Hey guys

So I have a 03, Had the finishing circuit board fail on me also getting the cd error. went to go do safety and emissions failed me because he couldn't turn on the defrost so i was forced to replace it. Started looking at double din replacements however i decided to just replace the circuit board for now then get the double din done later. Found one for about $80 bucks said ok screw it. got it in today plugged it all up still didn't work so I got a little upset thinking I had to replace the radio as well thought to myself well maybe I missed hooking up a wire somewhere in the radio ( i disassembled it and did some work on it to hopefully fix the error ) got it taken apart again, nope didn't miss anything. So I started to look over the unit and found the issue that was causing the circuit board to not work. on the bottom of the radio near the hazard light button there is a ribbon wire, it goes from the circuit board to the radio when it meets the radio it is sandwiched between two metal plates i removed the front metal plate on the tape deck so the ribbon could breathe plugged the stereo and board in. sure enough it started working, So i tried my original board same thing its working now!

So if anyone is having the same issue with it not working you may want to try that before you buy replacements or go double din! BTW my cd error FO is gone and 6 disk works again. i lubed the hell outta the internals lol dont think its a solid fix but hey it worked. ill post pictures of the wire and location when i get time!

 

Good deal. But you should still replace your HU, you'll enjoy listening much more.

 

thanks ill try this on the weekend

 

K so update

The white wire ribbon i spoke of didn't work and CD error FO came back, giving up on the CD player i went back in and isolated the issue in the radio I have a Bose unit not sure if the board is different or not but once you open up the CD player think it has 7-11 small black screws holding the top plate on. on the back side of the radio there is a cluster of 3 ribbons unplug the middle ribbon you lose all CD function but you gain all ac / other stereo functions back. once i get some spare time I'll up load the pics i took. Personally I don't mind not having the 6 disk CD player I generally use my iPod anyway even when my CD player did work lol. been going on this fix for a couple of days now and not even a hick up! so hopefully this helps a lot of people that still want their ac to work while saving up for a new double din lol

 

Looking forward to the pics.

 

Pics!





So by removing this jumper I was able to regain all control on the circuit board. So if anyone is a circuit board nut i got you pointed in the right direction!

 

Very interesting.

So to recap, you had CD ERR FO on the display and none of the climate or radio controls worked, but by removing the ribbon cable in the middle, the CD stopped working completely, but both climate control and radio are working correctly?

 

yup yup anyway can we sticky this? save some people some frustrations and at least let people regain their a/c & stereo functions till they get a double din.I know I was very frustrated going thru winter with my a/c stuck on 60 high! ohh and no defrost sucked too lol

 

I can confirm this worked for me as well. I disconnected the indicated ribbon cable; my 6-disc changer is now disabled, however tape and radio function normally, and A/C controls returned to normal.

This tells us there is likely a short in the 6-disc changer module somewhere. I will have time in a few weeks to dive in to that in further detail, but for now, I'm just happy to be able to use the radio, A/C, and using a cassette adapter, listen to Pandora and podcasts from my smartphone.

Honestly, if I can integrate a bluetooth adapter, presumably piggybacked on to the "SAT" input, I would have no need for the CD player. Like many others, CD's are becoming old tech.

Until I can find a good recommendation on a hard-wired option, I've been using a Jabra SP700 clip-on bluetooth speakerphone / FM transmitter. With some hunting and pecking, I've found a frequency that is unused everywhere I drive, so I get clear audio via the FM transmitter. Works for now.

 

I took out that middle cable and "fixed it" by 1. Rubbing it with a fine sandpaper and 2. Cutting like 2mm off the tip so that it goes further in and thus makes contact on a different point.
I did this ribbon cable fix to this middle end on the CD side and also to the ribbon cables on the cassette side.
Radio is working fine now!

 

did you have the CD ERROR F0?
or are you saying this fixed the A/C button issue?

damn.. i wish i saw this thread 4 years when i spent $300 for a replace cd player and for it to break again after 6 month under MINIMAL use..

Also.. look into GROM IPOD adaptor with bluetooth.. it works with the SAT button and sounds is VERY clear

 

I dont know about the CD error, i havent used a CD yet.
It did fixed the A/C and radio buttons!!