Intermittent No Radio Issue

[RandomNerd2000]

So, in my 2000 XLT, I'm having an issue, that shows up for a few days and then will be gone for months at a time, where you'll switch it on, and you won't have a radio, on both the stock unit and the aftermarket one I installed, then after you drive it 5-20 minutes, you'll hear a click in the dash, and the radio will be coming on, and it'll be fine for weeks again. Any ideas? I don't think it's the radio itself clicking since the stock unit and my new Pioneer both do it.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Bump, it is doing it with two aftermarket radios, it's NOT the radio itself.

 

[Spudhut]

You may have a short in your wiring or connections going into your Radio. I would double check your connections first. Make sure they are seated or re-do the butt connectors. Put a meter on the wiring with the key "on" to make sure your getting 12v through both power wires. If no voltage, check back to the fuse box, then to the ignition switch.

 

[J_C]

I don't think there's a relay for that so the click is strange, will be too hard to locate since it doesn't happen regularly. All I can suggest is wait till the radio goes out again then trace the whole circuit with a multimeter to see where power stops.

Do you mean that ALL power is lost to it, or only the radio function, and the clock (display and/or correct time memory and channel presets) still works?

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Whole radio, on both a pair of stock radios, and my aftermarket Pioneer. I'm halfway looking at the ignition switch since most of the time you can park and let it sit switched off a few minutes and then it'll come back on, it's also worse the colder the weather is.

 

[J_C]

I would've thought bad ignition switch would affect more than just radio, like HVAC blower, and no click sound. Anyway it looks like that might be fuse 20, you could check it for 12V with ignition on the next time the radio goes out.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Alright, update, I have figured out by testing an aftermarket radio for eBay, that it's the constant 12v that keeps your clock set, which makes a lot of sense, that got a fuse?

 

[J_C]

Looks like fuse 29, assuming your fuse setup is the same as mine.