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I have a bone stock original 71 with a working original AM/FM radio. The radio has always worked perfectly.....and when I cut the car off, (turn the ignition switch to off position), the radio went off.
i went for a drive today and when I turned the car off, the radio continued to play.
I turned the the ignition switch back on and off several times but the radio stayed on. I turned it off with the **** and it goes off....but it continues to have power to the radio even when the switch is off.
What could cause this? Everything else seems to be working correctly. Nothing else is working with the switch off, (heater blower, Turn signals, gauges etc). Just the radio.
I have a bone stock original 71 with a working original AM/FM radio. The radio has always worked perfectly.....and when I cut the car off, (turn the ignition switch to off position), the radio went off.
i went for a drive today and when I turned the car off, the radio continued to play.
I turned the the ignition switch back on and off several times but the radio stayed on. I turned it off with the **** and it goes off....but it continues to have power to the radio even when the switch is off.
What could cause this? Everything else seems to be working correctly. Nothing else is working with the switch off, (heater blower, Turn signals, gauges etc). Just the radio.
Sounds like something sticking in the ignition switch down on the steering column . Can't explain why the other accessories shut off and not the radio . Must be possessed.
trace your radio power wire.. it should lead to the fusebox.. check power there. and it should be on a switched power terminal. you might have kicked the fusebox up in there.. it has to be on that port since other accessories work fine.
if wired bone stock and you say other accessories are working fine as to the ignition switch, then something got kicked.
get you a laminated chassis wiring diagram.. trace it out. it will be the best money you ever spent..
OK- then the power is coming FROM the ignition switch- to the fusebox-
The wipers AND the radio share the same source wire for power at the fusebox- as it splits in the fusebox and goes to the wiper fuse and the radio fuse.
Another test- if automatic car- put the car in gear-
Manual don't push in the clutch ( but do take out of gear -just in case!!!)
Have the radio on- and turn the key all the way to start- the radio should turn off....
IF not- more than likely you have a bad ignition switch or some how the rod controlling it- is out of adjustment.
If the radio is off- then you won't have anything pulling any power to drain your battery.
OK- then the power is coming FROM the ignition switch- to the fusebox-
The wipers AND the radio share the same source wire for power at the fusebox- as it splits in the fusebox and goes to the wiper fuse and the radio fuse
Another test- if automatic car- put the car in gear-
Manual don't push in the clutch ( but do take out of gear -just in case!!!)
Have the radio on- and turn the key all the way to start- the radio should turn off....
IF not- more than likely you have a bad ignition switch or some how the rod controlling it- is out of adjustment.
If the radio is off- then you won't have anything pulling any power to drain your battery.
Checked it today. Put the car in gear, (automatic), turned the radio on and then turned the key to start position. The radio never went off.
ive owned the car for several years and have never had this problem. I can't imagine the rod getting out of adiustment on it's own. Do you think it's the switch? Are you talking about the key assembly or some other part of the switch?
If your theory is that "metal parts don't change", forget it. Everything atrophies. Metal, plastic, US!
Nothing has been made that won't fail. This is what the field of "Reliability" is all about. Even NASA requires redundant components, when function is critical. There is NO redundancy in a C3 (nor in any other car). Eventually, EVERYTHING will fail. (But, WE may fail first.)
Well.....my car has the factory std steering column. I've been wanting to replace it with a tilt/tile unit. Maybe this is a sign that it's time to do it!!
Update- I went down to the garage yesterday and my battery was completely dead. That's never happened before. I put it on a charge and I could hear all kinds of buzzing and clicking coming from under the hood and dash. It scared me so I disconnected the battery and I have it charging disconnected.
Would you guys think this is just the lower electrical switch component or could it be the actual key tumbler assembly?
I'm more confused than ever. I have replaced the manual portion of the switch and the electrical portion of the switch and I still have the same problem;
The radio and windshield wipers will operate with the ignition switch off. I can't find anything else that still has power to it...although I feel something does as the battery runs down after a week or so, (with radio turned off and wipers turned off).
What am I missing? What else could cause the power supply to NOT turn off to these components when I switch the ignition switch off?
Problem solved!!! OK...with the help of a local Corvette repair shop here in the B'ham area, they found my problem.
There was a bad wire going to the windshield wiper motor. It was "back feeding" power back to the fuse box, which in turn was supplying power to the radio, the wipers and a couple of relays even when the ignition switch was off.
A couple of snips and some wiring and the problem is solved. everything is back to working correctly as original. Only cost me $45.00!!! Great deal to have my baby back correct again!!!
You need to use that electrical shop for any future wiring/electrical issues. Having that work done for less than $50 is unbelievable.
Heck, just stop by with some fresh donuts the next time you go by that shop...just to say "Thanks", again.
i agree, I was afraid this might cost me a fortune. It was pleasant to find it such. Minor repair.
The mechanic was great. He found the problem and made the repair in about 30 minutes.
i explained that the radio, wipers and some relays would work even with the ignition switch off. He got under the dash at the fuse box with a test light. He saw that there was power going through the fuse box. He removed the radio fuse, and the power still went through. He pulled the fuse the relays were on, and the power still went through. Then he pulled the wiper fuse and it killed the power to everything. He then knew the problem was with the wipers. Back out under the hood, he tested feedback on the wires and found the bad one.
Seriously, he used common reasoning and diagnosised the problem in minutes. Great guy!!
Last edited by Vet76te; 10-29-2016 at 04:41 PM.
Reason: Grammar
10-08-2016, 12:07 PM
Original radio question / wiring??
DSCN5195 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr
