I have a used Honda Civic, and the last owners put in a cd player in the trunk. Due to the wonders of mp3 players, I no longer need the cd player but I do need more trunk space. I removed the cd player, and now my radio doesn’t work. My theory is that my radio was somehow rerouted so the cd player was its new antenna. Can I fix this myself, or do I have to take it in somewhere? Thanks!
Yes, repair ought to be within the grasp of any car owner with the courage to remove the radio and fiddle with the wires in back.
First, you ought to be aware that the antenna is not involved in any way. It’s a matter of getting electrical power from A to B. Second you need to tell us if anything at all is working – time, display, tape deck, or what. Or is everything completely dead. Let us know.
I used to have an afermarket cd player that worked through the FM radio. There was an antenna switch located under the dash that would select between the fender antenna and the CD player. Try tracing the antenna cable from the radio and see where it goes.
Hi. Thanks. Everything works except that the radio won’t tune in channels. The tape deck and time display all work, but when I use the radio it won’t select stations or play much more than fuzz.
Usually aftermarket CD-changers have an FM modulator that’s either separate or integral. Basically the modulator will have an “antenna in” which goes to your antenna and an “antenna out” which goes to you radio. I would guess that in the process of yanking out the CD changer, you left both of these connectors hanging and you just need to get a coupler for them.
This is what an antenna connector looks like:
Hi all-
Thanks for the advice. This time, since I’m still in a major city, I just took the easy road and took it to a car stereo shop. There were wires from the cd player that needed to be removed, and a new connector needed to be put into the radio. The damage was $47, so considering that I’m on a deadline and didn’t know where to get parts, it wasn’t such a bad deal.