Hey guys, so I found a UP3 CD player on ebay and bought it for my Firebird. I have fixed my original radio but there is an issue with the AMP on the right rear speaker and the station select buttons are mostly sticking.
So I opt for a newer Radio, same one as in my wifes 1999 Grand Prix. It has the 7 band EQ, etc. Really nice radio.

I am sure you are all aware of the volume control issue these radios have. And of course this one has the same problem. So how do I fix it?

I believe the part number is: 16209722 for this on/off volume control switch. Can these be purchased anywhere? I have no issues doing my own soldering, I worked at a manufaturer for 14 years soldering, etc.

Also years ago I put in an external AMP and boom box with 2 subwoofers. THe speakers were Lanzar 10 in subs. They were blown so I bought similar ones online. Cant get them to work either. Not sure if the AMP is bad, although it gets power. but first I need to tackle the volume issue on the newer radio above. Appreciate any help.

Hey there is a car show in Rhinebeck NY this weekend, hoping to get up there and find parts for my bird.

 

PS I want to add a 3.5mm socket to this radio too. Any info on instructions for this radio would be great, thanks again.

 

I assume you mean the volume control is wacky? usually from people over spinning the ****. I have had success with spinning it back the opposite way a few times and getting it back to zero.

For an easy AUX installation use this. You can also solder right into the board but that takes more precision.

 

Thanks!

Yes I am taking about the volume and no matter which way you turn it the volume goes up or down or nothing. Drives me crazy. I know it can be fixed and I can solder NP. So I would like to fix this and add mp3.

 

Volume **** can be bought here.

http://www.corvetteradios.com/corvetteradios_021.htm

 

Man I love this website! you folks are awesome!! Thanks for all the info!!

 

Try cleaning the volume with some sort of cleaner spray if your willing to take your radio apart a little...I've "fixed" about a dozen UP3 radio volume problems by just cleaning.


Can of Cleaner/lubricant from Radio Shack



The radio/tuner controls (shown upside down)...2-4 tiny ports on top and one in back





After letting the cleaner work for a while spin the volume a few times...if the volume's "clicking" sound is louder than the tuner you've cleaned it right...works every time!!!...Hope this helps!

 

Folks, very much appreciated! What a great source to find answers. I will give the cleaning a try first. If not, I can order a replacement. Perfect!

 

Hey folks

Ok I have the radio all apart. However this bad boy has a very thin ribbon cable and a 4 wire connector. I am thinking I need to splice into the ribbon cable.. that is not going to be fun. I attached a picture. So where do I splice in the 3.5 pin connector? Thanks.

 

The audio signal should be in the same spot. You can test by powering the deck up and using a old pair of headphones or speakers and touching each pin until you hear sound come out.

 

So I have to splice into the thin ribbon cable right?? Very small area to work on as well. Has any one else seen this kind of cable? If so how and where do I attach the 3.5 connector? Thanks.

 

Yeah you would have to tap into it. I have seen pics of people cutting into ribbon cables like that. Once you find the left and right channels use the diagram I posted to wire it to the jack.

 

So to locate the channels do I touch the old speakers on both ends? Meaning one on the main board side connector and one on the CD side connector? Or both one the main board connector?

 

Leave it connected on both ends and put a cd in. ground the one speaker wire and use the + to touch each pin until you hear music. Try the same pins listed in that diagram first.

 

The Wraith

Thanks for all the info. Which side to I touch the + on? the mainboard or the CD board? Or does it matter?

Unfortunatly this will be a pain to do anyway. Its so small and i have to do this while its in the car, dont have a bench setup to power it, etc. I figure I can solder the cat 5 wires to the connectors on both boards once I confirm which ones i use. But testing will be a pain.

The CD is also giving out e20 errors on burned CDs, not a big deal if I can get this 3.5 connector working.

Some good news, the volume is FIX!!!! Thanks to 1tuffTA, I cleaned as stated and BOOM!! Works GREAT! Thanks for that!

 

Doesn't matter. The deck you have must be an early model, every one I have taken apart has had red wires. if you get a pigtail from a yard car you can bench test it with a battery or pack. That is what I usually do. I have a pile of decks here but none of them are ribbon. Otherwise I would test one here and find the signal for you. There is a way to do it directly from the board. Someone posted it here just do a search if you want to go that route.

 

Do NOT tap into the ribbon cable for the CD. Then you will have to run a blank CD every time you want to use the aux jack.

There is another way to do it. I will post pictures here in a few minutes.

 

Didn't even have to take pictures. Post #5 in the following thread will have what you want. Post #5 only. The pics in Post #3 are from a different style radio. Let me know if you have any other questions.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/car-...t-4th-gen.html

 

You can run any cd. You unplug the jack and it switches back to cd. I haven't used CDs in years so it was no bother to me.

 

Glad it worked for you!...saw someone on e-bay wanting 30-40 bucks to do the same thing + shipping charges both ways!

BTW the pics in the other post works great...I used them to install aux jacks for both style radios.

 

Thanks, Post 5 is the radio and it shows the ribbon cable i was talking about. So It says to "cut" the connection, does he mean to scratch a break in the circuit board itself?? The pictures help but the are a little ruff so I am not sure about what he is saying about cutting the connection.

 

As for the CD player it could be a bad burn CD, or maybe the CD player itself is bad. I bought it off EBAY tested but who knows. Like you said Wraith if I get this working who cares about the CD player!

 

1tuffTA, thanks again!! And thanks to everyone else, I really appreciated it!

 

Yes...you scratch a break in the circuit board.

 

Just an FYI. When tapping into the ribbon cable for the CD player the radio will require a blank CD in the player for the AUX jack to work. This is counterproductive especially when the CD drive is not working or quits working which is common in these units. It is much better to tap into the AM/FM signal pre-amp.

 

Any cd will work. You can also trick the CD mechanism (broken or not) to switch to Aux. I have never had problems with later GM cd players. If it breaks you have a half broken radio in your car that should probably be replaced anyway, but you can still get AUX to work regardless.


Either way is fine. I did see something about people getting mono sound out if the am/fm method.

 

Hey guys, just an update, I finally got to do all of this stuff. The volume issue is fixed and I soldered in the 3.5 pin as the link shown. I am very happy and thanks for all the input, now on to some other wiring gremlins.....

 

They get spun it because GM didn't put a decent amp in it. If you connect an external music source to it, the volume is low no matter what.

If you spin it back, sometimes it will come all the way back around.