I have a 97 XJ Country with a stock radio. This morning -- the FM reception stopped working. It is so bad, that the search function will scroll through all of the channels without stopping.

I searched and found some info on an antenna problem in 96 models behind the passenger kickplate. I will look at that this afternoon when I get home. The problem with that theory however is that AM works fine. It is crystal clear. I could not find any previous threads with this problem.

Also, I can not think of any unusual events. I have not been wheeling, no car was, no unusual causes.

Could it be a bad head unit? Do the AM and FM bands use the same antenna on the passenger side or does FM use another antenna (in the window?).

Any help?

i actually had a similar problem with mine when i first bought it
i could get am but no fm - i also had the stock radio

my theory on why you are not getting fm is:
the antenna has come loose

to check - go on you passenger side and look for a long metal piece like in the picture
its only held there by pressure and a spring

mine had came loose somehow and all i had to do was push it back in and it was able to get clear am reception and better fm

i had other issues too so i ended up needed to replace my radio and then bypass the factory amplifier
once i did that i noticed i was still static-y looked down and realized i had knocked my antenna loose again, pushed it back in nice and tight and havent had a problem since.

i believe the reason why you get am and not fm is because am signal is stronger than fm which is why you can hear a am station from states away but fm only within a few cities

but dont quote me on that lol

other than the antenna coming loose - my only other guess would be - if your xj came with a factory amp (would have to check behind the dash and your copy of a repair manual) that it might have gone bad or your stock head unit is no longer working properly
again, once i hooked my radio up to the orginal connectors nothing worked cause of the stock amp that was built into mine
i bypassed it and it started working - so for grins i hooked up the orginal and it worked too, better than before, but poorly so i swaped out for my unit i have now. nice to have a cd player...

i can tell you that both am and fm is received on the same antenna

You nailed it Doc, that's the same problem I had with my radio. My piece had become separated and the spring forced the cable out. I tossed the spring, plugged the cable back together, and zip-tied it tight. It's worked fine for months now.

There ya go
Glad I could help

Sorry for the long delay, but I tried this over the weekend and was only able to get internet access now. I found exactly what you posted in the pic. I disconnected and reconnected several times. It does not help. I took out the head unit and the antenna seemed connected there. The only thing I have not checked is the connection to the antenna inside the body panel. Don't know how to do that.

Still -- I am wondering how it could be the antenna when the AM is working great?

well, this isnt an exact science for me.
Just thoughtful insight..

as stated before - The only other 2 things I could think of, is a bad head unit or a bad stock amplifier.
if your xj came with a factory amp (would have to check behind the dash and your copy of a repair manual) that it might have gone bad or your stock head unit is no longer working properly

again, once i hooked my radio up to the orginal connectors nothing worked cause of the stock amp that was built into mine

i bypassed it and it started working - so for grins i hooked up the orginal and it worked too, better than before, but poorly so i swaped out for my unit i have now. nice to have a cd player...

sorry I couldnt be of more service