Is your Dodge ram radio not working?
Aside from having a broken truck while on the road, which then leaves you stranded, it is also frustrating for drivers to discover that their radio is not working. When your radio fails, as well as the Uconnect system, then it can be an inconvenience.
There are many reasons why you may be encountering this issue, and it is good to understand the causes to determine the fixes.
In this post, we will talk about the reasons why your Dodge ram radio may be failing and what you can do to get it fixed. Here we go!
Causes of Dodge Ram Radio Not Working
When you have an issue with your Dodge Ram radio working intermittently only, it could be a problem with the wiring. But there are instances that it may be due to an amp issue or even an internal damage in your head unit. Other possible causes of these malfunctions include problems with the speaker wires or the speakers.
These are all common causes of an intermittent failure, and it is important to have a definitive understanding of the reason why faults occur. Thus, you can come up with the best action that will fix the problem once and for all.
Now, when your radio cuts out and then works after a while, it is most definitely a wiring problem. If your display tends to shut off while the audio cuts out, you may have a head unit that is losing power.
You need to track down the fault, yet it can be tricky if your radio functions intermittently. This is because it does have power, even if it is not constant.
When the radio turns on, yet there is no audio, you need to check your speaker wiring. A crimp or even a break in your wiring can cause the audio to be malfunctioning at times – or to even cut off completely. But it can also be a case or a bad wiring to your amplifier or a faulty amplifier itself.
However, if you have checked everything and are still unable to determine the cause, then you need to inspect the head unit more thoroughly as this may be the culprit.
If the audio cuts off, or you have your head unit turning on and off intermittently as you drive on the road, it is usually a case of a bad stereo wiring. This is particularly true when you have the display shutting off, which means there is no power to your radio.
Sometimes, you may be driving over very bumpy roads, which causes the ground connection or power to get loose. This causes your connection to short or to break. After a while, power may return, and this is the reason behind intermittent functioning of your radio.
You need to track down any loose ground wire or power. However, it is easier said than done since there are many components that may get in the way. The initial place to begin your search is at the back portion of your stereo. If you have an aftermarket head unit that you installed yourself, you may want to check the connections as the wiring may have come loose.
Or, it could be that the aftermarket head unit is defective and does not have the best quality as the one that is an OEM.
Now, if you are unable to locate the problem, it helps to expand the search even better. Start by removing the radio and check the wires on the back portion. If you have loose, corroded, or frayed wires, you will have to solder, crimp, or strip them back in the right place.
Check the ground wire located from the back portion of the radio, leading to the section where it is attached to the vehicle. If you have a loose ground wire, the only thing left to do is to tighten this. But if there is corrosion, you need to clean it up and then put it back in the right place – and keep it secure.
The head unit power, speaker wires, and ground wires can be soldered. This is why if you have noticed that they were taped or twisted together, this may be an issue. When there is poor soldering done, a momentary power loss can also occur. So you need to get this checked.
If after inspecting, and you see that everything appears to be in the right order, you can check the ground connector next. It must be tight and secure – and there should be no presence of rust. It also helps to inspect your inline fuses, as well as the fuse block. While fuses may be blown or still in good working condition, there are times when you may have a blown fuse yet the electrical contact still breaks sporadically.
It is also possible that there may be an internal issue with your head unit. So, you may need to check this one, as well, instead of throwing in the towel and rendering your head unit to be useless.
In the case of a radio that works intermittently but without any audio, it is usually a speaker problem. The amplifier may also be into protection mode, and this happens when there are internal faults, wiring problems, and overheating happening. This is why it is good to check if everything else is in order before you make any troubleshooting techniques.
Should there be no audio from your speakers, you may have faulty wires or even the speaker may be malfunctioning. Determine which one is the culprit, and it is possible that you may have to replace the wires or the speaker – whichever one is causing the problem.
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Conclusion
When you have a Dodge ram radio not working, it can be a pain to deal with. Thankfully, there are things you can check to make sure that you know exactly how to deal with the problem and obtain the result you want. We hope this post has been helpful in providing your with tips on how to troubleshoot a Dodge Ram radio that is not working.