# Car radio goes on and off **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** echo, toyota\ **Created:** [June 3, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782 "2010-06-03T04:32:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janieb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@janieb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/janieb)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/1 "2010-06-03T04:32:28Z")
My car radio in my 2000 Toyota Echo stopped working. then is worked. then stopped. then I couldn’t start the car.Jumped battery. everything worked. radio stopped again. got a new battery. new radio… new radio stopped working. then started again…mechanic said maybe in the radio…i am going 200 miles tomorrow…hope it is not in the car and just in the radio…any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/2 "2010-06-03T05:14:59Z")
It sounds like the power to the radio is intermittent since you replaced the radio and the new one did the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![janieb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@janieb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/janieb)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/3 "2010-06-04T18:09:59Z")
thank you so much for answering…so you think a wire is shorted?..how to tell… ---
**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/4 "2010-06-04T18:21:02Z")
No, if a wire were shorted, you would have blown fuses or a car on fire. What you have is an “open” not a “short.” You have a loose wire somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![janieb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@janieb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/janieb)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/5 "2010-06-04T18:25:39Z")
thanks…my mechanic insists that it is in the radio capacitor or radio itself…I will try to tell him otherwise… ---
**Author:** ![janieb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@janieb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/janieb)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/6 "2010-06-04T18:26:26Z")
how does one find out where the loose wire is? how many possibilities are there? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/7 "2010-06-04T18:30:11Z")
Was the charging system tested? When the alternator started going out on my vehicle, the first thing that started shutting off was the radio. Tester ---
**Author:** ![janieb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@janieb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/janieb)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/8 "2010-06-04T18:32:22Z")
i am not sure…you are right…i have heard that the alternator may be the problem…anyway i have a great mechanic…this may not be his specialty…thank you so much for your time…i mentioned the alternator and my mechanic said no…i will just have to keep bringing it back i guess…really fun…well i am about to drive it 200 miles…hope it makes it… ---
**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-radio-goes-on-and-off/49782/9 "2010-06-04T20:14:58Z")
It’s not the radio capacitor. It seems like it wouldn’t be the radio either since it has been replaced and that didn’t change the problem. It sounds like you need to go to a mechanic that has a better understanding of electrical systems.