"97 Ford AM Radio Noise

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Jeff Strickland - 08 Jun 2008 21:57 GMT

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.

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Rodan - 09 Jun 2008 05:59 GMT

"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.

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Jeff Strickland - 09 Jun 2008 15:23 GMT

> "Jeff Strickland" wrote: (1997 F150)
>
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
>
> 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.

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lugnut - 09 Jun 2008 19:16 GMT

>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.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
>I am looking for a TSB, if there is one.

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

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Jeff Strickland - 09 Jun 2008 19:46 GMT

>>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.
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>
> 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 this Message

C. E. White - 10 Jun 2008 13:28 GMT

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

Try these links:

http://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/fulltext/show_article.php?tsb=97-13-18
http://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/fulltext/show_article.php?tsb=02-16-4
http://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/fulltext/index.php?a=view&p=by_model&y=1997&m=F-150

Ed

> 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
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> I am looking for a TSB, if there is one.

Reply to this Message

Jeff Strickland - 10 Jun 2008 16:09 GMT

> Did you look for TSB 97-13-18 JUN 97 Radio - Whining Noise on AM Band
> With A/C ON ?
>
> Try these links:
>
> http://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/fulltext/show_article.php?tsb=97-13-18

This is the one ...

Thanks.

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