The radio on my 97 Outback Limited has suddenly stopped working and I'm wondering if someone can help identify the problem?

 

Nothing happens when the knob is turned, it's as if no power is reaching the system. The antenae doesn't go up, the clock display doesn't change, the buttons don't work. Up until now, it's worked great without problems.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as well as advice on whether I can fix this myself or who to take it to - sound system vendor or Subaru mechanic?

 

Thanks ahead of time for any help.

 

Cheers,

~Wednesday

Have you checked the fuse block? There should be one just for the radio. Sometimes there is another in the power line right at the radio. Is there a CD add on? Does the CD player work?

 

Two other problems I've experienced:

 

-Reset the radio by pulling off a battery cable, removing all power from the system. I've had lock ups before that were fixed by this.

 

-If radio lights are on but no sound comes out, you may have a speaker wire that has gone to ground, drawing down the output. To check you have to take harness apart in back and use a meter to look for ground.

 

How much electrical troubleshooting experience do you have?

If it turns out to be the stereo unit itself, I have one I'd sell to you for a low price. It's from my '97 Legacy OB... not a Limited though, if that matters.

 

Steve

Thanks so much for your help and your prompt reply. I feel like an idiot. I've only had this car a week, if that's any defense.

 

I checked the fuse at lunch - it was fine, not fried. Then it occurred to me that my father had been playing with the CD controls (it's wired but not installed for a Panasonic disc changer). So I started playing with them as well and voila! Turned off the CD player and the antenae came up and the radio was restored.

 

I'm tempted to tell my father not to push my buttons. <G>

 

Thanks again for your help - I still feel like an idiot.

 

~Wednesday

I was gonna suggest maybe you had spilled something from the cupholder into the stereo like I did last Friday. Glad you got it figured out and it was nothing serious. You might want to watch out for that cupholder thing though.

If you're doing the CD install yourself, I just went through it and can offer some tips on trim removal, what screws where and so forth. Just ask