CD's Won't Play
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CD's Won't Play
CD's in my OEM Radio on my '98 Explorer stopped playing. The CD player sounds like it's looking for a track, but it never starts to play. This happened suddenly, with no previous trouble. Tried several different CD's - none of them will play.
Does anyone know what the problem may be, and what I can do about it? I tried blowing some air from a pressurized dust remover can into the opening, but it did not help.
Does anyone know what the problem may be, and what I can do about it? I tried blowing some air from a pressurized dust remover can into the opening, but it did not help.
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Las Vegas, NV
try a CD cleaner disk
have you tried running a CD cleaner disk? It cleans the laser lens. You can get them at any stereo store, ie Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. you may need to run it a few times. good luck
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Well, I tried the CD Cleaner Disk, but unfortunately it didn't solve the problem. I also tried disconnecting the battery for awhile, but that was no help either. It seems like it's some problem with the drive, since the CD's don't seem to spin (Come out in the same orientation I put them in). The radio displays a CD 0001 Error, which says the CD is unreadable or installed upside down. Before I get any wisecracks, yes, I put them in right side up!
Anyone got any ideas or suggestions? Any help would be welcome.
Anyone got any ideas or suggestions? Any help would be welcome.
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 190
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From: Las Vegas, NV
Sorry my idea didn't work. I'm assuming that the cleaner disk wouldn't spin either. Have you pulled the unit out of the dash at all? Its very simple to do.
If you're pretty sure the drive is not rotating any more, you've got three choices-1) get this one fixed or exchange 2) replace it with new OEM (ouch$$$) or 3)go aftermarket. Having had my share of problems with the Ford radio and done research, the order of cost from lowest to highest is 3, 1 and 2. If you go aftermarket and you don't want to spend a lot on a sexy double din unit to fill the tall space, you'll need to go single din and add a storage cubby above or below the unit. These are common installation face plate kit items. You could add a compatible changer in your arm rest and wire it to the existing head unit, but who knows when the rest of it will crap out, so I personally wouldn't waste my time with that one. A number of stereo places offer a $1 or free install, so I'd be tempted to do that if my head unit takes a dump. The Ford stereo is notorious for high heat, display problems and problems reading CD-R's.
If you're pretty sure the drive is not rotating any more, you've got three choices-1) get this one fixed or exchange 2) replace it with new OEM (ouch$$$) or 3)go aftermarket. Having had my share of problems with the Ford radio and done research, the order of cost from lowest to highest is 3, 1 and 2. If you go aftermarket and you don't want to spend a lot on a sexy double din unit to fill the tall space, you'll need to go single din and add a storage cubby above or below the unit. These are common installation face plate kit items. You could add a compatible changer in your arm rest and wire it to the existing head unit, but who knows when the rest of it will crap out, so I personally wouldn't waste my time with that one. A number of stereo places offer a $1 or free install, so I'd be tempted to do that if my head unit takes a dump. The Ford stereo is notorious for high heat, display problems and problems reading CD-R's.
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Thanks! I'll pull it out to see what I can, but I'm not optimistic about fixing a CD drive problem..... Guess it's off to the car audio store this weekend. Any suggestions regarding brand and store? Want something that sounds decent but moderately priced. I was OK with the OEM sound quality until it died. We've got the usual car audio chains around here... Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. plus a lot of smaller shops. Sounds like single din is what I want.
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Las Vegas, NV
I would personally go with either an Alpine or Blaupunkt unit that has a faceplate/button color scheme that compliments the Ford interior. there are many to choose from. As a minimum, pick one definitely capable of CD-R play. You could elect to get one that also plays MP3 files on disk. There is a wealth of comparative information on these and many other units on the crutchfield.com site, including features and costs. You might do a bit of homework there before going to the audio store. Kenwood units are decent, but don't have the same reputation as the other two. If you may have future plans for adding a 6 or 10 cd changer , you might want to pick a unit that's "ready" for simple plug-in addition of of the second unit which would be controlled thru the in-dash head unit. just my humble opinion. good luck
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