The radio/cassette player in my 1996 Dodge Dakota has gone out, and it's making long trips miserable for me. The clock display has gone black, the tuner is completely kaput, and the cassette deck doesn't function, either. They all went out within a few weeks of each other. I tried changing the fuse underneath the steering column, but that didn't help anything. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

it sounds like the radio is old and tired, its electronics, they tend to die after so long so i would say just replace it with a better sounding aftermarket deck.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, man. I was still hoping to find a quick/cheap fix, but perhaps a new radio is in order. How long till Christmas?...

 

lol oh way too long, i was asking the same thing when my brake hose popped this morning. meh, mechanic is fixing it for free cuz it was his fault, so i guess my christmas from him is today lol. you might be able to get the old deck to work, but it would require you taking the deck out and checking over wires. its never fun! but if thats what you wanna do, you can remove the 10 screws (2 are hidden under the kick panel below the steering colomn which is held on by 2 screws also) holding the black (or wood grain) panel from the dash, then take out the radio (2 screws) and play with wires trying to get it to work

OH! and welcome to the forum!

 

Did you check the other fuse in the PDC under the hood? I lost my radio and interior lights last year and I had to replace both fuses. One's a 15amp and the other is I think a 4amp.

 

There is a 5AMP fuse in the PDC (the black box on the drivers side of the engine compartment). It's labeled as the "5 AMP IGN. OFF DRAW" If that's blown, the radio won't work at all.

 

Ya check the fuse under the hood too. If it's good, buy a new unit. $30 from walmart. Very easy to install. Wiring diagrams in the FAQ to help.

 

from the way it sounds it is the radio since it did not all just shut off at once. i got a stock one that was working good somehere it you want it