My radio accasoinally cuts out. It will be playing fine and then suddenly go to static. If I hit any of the buttons while in this static mode it goes dead with no sound. Eventually the sound comes back after a lot of girations. Also sometimes when I start the car the radio hunts around looking for a station to lock onto. It may take 15 to 30 seconds before it locks onto a station.
I have this problem on the same type radio/tape player in several of my late 80 model GM cars.
Any ideas? I want to keep the radio/tape player as original looking as possible.
Thanks
Carroll

Did you ever solve this problem? My radio does the same thing.

Which brand/model radio is it?

The stock Delco radio w/ graphic equalizer and tape player- 1986 GT.

did you check the antena conector? Those things sometimes corode. Also check the antena mast, most are screwed on and could be loose and/or coroded.

did you try pluging in another antena to test? It could be a bad wire at the antena end. Any GM antena will do for a test.

It could also be the radio. there might be a cracked solder joint or trace in the thing. There are several boards crammed into the radio. it could be a coroded plug in between boards.

Try removing and inserting the bulk connnector on the back of the radio. a bit of corosion there can do odd things.

Did you know you can "crash" these radios just like Win9x does to a PC? Power surges, and some short circuits, can do some rather odd things. I managed to blow the lighter fuse once and the radio would not power on until I finally disconnected the batery to clear it out. I've seen that happen in other GM cars as well for no apparant reason at all.

It looks as though there is some major excavation to be done before I can actually get to either the antenna or the radio. I think I'll just take it to a radio store, since everytime I make a mistake with this car, it costs me $200 or more at the mechanics.
Thanks for your help, though. Ogre, I'm just not as handy as the rest of you guys!!

you can pull the radio in about 5 minutes. Take off the surounding trim pannel. (4 Torx screws) and then the radio is pulled out the front. (a couple more screws. 7mm hex I think, been a while.) BE gentle with the trim, it has a couple clips that sometimes stick. Fiero is one of the easiest radio installs to work on. Some cars, Like corvette, you have to rip out half the dash.

The radio is then 1 bulk connector for all the power & speekers, and a small plug for the antena. Try just unpluging and repluging the connectors a few times. that should scrub off any dirt.

You can get GM radios at any scrap yard. Tho make sure the one you get takes the same connector. I've been told the bulk connector design changed at some point but I don't know what year. take the old radio with you and compair them.

I can just pull it out from the front after I remove all the surrounding panels? I don't have to disconnect anything from behind the radio first? It seemed unmoveable after an inch or so out, and I got nervous and stopped.
Thanks again.

you might have to reach back there and release the plugs, sometimes the harness is prety short, but there isn't any other hardware that I'm aware of.

If I remember the antena just pushes in, the bulk connector has a couple ears to squeeze.

Ogre,
Can I pull the radio out a little, then reach back and un-hook the aerial and connector? My hand won't fit in back of the radio from under the dashboard.
I'll psych up, watch "Horsepower Magazine," then try tomorrow.
Thanks.