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Radio removal

Tiny
JERRY DURO
  • MEMBER
  • 2003 CADILLAC CTS
  • 1.6L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 47,000 MILES
I have been everywhere on the net to figure out how to remove my radio. They all have the same answer. However, when I try to remove the bottom part where all the heating controls go it is supposed to come out as an assembly. Everyone shows the complete assembly removed. My problem is only the bezel comes out and the rest of assembly stays in. I cannot figure how to get it out. There is a bolt behind the ash tray that I removed as everyone has done and still the assembly will not come out. In order to get the radio out this assembly has to come out. This one has got me stumped. No one has an answer as to how to remove it. Every place you go on the internet it shows the whole assembly is part of the bezel and mine is not. I cannot figure what is holding the assembly in and I do not want to force it. The air vents on the top of the radio are removed and the two bolts are removed. But, unless I can get the bottom part out the radio will not come out.
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Monday, June 19th, 2017 AT 11:01 AM

12 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,463 POSTS
You have the upper vents out, then there should be a couple screws that let you remove the screw behind the ashtray and HVAC head should pull out, Probably the trim clips broke and the head is just stuck in the clips.
Then there should be two bolts on top of the stereo and two on the bottom. Then the assembly comes out far enough to unplug the connectors. Why are you trying to remove it? You do know that stereo is much more than just the radio? It stores the memory settings and is part of the computer network and anti-theft system.
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Monday, June 19th, 2017 AT 11:48 AM
Tiny
JERRY DURO
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
That is the way it should be but it is not. There is nothing broken the bezel is clean with nothing broken. All screws and bolts have been removed. I cannot get beyond these standard answers. The HVAC head just will not pull out. I have watched at least five videos showing what you just described. Every one showed the unit coming out with the bezel attached. I do not know where else to look. I got the top screws and The one behind the ash tray. I thought I made that clear in the first memo. There were no screws at the bottom of the radio area.
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Monday, June 19th, 2017 AT 12:36 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,463 POSTS
The bottom two screws are behind the HVAC head. You will see them once you remove the HVAC piece. The only thing I can think of is someone had it out, broke the trim free and maybe put some double stick tape on the unit and now it will not pull free.

Can you take a couple pictures of it and post them, maybe I can see the issue that way.
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Monday, June 19th, 2017 AT 12:52 PM
Tiny
JERRY DURO
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
Thanks, I will do that tomorrow. It is too hot right now so I will do it in the morning.
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Monday, June 19th, 2017 AT 1:09 PM
Tiny
JERRY DURO
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
I took a chance and used my wedge tool very carefully and it came out. However, I am wasting my time. In the old days when a radio would pop in and out of volume and reception when hitting a bump in the road we would just look for cold solder joints and speaker connections and make sure there was a good antenna connection. The antenna is well seated but I do not know where it goes from there. As far as cold solder joints, it is impossible with this radio. So here I am wasting time away not knowing what to do.
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Tuesday, June 20th, 2017 AT 6:12 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,463 POSTS
Yeah they made them into a real PIA. When I need one repaired I send them out to United Radio in Syracuse. To determine the problem areas I made harness extensions so I can set the unit out and test as far as possible.
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Tuesday, June 20th, 2017 AT 1:46 PM
Tiny
JERRY DURO
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
Where does the windshield antenna connect? I see it plugged in the back of the radio but I don't know where and how it connects to the windshield.
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Tuesday, June 20th, 2017 AT 4:41 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,463 POSTS
It runs up the a pillar to an antenna module behind the headliner near the rear window. That module connects the front and rear antennas and amplifies the signal.
The module is powered through the trunk release fuse.
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Thursday, June 22nd, 2017 AT 10:06 AM
Tiny
JERRY DURO
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
Thank you. I knew about the front but not the back.
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Thursday, June 22nd, 2017 AT 3:35 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,463 POSTS
They like to hide them.
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Thursday, June 22nd, 2017 AT 11:04 PM
Tiny
JERRY DURO
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
I'm back working on the radio. I removed the front dash grill and to my surprise there are no Center or side speakers and they were never there. The only speakers in front are in the side window columns and they are tweeters but there is no sound coming out of them. MY Cadillac CTS, 2003 is the base model. Could it be that the other models only have the front speakers and working side tweeters?

Also I cannot find the module that connects the front and rear antennas.
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Wednesday, July 19th, 2017 AT 8:14 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,463 POSTS
The antenna module is behind the headliner at the rear.
Base speaker system
U66 : SPEAKER SYSTEM, 4, DUAL FRT DASH MTD, DUAL EXTD RGE

optional system.
U57 : SPEAKER SYSTEM 8, DUAL F/D PILLAR, DUAL FRT DR MTD, DUAL RR DR MTD, SUBWOOF PKG SHELF, I/P CTR, AMPLIF, BOSE
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Wednesday, July 19th, 2017 AT 1:45 PM

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