My stock CD6 is messed up. Before I go ripping it apart, anyone got a suggestion for this? I can't load, unload, change, or play CD's. It just says "CD ERROR" on the display and reverts back to the radio.

 

that is what happened to mine, it actually ruined a CD by scratching it. so i puleld it out and replaced it with an aftermarket unit.

 

Hold the EJECT button down. I found it worked on mine. Double check the manual (dumb sounding I know, but just in case).

 

mine crapped out on me last year and i put the stock single disk mp3/cassette player in mine from my roommate's ranger... ask wowak he is a expert on ford audio systems

 

mine did this too when it was under warrantee and they just gave me a new one...now its sitting in my room collecting dust while i bump my alpine h/u

 

Warrentee is long gone. I guess I'll have to take it out and see what is jamming it up. I suspect one of my CD's is stuck or something.

 

Its probably nothing you did wrong, but its probably toast anyway. 1 in maybe 30 "CD ERROR" CD6s will reset and work like nothing happened if you unplug it and reconnect it, but most of the time theres an internal failure in the changer mechanism.

 

Well, I wondered if I was the only one that had that problem. I've had a number of CD's get scratched up (eliminates the last song or 2) from that happening. I did find out that these radio's are notorious for failing badly from a local factory radio fixit shop. In fact, my lighting is slowly going out and I've had the radio portion repaired twice. It's still holding up, but I wonder when it's going to bite the dust.

Do I understand that you can replace the factory radios for the Rangers like these with the same ones found in Taurus'? Can the faceplate be exchanged?

 

mine does it everynow and then but it is still working thank god

 

my dads did the exact same thing. turned out he put 2 cds in at the same time

 

Uh, no Taurus ever came with a Radio similar to a Ranger. They went straight from the old single din to the "Football" radio/HVAC conglomerate nightmare thing.

HOWEVER: Nearly any radio from a (give or take a few years) 98+ Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Windstar, or Sport Trac (minus the Adrenalin) will be a direct swap, and 96(?)-2000 Explorers as well. Most Radios from those cars that have this connector and side clips (not mounting posts) should work:



Radios that *SHOULD* work (note: if they don't have the two holes on either side of the face, they're not a direct swap, although they'll probably work when plugged in:)





Radios that plain won't work include anything from a Taurus, Focus, Escort, Mustang, or obviously any of the new designs, 05+ F150, 500, Freestar, Freestyle, 06+ Explorer, Fusion, etc. OBviously there are some exceptions, and I'm not 100% sure what models changed radios in what years, so ~97 is a good estimate, not a hard rule. Buy at your own risk, or at least PM me an auction or part number and I'll try to tell you if it will work.



The Dual Medias (single CD plus cassette deck) have an inherent design flaw - the LCD display is held in place ONLY by the pins that connect it to the circuit board. Under the stress of constant vibration (esp. in Rangers and Explorers, with firmer suspension, and higher probability of off-roading) the pins break and the display goes dark. Ironically, taking the radio out with the service tools USUALLY will jostle them around enough that the display comes back on, so despite my warning that it will fail again in short order, about half of the people who I see with the problem pass on a replacement because "hell, its working now, thats good enough for me!" Granted, our replacements DON'T address the inherent flaw, because Ford won't admit that there is one. Apparently there are a few shops that will repair the boards for a smaller fee than the cost of a replacement, but thats still gambling.

I wouldn't say the CD6 has a chronic problem, but that basic design has been the workhorse of the Ford lineup for about 8 years now.. there are ALOT of them out there, existing under all kinds of conditions. They won't tolerate CDs with paper labels, or someone forcing the disk in before its ready to load. They'll choke on thicker "combo" CD/DVDs (I had one of those today, as well as one jammed with a paper label,) and they generally don't stand up well to the dust and particle buildup that is inevitable in a "smoker's" car. And like every other fine mechanical/electrical product, EVERYTHING breaks, its just a matter of when. Mine hasn't, but that might be because I hardly listen to CDs since I got XM. I imagine if you listen to NOTHING BUT CDs, every time you drive, and are constantly loading and ejecting disks, you're going to have a failure sooner. And although the faceplates look the same, Ford is on at least the FOURTH complete redesign of the mechanism.

The future bodes poorly for Ford, though, the contract was either sold or sublet from Visteon to Delphi (former GM brand, declared bankrupcy earlier this year, etc.) who, in addition to building their own junk, is subleting some of the construction work out to SANYO (maker of fine cheapass alarm clocks and toasters everywhere) in Taiwan. I love my Visteon CD6, but if for some reason I had to move up to an 07 Ranger, I'd throw the radio either on eBay or straight in the garbage and go aftermarket.. the new designs are JUNK. (I can't complain, though, it will keep me in work for a LONG time.)

 

I see that alot. Moral of the story: NEVER, EVER, force the CD in. You will be very lucky if you don't break the player.

 

I'm hoping to tackle this thing over the weekend if not this evening. The last few times I wanted to eject a CD, the door would open but it was getting stuck. I had to poke it with a knife for it to come out. I suspect something is jammed up.

 

That usually happens if you have a CD that is too thick, either due to a paper label, an "antiscratch ring," or being a combo CD/DVD, or two-sided CD.

 

Wowak, thanx man!! Now I got a better idea what to look for in the parts yards.

 

Fixed it. I think a CD must have just been dislodged and stuck. Ready for this. Step-by-step

1. Unplug and remove stereo from dash
2. Shake, rattle, and roll the device. Hear things moving inside it.
3. Re-install, enjoy music.

 

90% of the time unplugging it for about 30 seconds will reset it, and it will reindex, IF its just a simple jam. You don't want to violently shake the unit, thats more likely to damage it than fix it. Keep it level, and shake it gently back and forth and front to back, if the CD is out of the tray that will likely pop it back in. Its fairly crucial to adress this sort of problem quickly, when you ignore it for a long time and/or keep trying to eject/load it, its alot more likely for the jam to damage the mechanism or strip the plastic gears. I'm glad you got lucky. Its NOT usually a simple jam.. about 90% of the CD6s I work on have an internal failure that no amount of shaking will ever fix.

BTW, if anyone ever gets a CD stuck while ejecting, (i.e. the door opens and the CD moves forward about 5mm) its likely too thick.. try to pull it out with tweezers. If you get that right away it probably won't damage the unit (but don't use that CD in there anymore!) If you're worried about scratching your CD: CD=$20, CD6=$400.

 

No sooner that I post my CD player is doing ok--it died. No sound, but all the CD's came out just fine and no scarring. Now I'll look for a CD replacement---radio still works fine. And the display is dead.