Radio Reception Problems
 

How's it go everyone? I recently bought a 1996 Jeep Cherokee, and everything was working great in it, and still does. Only problem is the radio. When I bought it, all the stations were coming in loud and clear, then my girlfriend was tinkering with the radio settings, and everything just went silent. I'm wondering if it's the deck it self, or I'm starting to think it's the connection to the antenna in the Pass Side Kick Panel.

The deck is a Kenwood KDC-MP438U, the CD Player and everything works on it, and it's scanning the stations correctly. But like I've said, only picking up a few when it picked up every single one just before my lady tinkered with it.

Can anybody help me out. Pictures would be nice to, I'm not all that technically competent.

Thanks in advance Cherokee Forum.

I would check that connection you mentioned. And then I would pull the receiver out and check your antenna plug in the back. It may have come loose or fell out.

It was the connection under the Pass Kick Panel. It was almost non exsistent. There was plug, and around it was a spring and some strange plastic cap. I tried to reconnect it with everything intact. But eventually just ripped the spring off, and the plastic cap, and plugged the connection back in. Real easy fix, and now I have every radio station again, crystal clear.

I love happy endings. No matter how big or small :thumbsup:

:rockon: Rides without tunes suck!!!!!!!

Stupid question but is this connection in the passenger seat A. under the dash or B. Under the trim that is on the right hand side?

I feel the pain of having a radio that's kaput ! The plan here is a new Pioneer !https://www.cherokeeforum.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

I was lucky to find this thread! I had the same problem with my '95. With both an aftermarket radio or a factory radio, I could only pickup a fuzzy Jesus station. Saw the mention of the plug behind the passenger kick panel and ran outside with a screw driver and my phone. Found the same plug with the same spring. Removed the spring, plugged it back in and wrapped some electrical tape around it for good measure. Tested the radio and have perfect reception.

What it looked like was there was a metal outer shell on one side, that slid over a shell on the inner side. There were dimples that would hold it together. The spring may have been to ensure shield continuity, but when the outer shell split, the spring just popped the connection apart. My only problem with that theory is the plastic bit.

B, trim on the right hand side.

That, and on the back of your radio. Either one can come loose and fall out.


And remember, there are no stupid questions! Only stupid people! :icon_cheesygrin:


Just kidding! Seriously, it's NOT a stupid question. Check a bunch of different cars and you'll find that same connector in both locations. Some models put it one place, some put it another place.

Generally if the one in the back of the radio is still plugged in by the time you shove the radio and all the wiring back in place, it will stay plugged in. This one under the kick panel has a spring to pop it apart when the connector fails.

I had that connector fail years ago. Put it back together, and taped it. That held for awhile, but eventually worked its way apart again. My permanent cheap fix was to take the smallest stainless steel hose clamp I could find and tighten that sucker down on the outer sleeve to hold the connector together. Hasn't come apart again in the 15-20 years since I did that.

The hose clamp fix was a good one !!https://www.cherokeeforum.com/images/icons/icon10.gif
I wasn't aware of a connection behind the kick panel. Maybe that's what's wrong with mine !


EDIT : Yup, I see a drawing of that connector in the service manual ! When everything else fails, "look in the book" !

Generally, yes, but I've seen a few of them come loose.

The really annoying thing is when they gradually work their way out, but don't fall completely out. Your reception gradually degrades, so you don't notice it at first.

I've found the only really useful thing off road is the radio, CD's just take to much of a beating to work well and my MP3 hooked to my phone keeps falling in the floor. The radio just keeps on working as long as your in range of a station for me that's about 40% of the time.

I've gone through a couple radios in the past ten years, as features improve. I used to listen to XM satellite a lot, but don't care for it anymore since the Sirius/XM merger. Now I use a small 16GB flash drive in the USB slot. So far it has about 700+ songs on it, mostly late 50s, 60s, 70s & early 80s country and pop. Put it on random play and it'll last coast to coast with nary a repeat. Most songs can be loaded off the net anymore (YouTube and such) and converted to MP3 if you have the software to do it. Keeps this old man feeling a little younger to hear the Fleetwoods every now and then :grin:.