2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser Fix ing CD changer

Hi sfcpete. Welcome to the forum. Is this the four or six-disc remote unit in the dash or a remote six or twelve-disc in back?

Caradiodoc

In the dash or somewhere else? Is it the kind that uses a cartridge?

The dash units are high failure items with a lot of plastic parts that break. Some failures are with the microprocessor but most are mechanical in nature. When the microprocessor develops a problem with the "reset" circuit, it doesn't show up until the battery is disconnected or run dead. It's similar to the boot up sequence of your computer. The reset circuit is not like you would think of resetting a circuit breaker. Its purpose is to set the millions of transistors inside the microprocessor to their starting point rather than at some random condition. The process takes a tiny fraction of a second, then it's over with until the next time memory power is removed. Problems related to the reset circuit are somewhat common but don't show up until the battery has to be disconnected for other service. A lot of mechanics get blamed for causing the problem when in reality, the real problem occurred months or even years earlier.

If you have the remote changer that uses a cartridge, the mechanism will cycle through the trays to relearn which ones are empty and which ones have a disc in them, but it might not unload the last disc back into the cartridge first. That means it will try to load a disc when there is already one in there. To remedy that, pop the cartridge out, remove all of the discs, and reinsert the cartridge and let it cycle through all of the trays. I have to do that three or four times with mine before it will unload that disc, usually number two, then I can reload all six and it will work fine. That car sits in storage most of the time with the battery disconnected. I've learned that to prevent the problem, I just remove the cartridge before unplugging the battery cable.

Caradiodoc

The fix is for the older big boxxy units with a cartridge. For the in-dash units, my only suggestion is to remove it or the radio and unplug the connecting cable, then turn on the radio. Turn the radio back off, reconnect the cable, and turn the radio on again. It should find the changer and operate it. If it doesn't, suspect an electronic problem inside it. If it tries to cycle through the trays, then the yellow lights on the front start flashing, there is a mechanical problem inside.

I have a bunch of four and six-disc units here that I haven't been able to repair. You can search for a repair shop on the internet but I think you're going to end up at the dealer or sending your changer to an authorized repair center. I used to deal a lot with Downtown Radio of Denver but you can also try United Radio of New York.

Caradiodoc