Hi everyone! I'm new here and would appreciate some help with my problem. A little history: a couple of years ago my '95 Dakota began having problems shifting into OD. It took a while, but I learned that the problem was the ECM; a circuit was grounding out. For various reasons I did not replace the ECM for almost another year. Before I replaced the ECM other problems popped up - the cruise quit working and the radio died. Replacing the ECM did not fix the radio because the ECM on this model does not control the radio. We replaced the dead radio with a junk-yard Dakota original and it worked fine until about 3 months ago. Now, it is also dead. I checked the under dash fuse and the fuse in the engine compartment, they appear to be okay. Any thoughts on why my Dakota kills radios? Thanks for your help!

 

I've never seen the factory radios that come in these trucks... mine had an aftermarket radio and I replaced it with another aftermarket radio when I got the truck. But is there a fuse in the back of the radio like there is in an aftermarket radio?

Also, on an unrelated note, I see you're from NC. We have a NC DF member club on here and we're planning a trip to Uwharrie in April if you're interested!

 

It could just be that the junk-yard radio was, itself, on the way out.
You can check the wiring, to make sure your getting ground and power where it should be. See https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...ml#post2008954

But after 3-months, I doubt it's anything but a bad radio.

And no, the stock radios did not have a fuse on the radio itself (at least the stock radio from my Dakota, which had a cassette player).

 

Thanks for the help! I thought swapping out the old radio\stereo for a new one (found brand new factory units on eBay) would be beyond my ability. However, following instructions from 95 318SLT, I did it! Thanks much!