

gerry

 

[double_take]

Problem stopped for awhile but started again, it keeps the time and the presets just fine. None of the connections look loose. it acts as if someone is pushing the power button over and over and sometimes holding it till the "speed vol 6" is displayed.

should I just replace the radio?, if so anyone know about how much ford charges for them? If it's too much I may just install an aftermarket, but I really don't want to loose all my controls and the changer.

 

[jdapplin]

You can usually get that particular model radio for about $250 or so on Ebay, however your dealer may ask upwards of $600 or so. It's very easy to swap them out yourself, so I would recommend getting one off of ebay and going that route. Just make sure that you get the MACH radio, as many of them are not, even though they look alike.

An aftermarket radio is definitly an option, however it would probably be more expensive. You can also purchase special adapters which allow you to use your steering wheel controls and your cd changer with an aftermarket system.