"97 Ford AM Radio Noise

Don't I feel stupid! Sorry for all of the posts about this problem, but I had a Message Rule to block all messages where "5" is in the Subject Line. (I was being flooded with posts from a moron that changes his name, but always uses "5" as part of his Subject Line.) Sheesh!

Okay, for the last time, I have a '97 F150 with the factory radio (AM/FM/Single CD), and when I am listening to the AM Band, I get an electrical noise that comes from the Temp Control being set to Full Hot or Full Cold. I can set the control off of the physical limit -- either max or min -- and the buzzing goes away. I get the same buzzing when the headlamps are on.

I am looking for a TSB, if there is one.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland
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"Jeff Strickland" wrote: (1997 F150)

My factory radio (AM/FM/Single CD) makes an electrical noise when it is tuned to the AM Band, and the Temp Control is set to Full Hot or Full Cold.

If I set the control to any intermediate setting, the buzzing goes away.

I get the same buzzing when the headlamps are on.

I am looking for a TSB, if there is one. __________________________________________

AM reception is more susceptible to electrical interference than FM. Possible causes:

Bad radio power connection. Bad radio ground connection. Poor radio chassis ground. Broken antenna cable. Poor antenna mount ground. Shorted antenna shaft. Failed filter capacitor. Failing AM tuner.

Good luck.

Rodan.

Reply to
Rodan

Thank you, but I know all of that already. I was hoping for information specific to problems with the truck, not so much with the radio itself. The fault condition changes with the operation of systems that have nothing to do with the radio.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

I would like you to get a good answer on this. I have been thru the list of all the common and maybe solutions in addition to installing some decent filters on the power supply. I have trace all the harness and cleaned every gorund point I could get at. I have also pulled one gas tank and installed the noise filter provided by Ford - don't have or remember the TSB on this but, it is a known problem for the FP to introduce noise. The problem is not limited to the factory radio; I have been throiugh a bunch of aftermarket and replacement Ford radios with no luck. Basically, anything that uses power can do this leading me to believe it is related to alternator or other "motors" in the system. My biggest offender seems to be the wipers which completely kill ANY Am station regardles of signal strength. The power supply filters halped some and turning the engine off completely eliminates the noise. I think the problem is a loss of ground at the antenna mount since the problem is most affected by the wipers. Unfortunately, on all the Fords I have right now, you have to remove the fender to get at the antenna mount ground point to clean it. BTW, my problem has never been affected by climate control settings. It has appeared on every Ford I have had for the last 25 years or so when the vehicle is somewhere north of

50k miles. The GM vehicles I have had never had this particular problem but, had many others to occupy my time.

Lugnut

Reply to
lugnut

That's an interesting point about the wipers, I don't recall them giving me trouble. They could be making noise in the radio, but I don't recall. I'll have to run a test on them.

But my radio works perfectly -- completely noise free -- until the headlamps come on or when the temperature control knob is set to either extreme.

The headlamps require the engine to be running to make noise, but the climate control does not care -- it makes noise when the enginen is on or off. The climate control is louder if the motor is running, and it is louder at Full Red (hot) than at Full Blue (not-hot).

I get all of the normal AM Radio noises -- distant station problems, high voltage lines, signal strength changes at night time, etc.

The problems I'm chasing are caused by the truck, specifically by the climate control being set to either extreme. I seldom use the Full Hot (red) setting, but I keep the temp knob on the Full Not Hot (blue) setting pretty much all of the time. (I live in Southern California ... ) I also drive at night, and my passenger gets nervous when I scream at the talk radio show in the dark doing 70 on a country road ...

I was on the Autozone Website when I first bought this truck last August, and I recall (sorta) a TSB title about radio noise. They do not link to the TSBs, they only list the titles. I have not been able to find the title that I thought I had seen.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Did you look for TSB 97-13-18 JUN 97 Radio - Whining Noise on AM Band With A/C ON ?

Try these links:

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?tsb=02-16-4
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Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

This is the one ...

Thanks.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

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