I've got a 96 Blazer Lt, with stock Dalco radio/CD player. The power is intermittent, whether on the road, or with the engine off with the key in the Acc position. Does it with a CD, and it does it when the radio is off...the clock flashes once in a while.

Seems like something may be getting "hot"?, and something is telling it to shut down? It's really weird and very annoying...I see no pattern at all...very spontaneous. Taking a road trip tomorrow...we'll see how often it keeps this up. Is there some kind of fuse or something within the radio? It comes back on in a half second or so...never longer than that.

I'll be back on Sunday night to see all your suggestions...going to my mother's house...it's like going back in time...no internet, no cell phones, barely color TV!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Bill

 

About 80% of intermitant radio problems can be traced to cold solder joints on the connector on the back on the radio. The one that connects the harness to the motherboard of the radio. If you smack the radio and the shock gives or takes away power or one of the speakers this is usually the cause.

The thermal expansion cycles that the car goes through heat and cool the joints over and over. This cycling causes the dissimilar metals in solder joints (Lead/Tin on Copper) to expand and contract which sooner or later causes the joints to fail. Plus you have the added benifit of the vibration of the vehicle to make matters worse. This happens to all mass produced electronics or anything that was hot-air reflow or wave bath soldered.

The solution is to dissassemble the unit and resolder the connections on the connectors. When I do this I usually use a 1.8% silver bearing solder as it seems to hold up better in the desert.

 

What's odd about that, jarring it in any form, either from the road bumps, door slams, or just plain smacking it (which i hate to do, but would love to sometimes) has no effect on the radio whatsoever. Sitting in the garage, with the key on, engine off, produces the same results.

I just got back from a 600 mile trip this weekend, and I it was intermittent throughout the trip. Maybe not as much, but just as annoying anyway. I hate to start tearing that dash apart...but I may have to.

Has anyone ever monkeyed with that code thing you program to make the radio/CD not work if it's ever stolen from the vehicle? Seems kind of pointless to me, since the thing will be ripped out of my vehicle, and then it won't work for the thief. I didn't read too closely on that in the owner's manual, but will take a closer look.

Overall, am VERY happy with the thing...great trip, great ride. Bad bad mileage, though. It has NP3 code in the glove box. It's all time AWD, and the best I got was 18.4 MPG. I REALLY wish it was a pushbutton 4WD.

I'll try to get a coupla pics up soon!

 

Okay, now I think It's a problem WITHIN the radio. It'll flash off, then on, and the sound comes back up, but ONCE in a while, the whole display will go dark, but the radio stays on...BUT...you can't do anything...can't do volume, stations, turn it off...nothing! Gotta shut the key off for it so reset itself. Weirdest da*n thing I've ever seen!

Is there any hope for this Delco radio???

I can't be goin' out buyin' a new stereo for this thing...not right now. It's just a tad annoying! Ugh[&o]