2001 Town & Country LXI with Infiniti - Radio: Sometimes there's music & sometimes there aint!

BILLMCGARRY

MEMBER
2001 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY
3.8L
V6
FWD
AUTOMATIC
120,000 MILES

2001 Chrysler Town & Country LXI with Infiniti sound system with the 4 disc CD changer in the dash

Sometimes when I start the car, the radio works fine with no problems.

But sometimes when I start the car, the radio will turn on but there is no sound. I can select channels, play CD's, etc but no sound.

The sound has never turned on or turned off while the engine is running. Turn the engine off and restart it and maybe there will be sound this time or maybe there won't be.

More and more often lately, the sound will not be on - maybe 1 in 10 times.

I have had 9 surgeries on my shoulder/humerus over the past 2 1/2 years with at least one surgery in 3 months so I haven't been able to take a look at the amp under the passenger seat.

I read the other 2001 T&C radio problems but they all are where there is never any sound or where the radio is completely dead.

Any ideas on what to check?

(I'd give a donation but i've been out of work with no money coming in for the past 2 1/2 years. Sorry!)

Thanks!
Bill

6 Replies

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

Check ground for radio and amp radio ground can be anywhere under dash but normally center or lh or rh sides.

Was this

answer

helpful?

Yes

Thursday, March 5th, 2015 AT 5:41 AM

BILLMCGARRY

MEMBER
4 POSTS

Thanks for the response! Right now, my right arm is still in a sling and I've got a PICC tube hanging out of my left arm, so I will have to wait for my son to check the ground.

However, my son told me that turning the radio off and on will sometimes start the sound. Usually he has to try that many times before it works. I had thought that if the music didn't work, then it might start up if I stopped and restarted the engine (again, many, many times).

Just to repeat myself - the radio always turns on and shows the current radio station and the CD player will accept and eject cd's. Everything runs perfectly -- except that usually there is no sound at all.

The sound has never turned on or off when we driving around, even on bumpy roads.

It seems like there is something that happens ONLY when the radio is turned on.

I know that the amplifier is under the passenger seat. Is there any kind of relay switch that the radio uses to start the amplifier? If the relay switch does not work properly, then the amplifier is never turned on and there is no sound. The radio would have to be turned off and back on to try the relay switch again. If the relay switch did work, then the amplifier would work until the radio & amplifier were turned off and restarted.

So am I crazy or is there something like that in my T&C van.
(The radio/cd/amplifier is the "Xfiiniti sound package" that came with the van.)

Thanks again for any help!
Bill

SPONSORED LINKS

Was this

answer

helpful?

Yes

Tuesday, March 10th, 2015 AT 2:50 AM

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

Nearly all of us mechanics are in the dark about radios we have to fix so much other stuff that we leave that to radio shops even at dealers. So we go for what may seem the obvious and that would be the ground. However when I first answered this I didn't have access to a wiring chart which I do now. If you have steering wheel sound control there is a clock spring which is hooked to radio and other things. Have a pro scan this as it is also hooked into body module and integrated power module to make sure those are not the cause. A mechanic will have to scan for those the ground on the radio is where it is mounted so there is no separate wire.

Was this

answer

helpful?

Yes

Tuesday, March 10th, 2015 AT 5:57 AM

BILLMCGARRY

MEMBER
4 POSTS

Again, thanks for your help. We'll check the ground, etc. We'll also check that the amplifier is getting input from the radio and if so, then check that the amp is getting power.

The amp is under the passenger seat so we might have to take the seat out.

Thank you -- I'll let you know when we find the problem.

Bill
(You mentioned a wiring chart. Is this available on line or can you email it to me? Address is billmcgarry (at) gmail. Com (2 r's in Mcgarry) Thanks)

Was this

answer

helpful?

Yes

Thursday, March 12th, 2015 AT 12:06 PM

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

I cannot send the wiring diagram for this so out of luck there but make sure you get it scanned as well as it may be the body module as some of the controls go to that prior to the radio.