Strange radio issues

[Gregg Benedict]

The radio in my '68 Imperial is acting strange. It will turn on and after 5-6 minutes or so, will quickly fade out, hearing no sound. Sometimes turning it off and waiting a bit will get it to turn back on, only to do the same thing again. Before that during the summer, I noticed that the radio at times would completely fade out while coming to a stop, then return to normal when moving again. Any idea what might be causing this?

 

[Big_John]

My best advice is to not waste too much time or any money on repair.

Send it to Tayman Electrical stereo solutions for collector cars and have it converted to new internals. It's a little pricey, but probably in line with repair prices. We've had a few guys have him do the conversion and are really happy with it.

 

[CBODY67]

Might be something in there that is having a time/heat/voltage-related issue, due to its age? Something which just started or might be related to the cooler season now starting? AM, AM/FM search tuner, or AM/FM Multiplex, or 8-Track tape? Tayman can add some upgrades for Bluetooth and such, if desired.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[Gregg Benedict]

The radio is an AM/FM Multiplex with reverberator. It also has the factory optional 8-track player mounted underneath the dash. The 8-track player works as it should.

 

[Trace 300 Hurst]

My best advice is to not waste too much time or any money on repair.

Just find the bad solder joint and resolder it.....or the bad resistor or the bad transistor or the bad capacitor. No problem at all!!

 

[1970FuryConv]

Before that during the summer, I noticed that the radio at times would completely fade out while coming to a stop, then return to normal when moving again. Any idea what might be causing this?

What is idle rpm voltage? Could a bad voltage regulator be causing the issue?
1968 is a mechanical voltage regulator year. Mechanical voltage regulators are notorious for causing problems. I've also heard mixed reviews on replacement electronic single-wire look-alike regulators.

 

[CBODY67]

(Reverb on a factory 5-speaker stereo?? Search-tune AM/FM were not stereo, but could have a rear speaker, IIRC.)

 

[Gregg Benedict]

What is idle rpm voltage? Could a bad voltage regulator be causing the issue?
1968 is a mechanical voltage regulator year. Mechanical voltage regulators are notorious for causing problems. I've also heard mixed reviews on replacement electronic single-wire look-alike regulators.[/QUOTE

It has been converted years ago to an electronic 70's style voltage regulator.

 

[Gregg Benedict]

(Reverb on a factory 5-speaker stereo?? Search-tune AM/FM were not stereo, but could have a rear speaker, IIRC.)

It is not search tune AM/FM, but it does have the reverberator and the rear speaker.

 

[Gregg Benedict]

 

[thethee]

Just find the bad solder joint and resolder it.....or the bad resistor or the bad transistor or the bad capacitor. No problem at all!!



View attachment 502086

View attachment 502085

Well it's already broken and if you send it out it shouldn't really matter if it's "more broken" so why not give it a whirl?

 

[Gregg Benedict]

I guess I was hoping is was something else besides the radio...

 

[Trace 300 Hurst]

My best advice is to not waste too much time or any money on repair.

I guess I was hoping is was something else besides the radio...

I re-read your symptoms, and it sounds like it could be a "voltage starvation" problem as you seem to have suspected in your original post. And voltage starvation in our old cars is typically a bad connection somewhere, either inside or outside the radio. Bad connection gets too warm....voltage drops below what's needed, yada. At idle, our voltage tends to dip, further complicating the problem.

So, since we can assume that finding the problem inside the radio is probably impossible, it would be worth it to look a the power going to it right up to the final connector. For that matter, removing it from the car and bench testing would immediately tell you which problem you have. But beware! Running a radio without speakers will KILL it. Kill it. There is probably a sticker on the radio that warns of that. When I was troubleshooting my radio (didn't work at all, long story), I had it hooked to the speakers with a "jumper cable" from the bench to the nearby car and a 12V power supply feeding the radio good clean juice. Or get a pair of cheapo speakers from Walmart or a junkyard, etc.

Good luck with it.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

For troubleshooting, you could simply hook a voltmeter into the positive feed for the radio and keep an eye on the voltage when it fades out.

Most likely the problem is in the radio with the Germanium transitors. That type of transistor is no longer available and you can't simply substitute a modern silicon transistor into the circuit.

Jeff

 

[Big_John]

Before conversion:

After:

 

[3175375]

Before conversion:

View attachment 502205

After:

View attachment 502206

My concern about ‘modern’ conversions is the signal to noise ratio and abilities to pick up a radio station are poor compared to old radios.
Have those that have Tayman’s products experienced this?

 

[Big_John]

My concern about ‘modern’ conversions is the signal to noise ratio and abilities to pick up a radio station are poor compared to old radios.
Have those that have Tayman’s products experienced this?

I gave up on commercial radio after spending so much time in the car for work, so I can't really address this as well as others that have used the Aurora conversion. I use my Satellite radio all the time and the conversion works out great.

What little I have listened to the am and fm bands, the reception and sound seem good.

I did find some specs for you though.

FMR AM/FM radio | Aurora Design

BTW, I knew the design was developed in the USA, but I figured it went overseas when production ramped up. In researching this, I'm glad to see that this is built in the USA!

 

[Lefty71]

Please tell me this is a prototype!! lol

 

[Trace 300 Hurst]

Please tell me this is a prototype!! lol

Nope, it's the AM/FM from my 70 Hurst. Damn thing weighs at least 8 pounds, and everything on it is sharp as hell when you're removing it from the dash, ESPECIALLY the heatsink on the back of it. Awful....

 

[Lefty71]

Nope, it's the AM/FM from my 70 Hurst.

Well, the guy who built those for Chrysler Co earned his 30 year pin, I'd say lol.