Toyota corolla radio problem

fonecrusher1

Got myself a boring but pleasant little 2000 toyota corolla 1.4 vvti. Everything works & its in decent condition for a 10 year old car. No rattles or anything.
BUT...of course theres always one thing isn't there. The bloody radio is doing my head in.:mad::mad:
The dash display works perfectly, there is a radio reception but theres something wrong with it cause all i can tune in is a couple of rubbish foreign stations in AM frequency & nothing comes in on FM 1 2 or 3!!!!
Can anybody please offer some advise?

Im really trying to avoid going to a toyota service center because they'll charge me a fortune.
I bought a Haynes manual for the car but it really doesn't provide any useful info for this issue.

Ideas please!!!:o

-checked fuses....nothing wrong.
-checked antennae....seems fine.
-read radio controls section in drivers manual....no help.

Stoolbend

Common fault in those radios. I think it used to be about €80 to get get it repaired. You might be better off getting an aftermarket cd player instead.

Atlantic Dawn

Not too sure of a solution, I'd first try to disconnect your battery for 5 mins and reconnect, this should reset the radio to factory settings and if it's still a problem then it would look like a new radio or a repair is on the cards.

fonecrusher1

OK lads thanks. Ive a few things to do tomorrow so.

- Disconnect battery for a while (as AD said) & reconnect, might get a result.
- Remove roof mounted aerial & refit.
- Remove heating control facia to gain access to head unit to check if a lead has become detached or something.

If all these fail then im going to have to bite the bullet & go into the local toyota service garage.:mad::rolleyes:

colm_mcm

Check the aerial, sometimes they leak water and rust, I've heard of water leaking down through the coaxial cable and damaging the stereo bizzare as it sounds. Best to relcace the unit with a cd player either way as those stereos are tempremental at the best of times.

fonecrusher1

colm_mcm wrote: »

Check the aerial, sometimes they leak water and rust, I've heard of water leaking down through the coaxial cable and damaging the stereo bizzare as it sounds. Best to relcace the unit with a cd player either way as those stereos are tempremental at the best of times.

Ok colm, will do.

Can you tell me, the actual head unit in the 2000 to 2002 corolla's, is it the boring little cassette tape module with the little storage area underneath or the iluminated display above the heating controls on the dash.??? And would it be difficult to fit an aftermarket unit?

Cheers.

colm_mcm

the headunit is the top part, the cassette unit can be replaced by a single or 6 cd unit.

I presume yours is a liftback, never heard of a saloon having aerial problems.

fitting an aftermarket unit is childsplay and has been covered on boards loads of times.

I'm all for using a facia adaptor and fitting the new radio in the top part of the dash as on the older 97-00 Corollas, some prefer to replace the cassette unit with an aftermarket CD player, but I think it looks silly.

fonecrusher1

colm_mcm wrote: »

I presume yours is a liftback, never heard of a saloon having aerial problems.

I'm all for using a facia adaptor and fitting the new radio in the top part of the dash as on the older 97-00 Corollas, some prefer to replace the cassette unit with an aftermarket CD player, but I think it looks silly.

Ha ha you know your stuff about toyota's alright:D, it is the 5 door corolla Liftback model!

Right so i'l remove the top display unit with the blue backlit display & have a poke around to see if anythings come loose or theres any water damage.

Thats the annoying thing about the 2000 - 2002 corolla's the stereo is embedded in the dash.:mad:

colm_mcm

see past threads here and here for details

The saloons have the older style aerial on the A pillar which never gives trouble.

It's not that big a job to get the stereo out once you find out how it's secured.

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote: »

the headunit is the top part, the cassette unit can be replaced by a single or 6 cd unit.

I presume yours is a liftback, never heard of a saloon having aerial problems.

fitting an aftermarket unit is childsplay and has been covered on boards loads of times.

I'm all for using a facia adaptor and fitting the new radio in the top part of the dash as on the older 97-00 Corollas, some prefer to replace the cassette unit with an aftermarket CD player, but I think it looks silly.

My old man actually had a 00 saloon that had the same problem with the radio. Never got around to fixing it though as he doesn't really use the radio.

fonecrusher1

colm_mcm wrote: »

see past threads here and here for details

The saloons have the older style aerial on the A pillar which never gives trouble.

It's not that big a job to get the stereo out once you find out how it's secured.

Sound man colm. Thanks.:)

colm_mcm

bazz26 wrote: »

My old man actually had a 00 saloon that had the same problem with the radio. Never got around to fixing it though as he doesn't really use the radio.

Even if you get it fixed, the volume control or the buttons could stop working, not worth fixing when aftermarket units are so cheap these days.

The headunits are the same for saloons and liftbacks, so problems with the unit itself will be the same.

Redisle

colm_mcm wrote: »

the headunit is the top part, the cassette unit can be replaced by a single or 6 cd unit.

I presume yours is a liftback, never heard of a saloon having aerial problems.

fitting an aftermarket unit is childsplay and has been covered on boards loads of times.

I'm all for using a facia adaptor and fitting the new radio in the top part of the dash as on the older 97-00 Corollas, some prefer to replace the cassette unit with an aftermarket CD player, but I think it looks silly.

You lose all the other functions of the screen then though.
Trip/Temp/Time all gone.

I got one of these cars recently too and I need to get some music other than the damn radio! I read that it's possible to open up the tape deck and splice some wires into the tape deck pickup and connect to a 3.5mm input. Then insert blank tape and connect mp3 player to new 3.5mm port at a low volume level.. Going to try it after the exams. (Better than using one of those tapes with wires attached, they sound awful)

If that fails I will most likely replace the tape deck!

Op you could probably get a replacement cassette deck at a scrap yard, although you would be much better off getting an after market stereo..

Oh yeah, these things really do redefine the meaning of dull, I was driving an old 1.5D Saxo before this and it was a more engaging drive!

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote: »

Even if you get it fixed, the volume control or the buttons could stop working, not worth fixing when aftermarket units are so cheap these days.

The headunits are the same for saloons and liftbacks, so problems with the unit itself will be the same.

Yeah the radio was crap in them, like something Fisher Price would make. The volume button was also broken when he traded it a good few years back.

colm_mcm

Never heard anything bad about Fisher Price

fonecrusher1

This is annoying. Carried out all the checks on the radio problem. Diagnosis: Radio unit is fcuked. Have to get a new one or try to find an aftermarket stereo that fits. Fair enough.

Now another problem has arisen.:mad::mad: Since i disconnected the battery & then reconnected it, the hazard lights are coming on in 20 second stints then switching off for a few minutes & coming on for another 20 seconds????

What the hell is that about? Its still happening as i type!!!

Any advise please.

Stoolbend

Does it have an alarm fitted?

fonecrusher1

barry81 wrote: »

Does it have an alarm fitted?

I think so. Theres no alarm noise though. Its seems to have stopped but something else has start happening.....this is hilarious.... I now have the engine symbol lit up on the dash & shes hesitating a bit when i accelerate????? WTF?!

OK so ive a few things to do tomorrow again.:rolleyes:

Hesitation during acceleration is often associated with dirty fuel filters or manky/worn sparkplugs so i'l check them out straight away.
The engine light coming on is a bit of a worry though.

I have a feeling this car needs a couple of things sorted & hope its not going to cost me too much.

Hey, gotta correct colm on this one about the stereo, i drive a 01 corolla and fitted an after market stereo 3 years ago.

The unit on the top is simply a control unit with a screen for the head unit (which, believe it or not, is the tape deck on the bottom) plus your trip computer.

The tape deck is actually the heart of the stereo system, all the wiring for it is behind it, 3 different plugs if I remember correctly, only 2 of which have the cables you need for an after market stereo.

Its fairly handy to fit an aftermarket stereo but the thing is you have to leave the unit on the top in place. So in the end it looks like you have 2 stereos in the car!!

And your trip computer will still work fine too.

Also, pull out the tape deck and check the antenna cable to see if its loose. Might solve your problem.

fonecrusher1

shaaane wrote: »

Hey, gotta correct colm on this one about the stereo, i drive a 01 corolla and fitted an after market stereo 3 years ago.

The unit on the top is simply a control unit with a screen for the head unit (which, believe it or not, is the tape deck on the bottom) plus your trip computer.

The tape deck is actually the heart of the stereo system, all the wiring for it is behind it, 3 different plugs if I remember correctly, only 2 of which have the cables you need for an after market stereo.

Its fairly handy to fit an aftermarket stereo but the thing is you have to leave the unit on the top in place. So in the end it looks like you have 2 stereos in the car!!

And your trip computer will still work fine too.

Also, pull out the tape deck and check the antenna cable to see if its loose. Might solve your problem.

Well shaaane i have to agree with you. I removed the center console & had a look around the back of the cassette unit & it is indeed the main audio unit. The integrated backlight display pod up in the dash is only for showing radio stations/trip comp/time etc.

I presume yours has the same interior as mine. Are you sure an aftermarket stereo fits without an adapter facia or do you have to cut a bit out of the existing facia?

Paulj

I bought a 2002 model and had the exact same problem with the radio. Luckily was able to get it sorted under warranty. They said they had to replace an amplifier inside.

I'm now thinking of getting a new radio off ALDI or LIDL or something like that. Basically i want something that'll play mp3's and i can listen to the radio. I tried out one of the fm transmitter yokes from dealextreme.com and it didn't work out very well. If i did buy a car cd player from aldi/lidl where is a good place to buy the adaptor required to convert the speaker cable at the back?

fonecrusher1

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Well shaaane i have to agree with you. I removed the center console & had a look around the back of the cassette unit & it is indeed the main audio unit. The integrated backlight display pod up in the dash is only for showing radio stations/trip comp/time etc.

I presume yours has the same interior as mine. Are you sure an aftermarket stereo fits without an adapter facia or do you have to cut a bit out of the existing facia?

Hey, sorry for the late reply.

My stereo fitted perfectly, the only thing was that i had to leave off the little clip on frame that goes around the face plate. You shouldn't have to modify the centre console in any way. The after market stereo bolts onto the existing frame that the tape deck is mounted on, so you dont need the metal reciever that comes with it.

Paulj

Paulj wrote: »

If i did buy a car cd player from aldi/lidl where is a good place to buy the adaptor required to convert the speaker cable at the back?

Halfords or ebay. Might have a wiring diagram if you want to chance doing a bit of snipping and re-wiring? Thats what I did.

fonecrusher1

shaaane wrote: »

Hey, sorry for the late reply.

My stereo fitted perfectly, the only thing was that i had to leave off the little clip on frame that goes around the face plate. You shouldn't have to modify the centre console in any way. The after market stereo bolts onto the existing frame that the tape deck is mounted on, so you dont need the metal reciever that comes with it.

Well i swapped out the factory radio/cassette unit & put in a nice little JVC stereo with cd & usb port. Easy enough job really, took me about 20 minutes with a couple of screw drivers. I couldn't be bothered snipping wires & connecting the car wires with the new stereo so i took the lazy option & bought an adapter in halfords.:D
Whoever is thinking of doing the same to their corolla be warned; theres very little room in the toyota heating/radio facia so buy a stereo that has a smallish front panel otherwise you will have to cut sections out of the car facia!! If the new stereo has a bulky front it aint gonna fit.

Anyway happy days.

thirdrocker

Had radio reception problem with 2002 corolla 5 door. The gasket around the aerial base had deteriorated. Eventually water got through the seal inside the base and corroded the in-built amplifier housed inside it. Removed the base from the car and soldered the co-axe lead direct to the aerial contacts......problem solved. Gasket gunked it all back into place.....happy days......140 for new one from toyota and 40 for new spurious one.......