Ford Owners,

I recently posted this in two another forums on this site then moved it here to spread the word.

I own a 99 F150 and the radio display was flickering then stopped working all together. The radio I have is a tape deck, radio, external CD changer type. I put up with the problem for a few months then got fed up and decided to tackle the problem. After spending some time on it I discovered the problem to be faulty soldering on two resistors for the display. I was lucky and the resistors were not blown (remove and test or you could test circuit resistance). Instead they just needed to be resoldered. Before I found and repaired the problem I searched the internet only to find many sites offering to charge me for a solution. No charge here!

To fix the problem you will have to remove the Radio and disassemble the face plate. From there you should find two resistors for the display. In my particular radio they were labeled as R464 and R465 and next to the tape slot cut out. The solder joints were discolored and upon closer inspection (magnifying glass) I found further faults with the soldering. I then gently tugged on the resistor and it came right off the PCB (printed circuit board). I hope this helps!

Here are some pics describing the process with more detail

Remove the radio


Remove the faceplate from the radio


Repair any soldering that appears to be faulty or the component is loose. Use a magnifying glass to visually check the joints for cracks or lack of solder. I found that Ford, or whoever built the radio, could have used more solder to stabalize the joints a little better. As mentioned above my problem was that resistors R465 and R465 were loose on the board. These two resistors control the current for the display. Once I resoldered them the radio worked!



Cheers!

 

that is awesome, not many people would go that far to fix a factory radio!

 

The way I looked at it...the Radio was pretty much useless because of the blank display. So I figured there was no harm in trying to fix it before buying a replacement. In the end I ended up saving some money...

P.S

And to all the internet sites wanting cash for instructions to fix it....kiss my tailgate!

 

 

A short visit with the Search button would reveal:

Original Radio Display Repair Thread

 

That is great info and thanks for pointing it out. I did try a search and I did find similar info. However, the problem with my radio was not with the "display power supply board". My problem was with two resistors attached to the faceplate. But, this is great info because it could happen to my radio.

Cheers!

 

this is a problem on my truck i believe, the radio works fine but there is NO display, I'm gonna try and tackle this problem this weekend. Excellent info guy!!!1

 

Any luck?

 

ALOT of people change their radios due to a blank display! this will definitely help out alot of people!

 

Ryan1979,

Just want to shout a big thanks out to you. I was able to fix my display with your instructions.

I would like to add for others that I don't have the tape player, I have the cd player, the layout of the resistors is different than pictured, but they are labled the same (R464 and R465) by looking at them I could not tell that the solder had cracked, I HAD to use a magnifying glass to see the seperation! A little added solder and all is well!

Another note, for those of you with the CD/TAPE COMBO, your head unit has a power display board (had this in my Mountaineer) that board is prone to failure and this fix will not cure the problem, it is a seperate board that needs to be addressed, do a search and you will find your cure elsewhere.

Thanks again

Josh

 

Just happy it worked!

 

Ok, that might have sounded bad...I meant to say, I'm just happy to have helped!

 

I have been tooling alot on my truck ever since I have found this site. So befor I go to work 2maro Ill fix my radio. Thanks alot guys and f150 online.

 

Gotta love it! I had this problem for months. Pulled the radio, hit those terminals with some solder, cleaned all the plug-in contacts (I know, not the scientific method) and ba-da-bing! I know what station I am listening to again!

Thanks a ton. No, Two tons!

 

I know that this post is rather old but I did exactly what he said to do and now everything works as if new.

Thanks so much