Has 1996 2.0L ATX Plymouth Breeze, OEM radio (tape deck is fine)

Radio will not play (no sound), but tape plays fine. I assume that this is the antenna (no signal = no play), but that is only a hunch, and I do not see anything obvious around the antenna.

Fuses are fine. Radio and all connections look fine (pulled it out and looked at wiring). Antenna and antenna wires look fine.

I would appreciate any help on:

• Troubleshooting this - possibly providing advice on where else to look
• Confirming if this is an antenna issues (and if so, how to narrow it down and fix it)

 

You should be able to hear static as you change channels, and AM uses an internal rod antenna that won't be affected by an FM antenna failure. If you have a friend with a satellite radio or an ipod with fm transmitter, it should be strong enough locally to not need the antenna, also helping to eliminate failure points. Most CD players have come down enough in price, it might just be easier to replace it (unless you're really hooked on having that tape deck )

 

Ratsttam,

You wrote:
Thanks.

I guess, it is not the antenna, then. I don't want to replace the radio as it is not a size that I see in most cars, so I would not be able to move the radio if/when I abandon the car.

I will try the AM band.... Any other ideas?

 

From your description, and further testing, your radio has died. Not unheard of... The stratus (and most dodges and older gm's too) use a 1 1/2 din size radio. Most brackets will either add space around the radio, or add a cubby underneath, which is great for storing cd's or other random stuff. Very few radios are that 1.5 din size (pioneer has a couple, but they are more expensive, and frankly, lacking in features). With that, the radio will transfer nicely to a different car later. You could also check online or your local junkyard to see if there is a working OEM radio still available. It's most likely not worth it to have an audio shop or electronics shop try to fix the existing radio. Sometimes it's not worth it to "fix" something rather than replace the broken piece. Frankly the factory tape desk is one of those pieces, IMHO.