# Stereo sounds like antennae is disconnected **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [July 6, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007 "2011-07-06T18:53:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BobH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@BobH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BobH)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/1 "2011-07-06T18:53:36Z")
After getting my car detailed my Eclipse stereo sounds like the antennae is disconnected. I can still play CD’s but no radio. As a theft deterrent this system disables itself if removed and needs to be reset with a code. Since I can still play CD’s the Eclipse people say I’m not disabled. It’s stupid, but it sounds like a button got pushed by mistake, I just can’t find that button ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/2 "2011-07-06T18:58:28Z")
So you get static instead of stations, or you get silence? ---
**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/3 "2011-07-07T06:23:06Z")
Did this problem occur immediately after the last time you removed the radio? ---
**Author:** ![rwee2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@rwee2000](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rwee2000)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/4 "2011-07-07T14:13:09Z")
I’ve seen it happen on some cars, when they wax or lube the mast. I have found they generally use silicone spray when they lube a mast and it can insulate the mast giving you a bad connection and bad reception. Clean the mast with 90% rubbing alcohol on a rag. Do this several times and see if that helps. This is assuming your Eclipse has a mast. It also could be the antennae is unplug from behind the radio, they might have hooked the cable and pulled on it hard enough to unplug it from the radio, but before I started digging behind the dash I’d clean the mast first, if you have one and see if that fixes the problem. ---
**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/5 "2011-07-07T20:22:45Z")
I’m calling bogus on that. I’ve had radios with rubber coated antennas and they worked just fine. Who “lubes” an antenna? (Oops, I forgot they go up and down these days, so _maybe_.) How does “lubing” the antenna give you a bad connection? More likely fiddling with the antenna aggravates a bad connection and fiddling with it a bit more fixes it. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/6 "2011-07-08T00:28:26Z")
Oh no, a place purported to have eternal heat has just frozen over. I agree with piter. I don’t suppose that the eclipse haas a windshield antenna? Could it be that the antenna became disconnected or one or more of the runs damaged when they cleaned the inside of the windshield or back window? ---
**Author:** ![rwee2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@rwee2000](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rwee2000)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/7 "2011-07-08T19:47:11Z")
A power antenna needs to be grounded, and silicone spray, or wax can keep the sections of the antenna from being properly grounded. Silicone is an insular that can break that ground. Being that I have seen it happen and cleaning did help, and cleaning would cost less than a $1 it would be worth a try. You can coat a antenna in plastic, rubber or whatever, as long as it’s grounded you’ll get a good signal. What I’m saying is that the sections are not grounded to each other. That could happen if they lubed the antenna and the silicone would make the antenna clean and shiny. And for a buck I’d give it a try before I stood on my head looking for a wire under the dash. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/8 "2011-07-08T22:46:02Z")
I think your analysis that a button got pushed in is the problem. If you have an owner’s manual, check it out. There may be a mute switch for the radio. ---
**Author:** ![cappy208](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cappy208/32/31_2.png) [@cappy208](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cappy208)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 8:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/9 "2011-07-09T08:15:03Z")
It sounds like you had your car detailed at the carwash. They may have inadvertently pushed the “Local, Distance” button on the radio., It is usually labeled LOC/DIS, Or L/D. If it is pushed it will sort of auto mute radio station like you are describing. Since your CD player works, that confirms your radio is functioning normally, except for the radio reception part ---
**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/10 "2011-07-09T12:28:05Z")
“that confirms your radio is functioning normally, except for the radio reception part” Good one! ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stereo-sounds-like-antennae-is-disconnected/66007/11 "2011-07-09T15:12:29Z")
There may be a mute button for the radio as well.