Pontiac Solstice Forum banner

Radio Gremlin?

3K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  mike.robinmc 
#1 ·
Bought a 2007 GXP in 2017 when it had about 18,500 on it. It is now up to about 24,500. In the two years I've owned it's radio has started to act up... jumping stations for no apparent reason... then turning off completely... or staying on but the screen just goes blank. It is the original radio... stock model, I believe. Is this a common issue? Anyone else experience this? Am I just better off replacing the radio with something from Best Buy? Since I've had the car, I have had one other minor issue else (small piece from the canopy keeps falling off) but know, with a 11 year-old car, it will need to be fixed, here an there. Next up are new tires (it still has the original tires... tread is fine, but my guess is that they need to be replace for safety, sake)... or maybe a radio.

Any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated.
 
#2 ·
get a can of 'air' , and blow it into the aux input hole on the lower right side of the radio.
People have reported fuzz in that hole causing goofy things.

... might as well spray the air into the button crevices on the steering wheel too...
 
#3 ·
take the radio out, remove the front plate from the radio, reseat. put the radio back in it should work fine after. I had the same issues with mine and reseating the face plate fixed the issues
 
#4 ·
How old it your battery? Batteries cause a lot of issues on these cars when they start to get a bit weak...and radio issues a big problem.
 
#5 ·
I have a 2006 Solstice with 33,000 miles and my radio does the same thing, but only during hot weather. I just assumed it was over heating. During cooler weather I haven't had an issue. I will take the advice of blowing, and cleaning the radio. Thanks for the recommendation.
 
#6 ·
A thought on why blowing-out may help: Contamination will have greater effect when it is damp, and therefore more conductive. Cold weather tends to be dry, while hot weather tends to be humid, except of course in the desert, where it is just hot.
 
#7 ·
Yes, I have had the same problem with my car. Dealer replaced radio twice. Actually think the problem is the connection between the round knob and internal parts.

Would be interested if you purchase a new radio. I often consider getting a backup camera. Concerned that the dash or steering wheel lights might be harmed in the process.

Thanks
Darlene
 
#8 ·
Interesting! I have had my '08 for a little more than a year now and have had the same issue a couple of times. I will try the compressed air first. The problem can take a month or more to surface so it could take a while to know if it works.
 
#9 ·
If I plug a USB charger into the cigarette lighter, even if nothing is plugged into said charger, I lose NPR (90.1 FM locally).

Shrug.
 
#11 ·
Silence. If I remove the charger, everything goes back to normal. And, it's only for that radio station. :/
 
#12 · (Edited)
I just stumbled across this in my owner's manual:

You may experience frequency interference and static during normal radio reception if items such as cellphone chargers, vehicle convenience accessories, and external electronic devices are plugged into the accessory power outlet. If there is interference or static, unplug the item from the accessory power outlet.
On a related note, if I am charging my phone and lay it in the passenger seat of my Equinox it will enable the airbag and the passenger seat belt warning will sound.

Switching power supplies do generate some high-frequency emissions. I guess that yours is at 90.1 Mhz.
 
#13 ·
...it will activate the airbag and the passenger seat belt warning will sound...
For some reason, I misread that as indicating that charging your phone would activate the airbag. That would be interesting.
 
#16 ·
Hi Folks,
I am an electronics tech by trade and one of my jobs from about 1980 to 2000 was repairing consumer electronics, including car stereos (lots of car stereos... GM, Ford, and aftermarket). I have seem many times intermittent problems such as this would end up being some poor solder connections in the unit itself. The radio would have to be pulled from the car and opened up on "the bench" to repair. Sometimes the connections are a little hard to see especially if there is conformal coating (similar to a clear coat to help ward off issues from condensation) on the circuit board. Keep in mind with the hair line crack on the solder connection, the inner part of the connection will contract/expand at a different rate than the outer part of the connection due to different amounts of solder and copper in that area of the board. This results in a poor connection which can randomly work fine when cold and cuts out when warm (of course the opposite can occur too... bad when cold, good when hot).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top