Fixing a common factory radio problem - bad volume control

[jscherb]

I have the very common factory "RBK" AM/FM/CD in both of my '06 Wranglers. I pretty much never use the radio or CD functions, but I always use them with either Sirius on my phone or my ipod. Over the past few years, the volume controls in both Jeeps have stopped working properly - adjusting the volume resulted in random volume numbers showing up on the display and it was almost impossible to adjust the volume reliably.

I removed and disassembled one of the radios to see if I could fix the problem. The fix turned out to be pretty easy, something even someone without any electronics experience can probably do. Since this happened in both of my '06's, it may be a common problem, so I'll document the repair procedure here.

1. Remove the radio from the Jeep.

2. Remove the 4 screws holding the faceplate to the body of the radio using a T-15 driver:

3. Gently pry up the 4 tabs holding the faceplate in place (two on the top and two on the bottom) and remove the faceplate.

4. Pull the volume control knob off its shaft.

5. Remove the connector between the faceplate and the body. I pried each end up with a small screwdriver, alternating sides until it was loose enough to remove.

6. Remove the 6 screws holding the circuit board to the faceplate using a T-10 driver and remove the circuit board.

7. Spray contact cleaner on the volume control. If you look closely you'll see that the control is assembled as a sandwich of several parts, spraying the cleaner into the joints between the parts will allow the cleaner to get where it needs to be. Once it's saturated well, spin the shaft a bunch of times to clean the contacts.

8. Reassemble in the reverse order of disassembly and reinstall in the Jeep.

Having fixed the first one, I'll fix the one in the other Jeep next.

I suspect many factory radios have been discarded because of this common problem, and if you want a new radio this problem can still be a good excuse to buy a new radio, but just be aware that the fix is pretty simple .

 

[TJ Jim]

That’s awesome. Mine had the same problem so I replaced it. Simple fixes sometimes cost more than they should!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

That's a very common problem with old fashioned analog volume controls that have a variable resistor inside, it surprises me that problem would also show up on a digital volume control that doesn't make use of the noise-producing variable resistor. Nice fix, that's the same fix used for the old-fashioned volume controls.

 

[L J]

The factory radio in my '06 LJ has a volume knob issue as well. Occasionally turning the knob has no effect on volume level.

Thanks for taking the time to document your issue and the fix you came up with.

 

[CaliSteve]

I have two original radios with the same problem, thank you for your post, gives me something to do on a rainy day.

 

[Fulton_Hogan]

Thank you for writing this up, @jscherb! My radio's knob recently started acting up and this will get me started.

My radio turns on, but no sound. Cycling through AM, FM, Source sometimes got sound out of it. Throwing in a CD also worked.

I found that pressing and holding the knob in a moment got repeatable results, meaning sound worked when pressing power on.

Obviously not the exact same problem, but good to know how to start.

 

[Fulton_Hogan]

Well, nuts.

Attempting this totally bit me in the ass. After disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly I'm now worse off.

My radio has power, it displays 12:00 when I connect the battery; however, when I push the Power knob, I get nothing.

Not only that, but the potentiometer has lost its spring; meaning it's spongy and doesn't return on its own.

And none of the faceplate buttons work either.

I've uninstalled, checked everything, and reinstalled twice. Sigh.

I thought maybe I didn't seat the faceplate ribbon cable enough, or the silicone behind the buttons went back in misaligned, but nope.

However, I'm thankful I restarted depression meds this week.

 

[txbemis69]

have fixed a couple oem head units and a old jam box doing the contact cleaner thing. opted for a new head unit when mine started acting up. my new kenwood marine head unit was just shipped out for repair a few days ago after it lost its mind and quit working properly. they just don’t make things like they used to quality wise anymore. smdh!

 

[Fulton_Hogan]

I just ordered a new-to-me stock radio. I'll try it out first, testing it's not some larger issue before I get anything more expensive and get frustrated.

Honestly, if I found the correct potentiometer and had more confidence in my soldering, I would be tempted to try removing and replacing the original.

Modern aftermarket radios just don't do it for me.

 

[SSTJ]

Grateful for this thread. My volume knob is acting up, and a few other buttons only work when I push on them at a certain angle. Should I treat those other buttons in the same way, with some contact cleaner?

 

[WestCoastDan]

I fixed this by upgrading the radio.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

Grateful for this thread. My volume knob is acting up, and a few other buttons only work when I push on them at a certain angle. Should I treat those other buttons in the same way, with some contact cleaner?

Spray the contact cleaner on a q-tip and then clean each of the contacts on the circuit board, then use some alcohol to clean the back of the buttons.

Then realize you can do better than the factory radio, get a nicer head unit, replace the speakers, and use the alcohol internally to relax knowing you have better sound in your Jeep...

My factory HU decided it wanted to keep CDs all to itself, and thus it became a relic and got replaced with a mech-less unit with car play...

 

[SSTJ]

Grateful for this thread. My volume knob is acting up, and a few other buttons only work when I push on them at a certain angle. Should I treat those other buttons in the same way, with some contact cleaner?

Got it taken apart. Now just need some contact cleaner.

My 97–02 style head unit required a bit more disassembly. To remove the front panel, I had to remove the four screws, pull off the volume knob, and also pull off each of the EQ sliders. Pic below.

Then, I had to disassemble each of the buttons. First came a metal tab, then a plastic button, and then the green rubber nipple below that. The nipple has a black conductor inside that contacts the two metal tabs immediately below.

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