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Thread: Another radio reception problem solved (2003 E39 530)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    colorado
    Posts
    7
    My Cars
    2003 530i

    Another radio reception problem solved (2003 E39 530)

    All,
    About a month ago my 2003 E39 530 started having FM reception problems. I looked on the forum and found
    many posts regarding this problem. Most were around changing the radio to after market units. Not my issue.
    Mine is what came out of the factory 15 years ago (business CD). The car has 86K miles and have never had a
    problem with the radio until now.

    The symptoms where fading FM stations with eventual total loss of FM reception. AM was fine.

    Out of frustration as to what it could be, I intentionally struck the dash with an open palm in the area to the upper left
    of glove box (not the glove box itself). The FM popped on clear and strong. Ah ha..intermittent problem that was
    hopefully just a loose antenna.

    I removed the CD/radio unit and checked the antenna connection. The connector has a clip that prevents it from coming loose.
    Cleaned antenna connection with cleaner and tried the radio. It worked for a short time and then back to no FM reception after
    a few minutes. So much for the loose antenna connection.

    While holding the CD/radio unit that wasn't working, I tapped the case with a screw driver and it came back on clear and strong.
    Ok, now I know it's probably a cold solder joint on one of the circuit boards.

    I then took a deep breath and proceeded to disassemble the CD/radio unit. Thirty minutes later I had the mother board removed.
    I then sat down with a bright lamp and magnifying glass to find the cracked solder joint. The mother board has surface mounted
    components and was concerned about being able to fix it IF and when I did find the faulty joint.

    It wasn't a minute into looking when I came across the connector pins that connect the tuner/preamp to the mother board. The antenna wire connects to this unit on the back. There are approximately 8 pins that are labeled FM, AM, Det, TV, etc. Of the eight pins only three were good joints. The other 5 were clearly fractured. I was able to move the fractured solder joints with my probe. I re-soldered, reassembled the unit and installed in the dash.

    All good. It has been working without problems for the last 3 days. It would never go that long before without failing.

    Conclusion: After looking at the offending connector, I believe this is a design weakness due to improper support of the preamp/tuner
    assembly. The sub unit is a sheet metal encased (faraday shield) that is mostly supported by the connector pins. It took 15 years, but the connector joints could no longer support the assembly. This resulted in the solder joints breaking down.

    In thinking about people complaining about the AM doesn't work, but FM was fine, I now understand how this could happen
    given the offending connector. One pin is FM and another is AM. It just depended on which solder joint fractured first.

    Hope this helps somebody and I'm glad to be able to give back to the forum.

    Larry
    Last edited by lgillam; 11-09-2018 at 12:24 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Arlington, VA
    Posts
    9,933
    My Cars
    2018 BMW M240i
    The cause is the type of solder used in the head unit. Solder used to contain lead. We all now know the dangers of lead. The issue was the danger to the people working on the assembly line. The continuous exposure to lead solder fumes was determined to be detrimental to the workers’ health. Leadless solder is less flexible that the old solder. The electronix in our cars are subject to constant vibration, so eventually the solder cracks.

    Go job on finding and fixing issue.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Fair Oaks Ranch, Tx
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    2003 BMW325i Sedan
    Larry, Thank you for the very helpful trouble-shooting description you provided with regards to your poor FM reception. It’s the first forum submission that actually has a successful conclusion to the AM/FM radio reception problem (There was one thread that discussed rear window tinting as a possible reason and my windows have aftermarket tinting, so that could be the cause as well, but your experience sounds more plausible).

    I am having the exact same problem on my 2003 325i Business CD unit except it’s my AM reception that’s totally gone and my FM reception getting fuzzy. I’m not a electronics geek, but I might be able to recognize bad solder joints especially since you pinpointed the area where you found defects in your unit.

    Thank you for your input...I’ll go take a look inside my unit.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Arlington, VA
    Posts
    9,933
    My Cars
    2018 BMW M240i
    The E46 has an RF amp in the “C” pillar on the driver’s side of the car. The connections can become loose or slightly corroded. Also, though rare, the amp’s performance can deteriorate over time.
    To remove the RF amp:
    - remove the reading lamp
    - remove the 10mm (?) bolt
    - carefully and gently pry the cover off

    Check the RF connections to make sure they’re tight. If they are tight remove them and clean the colbctions with electrical contact cleaner. BTW, the amp is also part of the remote lock/unlock system.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    5
    My Cars
    2003 540i Sport 6sp
    Verified fix in my 2003 540i. There are 13 solder pins from the RF module (tuner / preamp) to the mother board, most were fractured. Touched them up with 60/40 solder & the radio had perfect reception. Thanks to Larry for a proper diagnosis and excellent repair guidance!
    Mark B

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