Factory radio/cd player will not play when car is cold

I had sort of the opposite problem. In my 98 Mazda B4000 the radio/CD player would not play when the cab of the truck got really hot (Alabama summer time). I asked around a bit and someone said check the fuse box. The fuse for the radio was OK, or so it looked.......I replaced it and checked the fuse box under the hood as well. I made sure they were all seated good. After I did that, it has worked since. It could be as easy as that.......

Casey

Yes, I know. I can hook up a test light or voltmeter to the power wire where it goes into the radio to check to make sure it is getting power when cold. I haven't had time nor would I know which wire to hook it to. This is possibly an ignition switch problem as well.

I would like some insight before I start shooting in the dark at this annoying problem.

Any thoughts?

Dan

Having you say "ignition switch" brings back memories....

I bought a used '89 Super Coupe 5-speed from a guy in Ohio, about an hour and a half from me.

I paid the man and drove off with a friend from there to a notary to get a transport temporary plate. On the way, the brakes started acting funny, weird lights were going off...

Get to the notary and it was closed. Try to turn the key over and.... nothing.

Walk to the hardware store next door for a screwdriver to see what was going on in the ignition switch, and it had literally fallen apart.

A couple wire ties later, it was fixed. I sold the car that way a few months later. Last I heard, it was still working, though it's probably not the safest thing in the world.

I suppose the switch could be the problem with your car, but if that's the case, you should be able to move the switch around a bit (turn the key ever-so-slightly) and create the contact again. Otherwise, I'd say it were a small break in the wiring or an actual malfunction in the radio.

JS

Yes, I know. I can hook up a test light or voltmeter to the power wire where it goes into the radio to check to make sure it is getting power when cold. I haven't had time nor would I know which wire to hook it to. This is possibly an ignition switch problem as well.

I would like some insight before I start shooting in the dark at this annoying problem.

Any thoughts?

Dan