I’ve searched and found some similar problems to mine, but not exactly. The radio on my 2002 Ford Focus wagon occasionally turns off spontaneously by itself and the clock display goes off too. At first I just thought it was the radio losing reception. Yet, the clock keeps its time when it comes back on - I assume that means the clock has its own connection or a battery for power? It went months without happening and then recently started up again. I have no event to link it to (although I think this started happening AFTER I had it in for service work)-tried having the dealer check it out and they told me to buy a new radio. If it was just the radio going off, I might, but it seems to be a connection problem. Any ideas? Is this something my husband might be able to fiddle with if we had a manual for the car?
The radio has two power feeds. One is always hot, and runs the clock and the radio station memory, as you suggest.
The other power feed, the one that powers the radio when you turn it on, must have a loose connection somewhere in the circuit.
You could check all the connections, but they may be difficult to reach.
A manual with a wiring diagram could be very helpful.
Is the clock part of the radio display? If not, then your assessment is correct and replacing the radio is not the answer. I had a similar problem in my Sentra once and that turned out to be an accessory power relay going bad. Both the clock and radio probably have a separate “keep alive” power source that does not run through the accessory circuit. This keeps the station presets and the clock keeping time when the car is off.
If the clock is part of the radio, then it could be the radio is bad.
I had a problem like this on a mazda protege. The only difference is that everything would shut off,then turn back on. It was corrosion on the battery terminals and on the wires connected to the terminal clamps. After I cleaned everything,it worked fine. Hope this helps.