Radio not working

It is possible to have a switched power wire going into the doors if the vehicle came with the Infinity system. They will have either a remote amplifier under the right rear seat or the door and rear speakers will have small amps bolted to them. Unlike the complicated GM and Ford systems that must be paired with an amp when it is used, all Chrysler radios put out speaker-level output. The amps do not increase volume or power. They only modify the tone response for the shape of the vehicle.

The easiest way to see if you have the Infinity system is to look at the plug on one of the speakers. If it has four wires, it is the Infinity system. If it has two wires, there's either a remote amp or it's not the Infinity system. The Infinity model radios look and work exactly like the non-Infinity models but they put out less bass. The bass is made up in the amps. With those speakers and an aftermarket radio you'll find the sound is more pleasing if you turn the bass down.

There's a few different ways the amp(s) can be powered. Normally if there's four speakers with amps, they are powered through a "speaker relay" or "amp relay". The high-current switched power circuit has its own fuse and that's the one that would blow if you grounded the power wire in the door while the ignition switch and radio were turned on. The radio would still have a display and it would operate normally but the only sound you would get would very tinny. The dash speakers, (I think) would work but only the tweeter part of the rear and door speakers would work.

The other way they can be wired is a single remote amp has its own turn-on circuitry that is triggered by the "switched power" wire from the radio. All aftermarket radios have that wire too. It can also be used to run a power antenna. In this system there is no power wire in the doors for the speakers so you shouldn't be popping any fuses. The amp still has its own fuse. Again, if it was blown the radio would operate but with no sound.

Hi guys. Most likely the problem is in the radio. Once those problems are repaired, they're repaired permanently. Sounds like you have a cassette-only or cd-only radio.

In the gray plug, measure the voltage on the two wires at the end away from the keyway. The first one is usually pink. It must have 12 volts all the time. The second one will be red, possibly with a stripe. It has 12 volts when the ignition switch is turned on. If the display lights up when you turn on the ignition switch, the red wire is okay. If the clock keeps the correct time, the pink memory wire is okay.

You can verify everything else is okay by jumping the red wire to the end wire in the black plug away from its keyway. That's the switched wire for an amp and / or power antenna. Jumping those wires might cause the radio to turn on too, depending on where the problem is located within the radio.

Also be sure the ground strap is bolted to the back of the radio or there is a wire clipped to it. There is no other ground wire in the two plugs. If that strap or wire is missing, the radio might work by getting grounded through the antenna cable, but that's a very poor ground for the power circuits. Typically when the ground is missing, the radio will be totally dead and the back lights won't turn on with the dash lights either.

If you have the cd player without cassette, that radio is built by Alpine. They are rather involved taking apart but that problem also is repaired permanently once it's been done. A common clue is the cd player does have sound. Only the radio has no sound. At the same time if you press either "Seek" button, you'll see the display advance very slowly, about one digit every three or four seconds. There is a different problem that affects only the FM and another one that causes intermittent display fading out. I address all of those when a dealer ships me a radio to fix. Also volume controls that respond poorly and front panel switches that perform the wrong function or don't work at all. I can be more specific if you tell me the model number from the sticker on top.

If you have a cd / cassette combo radio, that was not original in the Jeep in '95 but it will plug in and work fine if you can find one with the oddball mounting ears. Those are built by Mitsubishi and are REAL high quality. That mounting style was only used from '93 to '95 and only in the Jeep line, then again in the late '90s in the Avenger, but those had an orange display and back lighting.

You need to check all fuses in pic, use atest light if you have one.

Hi guys. This is commonly a problem in the radio. Rather than retype everything I did last night, then lost when the web site went down, I can give you a lot more information if you tell me the radio model number or if it's a cassette-only or cd-only radio. Most of the problems are with the cd-only radio. It's built by Alpine and has a number of problems that are fixed permanently once repaired.

First you can check for 12 volts on two wires in the gray plug on the end away from the keyway. The first one, usually pink, must have 12 volts all the time. The next one, red, and possibly with a stripe, must have 12 volts when the ignition switch is turned on. If the display turns on when the ignition switch is turned on, that red wire is okay. If the clock always maintains the right time, the pink wire is okay.

Also be sure there is a braided ground strap bolted to the back or a black wire clipped to the back. There is no ground wire in either plug. The radio can work if it grounds through the antenna cable, but that's a real poor ground for the power circuits.

If you have the cd-only radio, they lose sound on just the radio. The cd player should be okay yet. The additional clue is when you press either "Seek" button, the display will advance one digit very slowly, perhaps once per three or four seconds.

There is a different problem that causes no sound just on FM, and another one that causes the display to fade out intermittently. When a dealer ships one to me for repair, I address all of those issues at the same time. Also, the volume control can respond erratically and the front switches might perform the wrong functions or not work at all.

If you have a cd / cassette combo radio, those were built by Mitsubishi and are REAL high quality. They did not come in the '95 Jeeps as original equipment. Any other Chrysler radio will plug in and work but the '93 - '95 Jeeps used different mounting ears than all the other Chrysler products and years. The only original combo radio that will mount was found in the late '90 Avengers but they had orange displays.

If voltage is missing to the pink wire, look for a blown interior lights fuse, usually a 10 or 15 amp. Also look for a fuse for the remote amplifier. Some models used an amp under the right rear seat. As I recall, if the fuse is blown, you'll have no sound at all on any function. Some Infinity models used little amplifiers bolted to the speakers. If the fuse is blown, those will still have some very tinny sound from the tweeters. They are not powered by the amps. Any amplifier-related problem will affect the radio, cassette player, and / or cd player. If anything works, the amp is okay.

The ground for the relay that turns the amp on is that black wire clipped to the back of the radio.

Check the charging system. Measure the battery voltage with the engine running. It must be between 13.75 and 14.75 volts.

Also check the battery. With the engine off, the voltage should be 12.6 volts. 12.2 volts means it's good but discharged. If you find closer to 11 volts, the battery has a shorted cell and must be replaced.

Do you have the factory cd player? Do you know the model number?

When you say the radio stations disappear, do you mean the display goes blank or it goes back to the clock? If it goes to the clock, the problem is with the on / off switch. Other technicians used to replace the entire volume control assembly for this problem when the parts were still available, but they would develop the same problem in a few years. I take the power switch apart and repair it permanently. I've done hundreds of these for dealers and only had two come back a second time. If you'd like me to fix yours, it's $35.00 including return shipping. If interested, I'll send you my contact information privately and some packing hints to prevent shipping damage. It takes about one day to get it back in the mail after I receive it.

Forgot to mention, you can prove this is the problem by cycling the switch off and on multiple times. Eventually it will work, but that also makes it get worse.