Question about stock 5-disc changer on a 98 EB

[lightningrodbob]

Does anybody know if these will read CD-R's??? I don't know if that technology was even available in 98.

I'm getting my explorer on Saturday and was just curious, because my mom just bought a 97 EB and I was driving it around tonight and tried to play a CD and it kept saying "CD Bad" on the display.


If they don't read CD-R's, is there anway I can upgrade it to one that will, without having to spend a **** load of money?

 

[Joe Dirt]

My '95 did, but it was selective on the brand. I think Verbatim and Sony worked, Memorex not so well.

There isn't a way to upgrade the changer to the factory radio, it's pretty much an all or nothing replacement.

 

[lightningrodbob]

My '95 did, but it was selective on the brand. I think Verbatim and Sony worked, Memorex not so well.

There isn't a way to upgrade the changer to the factory radio, it's pretty much an all or nothing replacement.

So if I wanted to upgrade the changer I would have to get a new head unit?

 

[selebrin]

my 97XLT does not have any problems with cd-rs!!

 

[jad2411]

My 97 reads all cd's, and yes you can upgrade the changer, but you'd need one with FM modulator

 

[Joe Dirt]

So if I wanted to upgrade the changer I would have to get a new head unit?

Yes, if you want seamless integration. As jad said, you can find one with a frequency modulator that will play on a set FM station which san be iffy and expensive, but to have a changer hooked to the stereo, you would have to replace the head unit as well.

 

[617ricky]

Something to think about - I just put a nice aftermarket deck in my 97 XLT for $35 TOTAL spent. The deck was $15.98 on fleabay incl. shipping, the harness was $6.99 incl. shipping, and the dash kit was $11.99 incl. shipping..

I did run into problems at 1st w/ the speakers not working, and that's when I learned of the amp buried in the cargo area.. So at that point, I thought I was gonna have to order an amp bypass cable (only would have been $10 shipped), but I found out how to use the stereo AND amp together by simply connecting the 2 wires for the amp that are already on the harness.. And it sounds a helluva lot better than it did before.. If you go this route, BE SURE you get the correct harness, cuz there's 2 different ones for Explorers during that time.

I have a CD changer too in the middle console, but it's been broken for a couple yrs.. If it did work, I could have hooked it up I think, but why bother w/ a new deck.. And the really cool thing about my deck is it has an Aux input on the front, for mp3 players or any device with a headphone output.. And that eliminates any hissing or static that you'd encounter w/ an FM transmitter.. And THEN, it also has USB input and SD input, so you could either plug an external harddrive in, a flash drive, or a tiny SD mem. chip, which come as large as 16GB now!

So what I'm getting at is, with a little legwork, you could put a nice new deck in for CHEAP, with options that far surpass the crappy stock CD changer.