Volume control for JBL radio

Hi folks,

I have a '96 EB with the JBL AM/FM/cassette stereo. The on/off/volume control (it's a switch and a potentiometer in one) won't let me turn the radio off anymore. I took it apart and found the problem, which is a worn plastic guide. However, the Ford dealer told me that the part is unavailable, and that I should send the radio to some outfit in Seattle which will charge me $169 (plus tax and shipping) to fix it.

Well, it just seems wrong that I should have to pay upwards of two bills for a stinkin' switch, so I'm asking if anyone here has any idea where I can find this part. Does anyone have a broken JBL radio that I can buy, and then cannibalize? I don't want to replace the stereo because it works fine, I know where all the controls are, and I like the OEM look of my dashboard.

Sure would appreciate any help. Thanks!

Kevin

Reply to
Kevin DeAngelis
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Kevin, check your phone book for a shop that repairs automotive radios. You might get lucky and find someone who can fix it for a whole lot less and has a source of supply.

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie Bress

I have a 95 which may have the same stereo- the standard issue with the large buttons. I have had the same problem with the on/off switch with mine. The on/off is press in and out and it wears to the point where it won't stay in and off. At about 100,000 miles I was able to get a new switch by mail and installed it myself. It lasted for over another 100,000 miles and needs replacement once again. However, with

237000 miles I'm not worried about it. Let me know if you want the phone number for the parts house. I'll have to dig it out from my Explorer files. Mark
Reply to
Mark Barrett

I have the same problem with my radio (non JBL, stock Ford )

I was going to replace it with another from ebay, but I came to the realization that turning the radio off was really no big deal!

I just turn it down all the way if I don't want to listen to it. 99.9998% of the time it's on, and playing anyway so it isn't worth the time / cost / effort to repair it at this point!

Reply to
Chief_Wiggum

I came up with a fix for this problem. Once you get into the radio and get the volume control switch out, you can carefully cut the melted plastic rivits off, leaving enough to re-melt to close it back. There is a small white nylon plastic slider inside the mechanism that is the problem. The little pin on the side of the push rod slides in and out, selecting a different channel each push, making it stay in or out, depending on which little channel it goes in. Anyway, a tiny amount of white lithium grease applied to that little nylon slider fixes it perfectly. That slider must be free to move and when it gets just so dry, it refuses to move freely anymore. The greast fixes the problem. With some care, you can re-assemble the switch and remelt the plastic rivit pins to hold the switch together. I did it and it works like new now. Sam.

Reply to
radman123

I came up with a fix for this problem. Once you get into the radio and get the volume control switch out, you can carefully cut the melted plastic rivits off, leaving enough to re-melt to close it back. There is a small white nylon plastic slider inside the mechanism that is the problem. The little pin on the side of the push rod slides in and out, selecting a different channel each push, making it stay in or out, depending on which little channel it goes in. Anyway, a tiny amount of white lithium grease applied to that little nylon slider fixes it perfectly. That slider must be free to move and when it gets just so dry, it refuses to move freely anymore. The greast fixes the problem. With some care, you can re-assemble the switch and remelt the plastic rivit pins to hold the switch together. I did it and it works like new now. Sam.

Reply to
radman123

Dang! That's an ingenious fix. I also took the switch/potentiometer apart, and figured that the slider was simply worn, so I ordered a new part from Speed-O-Tach in California. Cost was about $26, but I can now turn the radio off.

Good fix, Sam. Thanks for the tip.

Kevin

Reply to
Kevin DeAngelis

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