ok this is going to sound weird i'm sure, but here's the deal

i have a 97 f150 xlt. i put an aftermarket radio in it, and it worked fine for a few months no issues. gradually, in the mornings when i'd leave for work (pretty early, still dark outside), the radio would be off, like it had no power at all. it would stay this way until the truck got warmed up a bit. as it warmed up, the radio would start to cut back in, but if i hit bumps it would cut out again. eventually, when warm, the radio would stay on for good and not cut off at all.

then, more recently, whenever i would hit my power window switch (drivers side) the radio would cut off too. it did this for a couple days, until one day the radio cut off and it hasn't come back on since. i checked all the fuses and all appear to be fine. what's weird though, is that i can load and eject a cd into the player. so it has constant power.

do you guys think this is a truck issue or a head unit issue?? i can't even really think of where to start on this one.

 

Go over all the connections.
You have a poor ground or power connection if it is shock sensitive or it coiuld even be the radio it'self.
Bang it a few time to see if it goes dead.

 

Yea i second the ground fault opinion.

Check under your truck there should be some larger cable type wires that go from frame to under side of the cab. Its possible that with the trucks age, those are rusted out and arent making good connections

Especially with the window cutting into the radio thing, makes me think your cab isnt properly grounded to the frame, also can check your connection from your battery to your frame.

-Patrick

 

when it would cut off, i banged all over the dash and never got anything to come on.

i'll see if i can locate those grounds. what side of the truck should i look on?

 

just outside of the frame rails going up to the bottom side of the bed, probably near the front of cab somewhere. should be several of em. looks like braided metal (woven)

if you cant find any, ill see if i can take a pic later tomorrow of one or more of mine.
-Patrick

 

i found what i thought to be the grounds for the cab, there was one on each side. is that right? they both were solid, i even checked the ones from the negative battery cable. i'm gonna try to pull the door panel off tomorrow and see if anything looks amiss. if not, i'm gonna take the radio back to best buy and try that route.

 

sounds right, you may try just for kicks, try running a wire that you know goes into a good ground, if you have a set of aligator clips this helps. Just to see if there isnt a good ground between the frame and the radio, altho likely its the body (floor panel) somewhere that is your actual ground for the radio. You could also try the radio in a different vechicle before you try and return it, because getting a new one may result in same symptoms as now.
-Patrick

 

alright, i have a couple other oddities to add to this, i'm not sure if it's related but i have a feeling it is.

yesterday, when i left in the morning for work, my turn signals didn't work. at all. the light didn't even come on the dash like it was on solid. however, when i got in the truck later that afternoon at work, they worked fine. but again this morning, they didn't work. and again this afternoon, they did.

also, my auto window down switch is acting fritzy. i could power the window down, but when i went to do the extra click to power all the way, the window would stop. if i let off though and just "manually" powered it down, it would go fine. this problem has been intermittent the last couple days.

more guidance would be greatly appreciated

 

dang im not sure what to say. sounds like things are getting worse.

Start back at step one here, you know your battery is good? Terminals not corroded?

Alternator good and supplying ample voltage?

Check all things like headlight bulbs, interior bulbs that could be causing a ground fault.

Check wiring harnes most likely in drivers door, since thats the area that is having the worst of the symptoms. Again checking for a bare wire that could be shorting out to ground.

Double check your wiring on your actual head unit, to make sure you dont have a hot wire grounding somewhere.

If you have already checked any of these once then it may not hurt to look again now. Check your connectors and the actual wires.
-Patrick

 

i know the battery is good, and the terminals are brand new i just put some on. i dont konw about the alternator, i'll try to see if i can get that checked this weekend. i don't have any burned out bulbs that i have noticed...the dash does have several that are out (all i really can see in the dark is the top of the speedo and the tach)

i'll work on checking the door wiring though. thanks for the suggestions, i'll let you know if i find anything

 

I would make an effort to replace your dash lights, its possible one popped in there and is shorting things out. The bulbs are like 4 bucks for two at Auto Zone, and pulling the dash isnt that bad, just take your time and remember what went where.



As you can see i was a few screws away from being able to pull the cluster gauges out, and the lights should be attached on a frame on the back side, that the gauges slip over and onto, if that makes sense.
-Patrick

 

sweet...and i guess that top dash panel just pops out?

 

start by pulling the ring that has the center two air vents on it. that opens the area around the radio up, then if i remember correctly, there are 3 bolts that go up from the cluster up into the dash, then one or two to the right of the cluster, one to the left, and maybe one behind where you opened the radio area up.

Its honestly not that bad, just take your time, and dont force it out too much, if its hanging up some where chances are you missed a bolt somewhere.
-Patrick

 

well i finally figured this out. today it was cutting out again and just for kicks i whacked on the panel for the fuse box. when i did that the radio cut back on and off again, each time i hit it. so i pulled the panel and jiggled the fuses until i found the one for the radio, and turns out, the bastard was loose! only a little bit though, barely enough to notice when i checked them. but whenever i wiggled the fuse the radio cut on and off.

i kicked on the panel before and it never did anything, i dont know why it did now. maybe i didn't kick hard enough

now i just need a little electrical tape to fix the problem and i'm good!

 

Glad to hear you got off "easy" without re-wire-ing your whole truck's stereo before discovering it was just the fuse all along.
-Patrick