Radio problem

[TiesTorN]

I've been struggling with the radio lately. radio works fine on cold starts, after a while it turns into static sound (approx after 5-10 minutes) and stays that way. sometimes it comes back into life for a brief moment but turns into static again...

what may be the problem I wonder? radio module? antenna module?

ps: I have the 16:9 screen.

[edjack]

Might be the antenna amp, located in the left C-pillar.

Does the CD player work okay? If not, might be the head unit.

The entertainment electronics may be dying, after 23 years. Not uncommon. Our Brit friend Dennis Cooper would recommend a complete upgrade, easy enough for him to say!

Really depends on how much you love the car, BTW.

[kallekula]

Im with Dennis on this one. Ditch the fred flint stone tech and buy new modern stuff. They even sell fake HU frames that makes the HU look original. I was one of those people that tried to keep the original bmw stuff but when I almost burned down my car in the process I just gave up. Think I spent somewhere between 1200-1500 bucks on new non-chinese junk. Did all the work myself otherwise the price would have been significantly higher. Good luck!

[TiesTorN]

Might be the antenna amp, located in the left C-pillar.

Does the CD player work okay? If not, might be the head unit.

dunno, I removed the cd player long ago, haven't tested it. but I installed a bluetooth module on the AM receiver line inside the radio module a while ago and it works fine. I assume the cd player would also work fine. seems like only FM is bad.

has anyone experienced smth like this?

btw my radio module is on the left side of the trunk.

ps: afaik mostly the main reason electronics die of old age is because the capacitors die inside them. as a precaution I've replaced literally every capacitor in every module a few years ago. it was a nightmare... hundreds of capacitors anyway.

Im with Dennis on this one. Ditch the fred flint stone tech and buy new modern stuff. They even sell fake HU frames that makes the HU look original. I was one of those people that tried to keep the original bmw stuff but when I almost burned down my car in the process I just gave up. Think I spent somewhere between 1200-1500 bucks on new non-chinese junk. Did all the work myself otherwise the price would have been significantly higher. Good luck!

nothing other than the original bmw equipment can get into my car, ever so that's out of the question.

[kallekula]

Yeah it’s your car u decide exactly what you wanna to do with it. Just trying to help out. Less painless to buy new stuff, just saying

[sleuth255]

Kudos to you for wanting to keep your vehicle stock. I run the same program with mine. Your "radio" is actually a head unit for all of your car's audio sources so if everything else is working well, I'd suspect the antenna amp. Interesting that you say "it goes to static" though. There's no static on the FM band due to the fact that its frequency modulated. Assuming that you can hear something coming out when the problem occurs, I'd probably disconnect the antenna from the radio module and see what happens. Same sound after the same period of time? Then its the radio. Otherwise if everything remains quiet, or you immediately hear the same sound then the antenna amp hypothesis is supported.

Quick comment on 23 year old electronics here: most "modern" stuff is pretty bulletproof. For example, I run Harmon Kardon A406 amps from the 70s at home and they've pretty much never been touched since I bought them new. Going back in time to the days of tube electronics is where you start to see problems. I had to do a complete restoration on my grandfather's 1941 Philco 41-616 console. Pretty much everything from the capacitors to those "new high tech" rubber insulated wires went bad. Your BMW will suffer primarily from screen decay. Its LG panel will start sporting blotches of burnt out pixels that look like something has come unstuck inside. Mostly seems to be cold weather related so if you don't live up north, you may never see the problem. Me, I'm on my third screen. The speakers seem to be very resilient. I opened up the nokia sub box I just received and the speakers inside look brand new mechanically.

[TiesTorN]

Your BMW will suffer primarily from screen decay. Its LG panel will start sporting blotches of burnt out pixels that look like something has come unstuck inside.

it actually did I replaced the screen (only the screen, not the unit) a few years ago, found the OE screen. it was Sharp, not LG.

yes it's always the same static(parasitic?) sound after a while, like the radio frequency is out of range. I think I'll check the antenna as you said. nothing else seems logical right now.

[sleuth255]

You're right, it is a Sharp screen not LG. I still have a spare in the parts box.