How to Fix a Nissan Car Radio

by Alibaster Smith

Your Nissan car radio may, over time, start to malfunction. This is to be expected if it is an older Nissan, but even newer Nissans can suffer from a low-end factory installed radio. Nissan normally outfits its low- to mid-level production vehicles with a cheaper radio than its premium or flagship cars. It helps keep the price of the vehicle down while offering an acceptable level of quality. Over time, however, you may begin to experience audio problems that are directly related to the Nissan's radio. When this happens, you'll need to know how to fix a car radio.

Step 1

Listen for sound distortion when you turn the volume up to at least 50 percent of maximum volume. If you are getting distortion at this level, it indicates the wattage is too low on your Nissan's amplifier to drive the factory's speakers. It also can mean the speaker cone may have ripped. To solve this problem, you'll need to have the radio replaced with one that has a higher output amplifier, or you'll need to have the speakers replaced.

Step 2

Listen for a humming sound coming through the audio system while the car is running. If the sound stops when you turn off the engine, you may have feedback being generated through the power leads on the Nissan's alternator or ignition. You can fix this by having a 12v noise filter installed between the Nissan's battery and the amplifier inside the radio head unit.

Step 3

Listen for intermittent sound cutout. If the sound cuts in and out on your Nissan's radio, it can indicate a faulty ground wire. Because the radio system's wiring harness can get quite complex, you probably will have to have this serviced by a qualified mechanic. If you can locate the faulty ground wire on your own, you'll need to remove it, clean the surface that it is secured to and re-secure the ground wire.

Step 4

Check the Nissan's tuner. If your radio is malfunctioning, you may not be able to tune in any radio stations or you may only be able to get one station, or the stations may not come in clearly. Since signal strength from the radio station can affect sound quality, it's important to understand that the problem may not necessarily be with the radio. If you suspect that signal strength is not the issue, you may have a faulty antenna wire. You'll need to have the antenna checked and replaced if necessary by a qualified mechanic.

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