Radio only plays in park?? Help
#26
01-03-2006
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Merritt Island, FL
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use the two 7mm bolts above the HVAC dials to remove the whole bezel, it'll only take 10 seconds. Bailey, try this:
When the truck is in park (but the radio is working) give the dash a good solid THUMP on top of the radio. If that causes the radio to turn off, the problem is either the radio, or the harness directly behind the radio. Its possible that the plug is loose in the back of the radio, but its highly unlikely, since the power and the speaker wires are all in the same plug (so if its loose the radio should be turning on and off and acting generally posessed.) Its 99.999% certain that the problem is internal to the radio itself, so you'd be foolish to try to fix it yourself if you still have base warranty. If your dealerships are anything like the ones I service, I'd wait for it to be diagnosed, it would take me a total of about 30 seconds to bang on the dash, pull the radio out with the tools, write the part number to order, and declare it ready to roll. It might be another 20 minutes until the service writer bothers to tell you its ready, but you can remedy that by hanging out where you can see your truck (but don't hang around it, it makes us lowely techs nervous, and more likely to mess stuff up!) Tops you should spend an hour there. When the new one comes in, be smart and make sure you eject all your CDs yourself, on a really busy day I've forgotten to check and sent CD6s back to be rebuilt with 6 disks in 'em.. and its about 3 months before the discs come back!
When the truck is in park (but the radio is working) give the dash a good solid THUMP on top of the radio. If that causes the radio to turn off, the problem is either the radio, or the harness directly behind the radio. Its possible that the plug is loose in the back of the radio, but its highly unlikely, since the power and the speaker wires are all in the same plug (so if its loose the radio should be turning on and off and acting generally posessed.) Its 99.999% certain that the problem is internal to the radio itself, so you'd be foolish to try to fix it yourself if you still have base warranty. If your dealerships are anything like the ones I service, I'd wait for it to be diagnosed, it would take me a total of about 30 seconds to bang on the dash, pull the radio out with the tools, write the part number to order, and declare it ready to roll. It might be another 20 minutes until the service writer bothers to tell you its ready, but you can remedy that by hanging out where you can see your truck (but don't hang around it, it makes us lowely techs nervous, and more likely to mess stuff up!) Tops you should spend an hour there. When the new one comes in, be smart and make sure you eject all your CDs yourself, on a really busy day I've forgotten to check and sent CD6s back to be rebuilt with 6 disks in 'em.. and its about 3 months before the discs come back!
#27
01-03-2006
#28
01-03-2006
i did the hitting of the radio and threatning it under my breath...both of which didnt work.
Ill try hitting the dash tho, if that dosnt work ill prolly just take it in this weekend..after alon looks at it (i know he will insist...plus i know he wont mind since he hasnt had his truck to play w/for 5 months. he misses it)
thanx for all the help...its such a tease knowing itll work in park but not when im moving...its too quiet w/out the radio and now i can hear all the other random noises my truck makes.
Ill try hitting the dash tho, if that dosnt work ill prolly just take it in this weekend..after alon looks at it (i know he will insist...plus i know he wont mind since he hasnt had his truck to play w/for 5 months. he misses it)
thanx for all the help...its such a tease knowing itll work in park but not when im moving...its too quiet w/out the radio and now i can hear all the other random noises my truck makes.
#29
01-03-2006
#30
01-03-2006
#31
01-03-2006
Originally Posted by Trevelyn1015
all of our 2001+ rangers should have the speeed sensitive volume thing...
i think you hold down the volume/power til it shows up or soemthing... i can't remember, i don't fool with it...
i think you hold down the volume/power til it shows up or soemthing... i can't remember, i don't fool with it...
#32
01-03-2006
#33
01-03-2006
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Yeah, most don't. I swapped out my stock radio for a Sport-Trac radio that does have it, and I added a wire to make it work. The easy way to tell is, with the radio on (AM/FM, not CD) press and hold the on/off/vol ****/button for FIFTEEN SECONDS. If the display reads "SPEED VOL 0" then your radio has it, and all you need to do is splice in a wire from the VSS wire on the GEM module to the right pin on the unused connector on the back of your radio (I think N3ELZ's cardomain has a diagram.) If you hold the **** for 15 seconds and nothing happens, and you let go and the radio turns off, you DON'T have the speed-volume feature.
#34
01-04-2006
Originally Posted by Wowak
Yeah, most don't. I swapped out my stock radio for a Sport-Trac radio that does have it, and I added a wire to make it work. The easy way to tell is, with the radio on (AM/FM, not CD) press and hold the on/off/vol ****/button for FIFTEEN SECONDS. If the display reads "SPEED VOL 0" then your radio has it, and all you need to do is splice in a wire from the VSS wire on the GEM module to the right pin on the unused connector on the back of your radio (I think N3ELZ's cardomain has a diagram.) If you hold the **** for 15 seconds and nothing happens, and you let go and the radio turns off, you DON'T have the speed-volume feature.
To find out if your Ford radio is equipped with SSV, turn on the radio power by pressing the volume ****, release the ****, then press the volume **** again and hold it for 5 full seconds. If the display goes out on the second press of the volume ****, sorry, your head unit doesn't have the SSV feature.
But, if holding the **** for 5 seconds brings up the words "SPEED VOL" on the LED display, you have it! It can be adjusted for a volume correction of "0" (none) through "7" (max) using the same +/- control that adjusts the audio. Level "3" is a good first guess. You can tweak it in later to your liking.
Procedure:
So let's say that you have determined that your head unit is one of those that have the SSV feature. It still won't work because Rangers are not factory wired for Speed Sensitive Volume. But it is easy to add the wire.
Release the radio head unit from the bezel by using a set of the horseshoe-shaped tools designed for this purpose – these are available almost anywhere car audio supplies are sold. The discount store price is usually about $4.00. Slide the radio out until the rear connector becomes accessible. Unplug that 16-pin connector and the antenna lead to remove the head unit.
It will make access easier if the radio bezel is also removed. There are two bolts above the A/C control panel that can be removed with a 7mm socket. The bezel can then be pulled free from its retaining clips. Release all electrical connectors from the bezel including those for the lighter, the 12V power point, the foglamp switch (if equipped) and the 4x4 selector switch (if equipped).
The Gray/Black Vehicle Speed wire is accessible at the GEM module to the left of the radio cavity. This is where owners of 2003-back Rangers can tap the speed signal. This is the same wire that got tapped if you have done the Explorer/Mountaineer overhead console mod.
I tapped that Gray/Black wire and extended it to pin 9 of the 20-pin receptacle on the back of the head unit. That’s all there is to this mod! I suppose that you could wire the Gray/Black wire to pin 9 using a very small female pin insulated with shrink tubing to isolate it from the other pins. I used a 20-pin Explorer plug connector and pigtail on mine because I already had it on hand. If you have a 1996~2001 Explorer pigtail, the color code for the SSV wire there is also Gray/Black.
Reassemble and enjoy your new mod.
This feature was easy to add and very useful. No more constant fiddling with the volume as you get on the freeway or stop for lights.
NOTE 1: If you have a 2004~2005 truck, the GEM has been replaced by the Smart Junction Box in the passenger side kick panel. You will need to pick up the Vehicle Speed pulse from a gray/black wire either at the Smart Junction Box or at the instrument cluster harness.
NOTE 2: Owners of Ford OEM 6-disc indash head units should pay particular attention to the orientation of the head unit when reinstalling it. These HU’s are sensitive and should be plugged in to the power connector only when the unit is being held level.
#35
01-04-2006
#36
08-05-2010
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#39
05-17-2011
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I'll drag this problem out of the weeds again, and report my 2004 Ranger XLT 4x4 started doing this with the radio on the way home from work.
I only have sound in P and N. I've checked fuses, and the next step will be pulling the head unit when I get the tools.
Has anyone figured out what causes this problem and how to fix it?
I only have sound in P and N. I've checked fuses, and the next step will be pulling the head unit when I get the tools.
Has anyone figured out what causes this problem and how to fix it?
#40
06-23-2011
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#41
06-23-2011
#42
08-18-2011
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#43
11-29-2018
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My 2009 Ranger did the same thing . After searching the web I found a thread stating that if you pull out fuse #22 (Radio Start) it should take care of the problem. So this morning I did just that and to my surprise it worked. I took the fuse (5 amp) out and left it out Will let everyone know if this was a permanent fix. good luck to all the backyard mechanics out there and merry Christmas
#44
01-04-2020
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