UX1 Delco radio only plays static (Page 1/1)
T Top 88 JUL 13, 12:17 AM
Hi all, I've been having an issue with a few Delco UX1 radios I've got. I have two that both have the same issue of only static being able to play, and the displays not functioning. One is in a little rougher of shape, and the other looks brand new on the inside. When connected to the car, the static pitch changes when switching between AM and FM modes, and when the EQ is adjusted. However no music or normal sounds can be heard from either. With an aftermarket head unit installed, the radio plays fine and receives a strong signal, so I'm pretty sure the antenna wire is fine. I've also plugged both into my Dad's Fiero which has a known good working radio, and the issue was present only with the UX1s. I've gone through both and have cleaned all the corrosion that I'm able to find with isopropyl alcohol, and distilled water. I've also re soldered any solder joints that could possibly be bad, and still have had no luck. I've heard that I might have to put new capacitors in the whole thing, but figured I should ask here as well in case anyone has or had the same issue as me. Thanks everyone!

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-White 1988 Fiero GT T-Top (TTOP 88)

T Top 88 AUG 01, 01:02 AM
Update on the Delco UX1 radios:

I decided to open up the worse looking of the two , I tested the amp board connections with the multimeter set to continuity mode, and everything checked out after re flowing a few solder joints. I closed it up and threw it into the car and decided to test the tape deck; And it works! Or at least the tape deck part of it does, the display is still dead and I'm still getting static from the tuner. Opening up the radio again, there are two different bundles of wires that run in between the two main boards, a bundle of three wires, and a bundle of two, after opening it up very carefully, one of the two wires broke off at the board. After removing both wires, I re soldered and attached new ones to the board (the old ones were so brittle and short they just broke when moved at all). Throwing it back into the car, the tuner works perfectly! However, the display is barely on with only the "Stereo", "AM", and "FM" lighting up occasionally (sometimes doesn't work at all). All the solder joints seem to be fine, and I've re done a few when testing with the multimeter, but I'm going to continue trying to figure it out. If anyone knows what my problem is, I'd love to know, and would really appreciate it! Otherwise, if I figure it out, I'll post what I find here to help those trying to repair their factory radios!

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-White 1988 Fiero GT T-Top (TTOP 88)

ArthurPeale AUG 01, 02:01 PM
It may need recapping. After nearly 40 years, the electrolytic caps are likely dried out.

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Arthur Peale

T Top 88 AUG 02, 08:07 PM
Final update on the UX1 radio repair:

I continued working on my UX1 Delco radio, and managed to get the display, audio, and all of the lights working. The cause of the flakiness in the display was multiple bad display pin solder joints, and the ground that is shared with one of the lights. Along with those, the ribbon cable that connects the display to the lower of the two horizontal boards had bad solder joints as well. After re-soldering every connection and pin in the display, it's working flawlessly now. The light on the left hand side of the radio responsible for the dial illumination is now working too. I believe this to be due to the shared ground with the display that was re-done. I still plan on replacing the capacitors inside the unit in the future, but as of now. I'm really happy about taking something that was completely broken, and making it work like new again. Hopefully this thread helps anyone who is trying to diagnose and repair their broken factory Delco radio and was having issues finding info like I was on things besides amp board repair!

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-White 1988 Fiero GT T-Top (TTOP 88)

T Top 88 AUG 02, 08:09 PM

quote
Originally posted by ArthurPeale:

It may need recapping. After nearly 40 years, the electrolytic caps are likely dried out.




Thanks for the idea! I was thinking that too, but managed to get the display working after some solder joint work. I definitely plan on recapping it in the near future though!

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-White 1988 Fiero GT T-Top (TTOP 88)