Radio problems
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 31
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From: Longmont, CO
Radio problems
I have 1999 f250 power stroke and Ive been having some issues with the radio wiring. A couple of months ago my radio cut out and i discovered that the inline fuse holder had melted. I installed a new one on the stock wire and the radio would not work. I then tested the the wire with a multimeter and with the key in any position the wire gets nothing, I've tried multiple grounds and still nothing. Ive been using a fuse tap from the fuse for the radio and ran a wire up to the radio but it does not remember what state the radio was on when you turn the truck off then back on but it does power the radio. I was wondering if anyone has a similar experience or if anyone knows where i can get power for my radio that will give it stock attributes again it would be much appreciated.
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 31
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From: Longmont, CO
i appreciate the suggestion as i hadnt thought of that yet but my cigarette lighter is on an always on circuit and my powerpoint doesnt work at all. Now that i think about it probably for the same reason as the radio. Does anyone know where this power wire runs to? It is impossible to follow without pulling the dash.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 214
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From: North Carolina
I am not 100% sure where it would trace back too...my first guess would be that it would have to run through fuse box at some point...if you haven't checked there yet i would check all of your fuses (maybe you'll find you needed one somewhere else too!). that would be the cheapest place to start too
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2003
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if the wiring is the same as a 2000 f250, the power point fuse is under the hood, in the fuse box located by the rear of the drivers fender with a clip on lid. Took me awhile to find it on mine, but its there.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
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From: Puget Sound
The radio fuse is by your left knee, behind that plastic knee panel. I'm on the wrong computer to send the fuse number, but the information will be in the owner's manual, which is downloadable from the web (somewhere on this forum).
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 31
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From: Longmont, CO
I checked every single fuse when this thing went. Right now im running it off of a fuse tap on the same fuse slot as the one that says radio in the manual. Its gotta be a problem after that in the line and it must hit something that helps it remember its state.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Puget Sound
You are describing two separate issues. One wire will come from the radio fuse - this is to turn the radio on. You will have another wire that goes directly to the battery (no switch) through a small fuse - this will be for things like clock and programming memory.
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From: Douglasville, Ga
My husbands 1999 F350 radio is out. His clock is not working either. It started being intermittent going in and out, and would work for a few days and then not. Now it is completely out. I am wondering now if replacing the radio will not fix it... I was going to get him a radio for Christmas.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Puget Sound
Pinky525 - It could be a simple thing like a loose wire or a bad fuse.
If you are looking to replace a stereo, then the first thing that comes to mind is budget. The Ford dash accepts only certain stereos without modification. If you can get a pro to install the stereo, you will want what's called a double-din. Depending on what your wallet allows, you can get a real useful system in there - not just play music. Does your husband tow anything - ever? Does he want hands-free for his cell? Is he tired of carrying CDs around? A touch-screen audio system with a backup camera is very handy and safe because you can see below the tailgate while backing - even at night.
If you go the new stereo route, be careful not to get features that sound nice up front, but rarely (or never) get used:
If you are looking to replace a stereo, then the first thing that comes to mind is budget. The Ford dash accepts only certain stereos without modification. If you can get a pro to install the stereo, you will want what's called a double-din. Depending on what your wallet allows, you can get a real useful system in there - not just play music. Does your husband tow anything - ever? Does he want hands-free for his cell? Is he tired of carrying CDs around? A touch-screen audio system with a backup camera is very handy and safe because you can see below the tailgate while backing - even at night.
If you go the new stereo route, be careful not to get features that sound nice up front, but rarely (or never) get used:
- I don't know how many times I've seen people consider the GPS or NAV package on these things, then end up using their Iphone for mapping.
- Satellite radio is useful only when you don't have your own music collection and you are far from radio towers.
- HD radio is cool, but it is not widespread and who listens to hi-def music on the radio when your own music selection is more to your liking?
- Discs are dinosaurs! USB protrudes out of the deck too far (unless you have one of those new tiny ones). SD cards insert into the deck and are out of the way, plus they hold waaaayyy more music than a disk could ever hope to, with no laser or moving parts to fail - or skip on railroad tracks. Besides, who wants to burn disks when you can just drag and drop your music onto a USB or SD and be done with it? How about when you want to change your audio selection?
- Bluetooth can be great - if you read the reviews first. Some (like mine) completely interface with the phone the second you turn the key and you have your whole phone list and controls on the display. The microphone quality and placement is always an issue, particularly in a diesel. Look for one with excellent reviews on microphone performance.
- All the manufacturers put emphasis on interfacing with Ipods. I say big whoop because it's just a storage media and the SD card or USB is in the deck - not on a cord.
- Backup camera is the grand-poobah of all features on these. I can't stress enough how convenient this is and how it improves backing safety.
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Longmont, CO
my radio doesnt have 2 power in's, i had it running off of 1 power in and it operated like a stock radio turning on with the truck and off with it as well for 2 years but now that power is dead...
Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2011
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From: Douglasville, Ga
I will have to check his fuses or have him do it. I am sure he has though...maybe. I would LOVE all those features. I am a tech junkie. But my husband is simple just wants a couple of country stations during the week and the weekend 80s on the weekends and maybe throw an old cd or so in there. He is very simple. He would never use half of that stuff or he would make me do it for him and we are rarely in the same vehicle together. He doesnt even have keyless entry and ordered the truck without it because he says it will break anyway eventually.
dusfou it does sound like our truck. It is so frustrating riding in silence.
dusfou it does sound like our truck. It is so frustrating riding in silence.
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From: Michigan
I will have to check his fuses or have him do it. I am sure he has though...maybe. I would LOVE all those features. I am a tech junkie. But my husband is simple just wants a couple of country stations during the week and the weekend 80s on the weekends and maybe throw an old cd or so in there. He is very simple. He would never use half of that stuff or he would make me do it for him and we are rarely in the same vehicle together. He doesnt even have keyless entry and ordered the truck without it because he says it will break anyway eventually.
dusfou it does sound like our truck. It is so frustrating riding in silence.
dusfou it does sound like our truck. It is so frustrating riding in silence.
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Then you could get away with a simple $80 - 100 radio. If you do go aftermarket, don't go too cheap on the radio. If you do he will most likely want to rip it out of the dash and throw it out the window doing 80 on the highway. The really cheap ones can be cumbersome to use, skip constantly, and break quickly.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Puget Sound
dusfou - Hmmm.... My stock radio had two power wires - one yellow and one red. The red power gets switched off and on with the key and the yellow wire is always on for the clock/memory. You might have had a different radio than my stock unit. Mine had cassette in addition to the CD and that just had to go.
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