I think the Delco in my '96 Roady is Dying

So after sitting unused since last December (when the Roady met Bambi) I drove the Roadmaster quite a bit this weekend, and even put it in the local Cars and Coffee meet which was fun!

The car ran and drove just fine, but I am still having a radio issue.   I had this radio modified a year ago to add an Ipod plug , and I had all the bulbs replaced.   It’s worked great since then, both the CD and Cassette work, but since bringing the car back to life in the past few weeks, the radio has developed an issue.   I thought it was an external short, but now I’m thinking the radio is just going bad…it IS 20-years old.   The person that did the radio work is no longer around, so I’m kinda stuck here.   I guess it’s possible the Ipod mod has caused the issue, or it could just be the age of the radio.

So here is what it does…curious if anyone else has had this issue, and it’s entertaining anyway.   You’re driving along, everything is fine, and all the sudden you’ll hear the TONE change.   For instance, you have it set to MANUAL, and it will switch to C/W or POP on its own!    When this happens, the volume is then locked, turning the volume knob does nothing, and the Presets are locked too.    Even wilder, pressing the TONE button does nothing, but if you press the SEEK button, that changes the TONE settings!   WHOA!   Beyond that, if you mess with it too much, sometimes the radio will totally shut off and them come right back on, at which point the Clock loses its memory and displays 1am.   Ha!     Also when this happens, while it is happening, the display on the climate control also goes out, but the a/c keeps working.   It’s my understanding the Dimmer feature for the climate control runs through the radio….so I think something in the radio is shorting out and causing this issue too.

If you press the radio volume knob to shut the radio off, wait a couple seconds, and then turn the radio on again, it’s fine then!   Ha!  On Friday I picked the car up from the painter and drove all over and the radio worked perfectly.   Yesterday it worked fine in the morning, but in the afternoon it acted up 2-3 times when I ran out to get the kids and I dinner.   Crazy stuff!

SO now I’m thinking I’ll need to hit the yards next weekend and cross my fingers that I can find another good radio.  They are still pretty common in the yards, and cheap.   I know the CD and Cassette in this goofy one are still good, so will save it for parts I guess.  

I’ve thought about going aftermarket, and it would be nice to have modern USB plugs and Sirius in this car.   I put a super-nice double-DIN touch-screen Pioneer in my wife’s Trailblazer last year, and we’ve really enjoyed it, but I kind of like the “correct” look of the large-screen Delco in this car.   I’ve frankly used the Ipod plug once, and it sounded hollow, so losing that will not be a big loss to me.  Besides, I hated that when I went aftermarket on my Custom Cruiser that the climate control no-longer dimmed at night.   Little things like that bother me.  And if I ever come across some GOOD steering wheel radio controls, I’d still love to do that mod, with the stock-style radio.    

I actually LIKE the stock stereo.   The huge readout, an actual volume knob, and nice big buttons.  And with the Concert Sound speakers in the front doors and nice 6X9’s I added in the back, it sounds really good.   Again, guess it’s time to go Yarding.

The fun never ends!

-Mike

I have the one I took out of my wagon. I bought it refurbished from a place in TX a few years ago...but went with an aftermarket double din when the CD player started to act funny.

Works fine otherwise...you could swap out your CD player and boom.

Let me know. Just pay shipping.

Chris

brokecello wrote:

I have the one I took out of my wagon.  I bought it refurbished from a place in TX a few years ago...but went with an aftermarket double din when the CD player started to act funny.  

Works fine otherwise...you could swap out your CD player and boom.  

Let me know. Just pay shipping.  

    Chris

THANKS! Will PM you.

Does the new radio say New Jersey on it? Looks sharp but why would the Germans want to name a radio that? Springsteen fans?

-Mike

Just curious, with the new radio does your Climate Control dim with the headlights? Mine didn't with the Alpine in the Custom Cruiser, but that car was a '92. Wonder if the '96 Buick is wired differently.

-Mike

81X11 wrote:

Just curious, with the new radio does your Climate Control dim with the headlights?   Mine didn't with the Alpine in the Custom Cruiser, but that car was a '92.   Wonder if the '96 Buick is wired differently.

-Mike

It does not....but I wonder if someone figured out a way around that in the past. Another reason I hated aftermarket radios in my roadmasters / OCC.

BUT, I use the bluetooth and USB plug a ton and really love streaming tunes from my iPhone. It was well worth the cost of a bright climate control at night (not that bad on the LT1s).

brokecello wrote:

81X11 wrote:

Just curious, with the new radio does your Climate Control dim with the headlights?   Mine didn't with the Alpine in the Custom Cruiser, but that car was a '92.   Wonder if the '96 Buick is wired differently.

-Mike

It does not....but I wonder if someone figured out a way around that in the past.  Another reason I hated aftermarket radios in my roadmasters / OCC.

BUT, I use the bluetooth and USB plug a ton and really love streaming tunes from my iPhone.  It was well worth the cost of a bright climate control at night (not that bad on the LT1s).  

Well I like your new radio a lot. Large volume knob and big buttons. Still looks "correct" for the car.

brokecello wrote:

It does not....but I wonder if someone figured out a way around that in the past.  

Yes. SSnow on ISSF built a protype PWM unit that allowed the CC to dim properly with the aftermarket radio. He was supposed to build a bunch, but more or less fell off the map. The guy is in Quebec City, and I've been asking him about it on and off for a few years. I'll try again this fall as I'll living relatively close to his place.

jasonlachapelle wrote:

brokecello wrote:

It does not....but I wonder if someone figured out a way around that in the past.  

Yes.  SSnow on ISSF built a protype PWM unit that allowed the CC to dim properly with the aftermarket radio.  He was supposed to build a bunch, but more or less fell off the map.   The guy is in Quebec City, and I've been asking him about it on and off for a few years.  I'll try again this fall as I'll living relatively close to his place.

Interesting. That's really the main holdback from me going to something like Chris has.

-Mike

sucks your radio is on its way out. The one in the caprice died a few months ago. I had never even heard (no pun intended) of a stock radio failing before that.

jasonlachapelle wrote:

sucks your radio is on its way out.  The one in the caprice died a few months ago. I had never even heard (no pun intended) of a stock radio failing before that.

I had to replace the one in my '96 Bonneville twice because the volume went wacky. You could turn it just a bit and nearly blow the speakers out. Nice work Delco....

On a hopeful note, I located a replacement OEM Delco that was taken out from a 1998 Regal GS when it was new, so hopefully it's still good after sitting in a box all these years.

It's a Monsoon unit (fan-cy!)....but it LOOKS just like what I have now, with the exception of saying Monsoon on the cassette door. Will update how/if it works when I install it this weekend!

-Mike

My friend Patrick from the 3800SC group came to the rescue with a Buick Monsoon Stereo unit. This stereo was removed from a Regal GS for an aftermarket unit right after the car was purchased in 2000. It still looks brand new, as close to NOS as I think I'd ever find! Installed tonight and it works great! Car Folks are the Best!! Nighttime pics so sorry for the poor quality/glare, but you get the idea!







I just took about a 20-min drive and everything worked great. No odd issues with the radio, played my Tom Petty Full Moon Fever CD and my Jackson Brown The Pretender cassette just fine too! Score!

Night All!

-Mike

81X11 wrote:

My friend Patrick from the 3800SC group came to the rescue with a Buick Monsoon Stereo unit. This stereo was removed from a Regal GS for an aftermarket unit right after the car was purchased in 2000. It still looks brand new, as close to NOS as I think I'd ever find! Installed tonight and it works great! Car Folks are the Best!! Nighttime pics so sorry for the poor quality/glare, but you get the idea!







I just took about a 20-min drive and everything worked great.   No odd issues with the radio, played my Tom Petty Full Moon Fever CD and my Jackson Brown The Pretender cassette just fine too!  Score!

Night All!

-Mike

Monsoon stereos are great! Also, quick question, where did you get that dash cluster at? I really like that it has a tachometer unlike the stock cluster that came on these cars.

https://gmlongroof.4umer.com/t5300-z28-gauges-with-prndl-just-hit-the-front-porch?highlight=hit+the+porch

Cluster info here!

Looks great,Mike. Too bad there is no way to use one of those Berlinetta pods.

Andebe wrote:

Looks great,Mike. Too bad there is no way to use one of those Berlinetta pods.

Hahahahahaha!!

Monsoon looks great.

I'm sure there's a way to use the Berlinetta Pods, just going to be very complicated.

stewzer55 wrote:

Monsoon looks great.

I'm sure there's a way to use the Berlinetta Pods, just going to be very complicated.

If it doesn't fit, force it. If it breaks, then it needed to be replaced anyway....

-Mike

Nice! Also, the TBI / metal inserts on the pedals are a nice touch. I don't know why they went cheap on the LT1 redesign....

brokecello wrote:

Nice! Also, the TBI / metal inserts on the pedals are a nice touch.  I don't know why they went cheap on the LT1 redesign....

Got those off an '85 LeSabre. Super easy mod, and yes it looks classier than plain black. It's the little things!

-Mike

That Monsoon Stereo I got lasted one month....that's one...month. Dammit.

It still works but the left rear speaker just pops when I turn on the radio or change the stations. It's not the speaker either...I swapped them left to right and still no left rear channel with either speaker. Speakers are fine.

I wonder if running the Monsoon in the '96 Roadmaster was not a good idea after all? I know in Regals with the Monsoon there is another external amp in the trunk I think, but the radio seemed to work fine in my wagon as it was. I have Pioneer 6/9's in the rear and the stock Concert Sound speakers in the front doors.

So on the hunt for another radio....again.

-Mike

Why not rebuild it?

Andebe wrote:

Why not rebuild it?

I'm not that talented... I have re-soldered bulbs in them and replaced a CD assembly, but as to why one channel died...I have no idea how to fix that.

There are few places that go thru them,and even do some upgrades.