2005 Radio/CD Player intermittently working

[JAT]

My radio is intermittently not coming on. Sometimes it comes on when I start the car and sometimes it doesn’t. I can hit the load button on the CD player and the screen will stay on like it should and the radio is operational and sometimes it won’t but the screen stays on. If I don’t do this it won’t turn on or light up the screen. Anyone dealt with this?

Is the Lincoln LS radio/cd player interchangeable? I’d like to keep the original parts that came with the car in it.

thanks,
JT

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[biddle]

Send it in for repair- https://www.ebay.com/itm/1232206837...d=link&campid=5338236430&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

Removal instructions-

 

[Frankie the Fink]

At 3:29 minutes into that video the radio clearly has power, he then goes on without a pause from what I can see to pull the radio connectors off. Do NOT do that without disconnecting the battery; pretty much a standard safety step when disconnecting ANY electrical component.

 

[edward301]

You can use a radio from many different ford products. I had to repair the radio in one of my T Birds where
some of the front buttons did not work. I ended up getting a radio from a Freestar van. What you have to
do is get a radio where all the buttons match yours, and carefully look at the display and make sure all the
symbols in the display match your radios display. I ended up taking good parts out of the Freestar radio
and installing them in my T Bird radio. Everything worked perfectly after that. Radio was $55 on ebay.

 

[biddle]

You can use a radio from many different ford products. I had to repair the radio in one of my T Birds where
some of the front buttons did not work. I ended up getting a radio from a Freestar van. What you have to
do is get a radio where all the buttons match yours, and carefully look at the display and make sure all the
symbols in the display match your radios display. I ended up taking good parts out of the Freestar radio
and installing them in my T Bird radio. Everything worked perfectly after that. Radio was $55 on ebay.

Or replace with a modern head unit-

Alpine ILX-W650 touch screen- Android Auto- Bluetooth

I completed an Alpine ILX-W650 touch screen/Android Auto install on my TBird. Bought it along with the harness kit including the steering wheel kit. I also bought a microbypass cable from Amazon to eliminate the parking brake problem. Took me a total of about 3 hours to remove and install. Just...

forums.fordthunderbirdforum.com

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Intermittent problems are the worst; it could be anything from a loose/corroded connection on the back of the unit to an internal component gradually failing. If you want an answer you'll have to pull the unit out but then you are 1/2 way done with the work to replace it with something more modern,

 

[JW in Dixie]

2004 FM and CD quit working. AM works. Any ideas?? Thx

 

[biddle]

2004 FM and CD quit working. AM works. Any ideas?? Thx

Send it in for repair or buy an Alpine touchscreen

Repair- https://www.ebay.com/itm/1232206837...d=link&campid=5338236430&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

 

[Jeffb1062]

I decided to see if my cd player would work. I looked through all the older posts so I had time I pulled the radio out to see if I could figure he problem out ,well as I was handling the radio sounded like marbles inside so I continued to take it apart and these parts came out. So my cd player doesn’t work it Going to stay that way too

 

[Bob Kier]

Can't load CD's into the radio/CD player. Followed all instructions in the owner's manual to load CD's but it doesn't address this issue. Pressed the "load" button and it showed that all the CD slots were empty, but the front door (CD slot) will not open... the radio screen also reads "slots full" but they don't seem to be. I can hear faint mechanical noises coming from the dash, but the door won't open no matter what. The "slots full" readout goes away after a few seconds. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[biddle]

Can't load CD's into the radio/CD player. Followed all instructions in the owner's manual to load CD's but it doesn't address this issue. Pressed the "load" button and it showed that all the CD slots were empty, but the front door (CD slot) will not open... the radio screen also reads "slots full" but they don't seem to be. I can hear faint mechanical noises coming from the dash, but the door won't open no matter what. The "slots full" readout goes away after a few seconds. Thanks for any suggestions!

Send it in for repair or buy an Alpine touchscreen

Repair- https://www.ebay.com/itm/1232206837...pid=5338236430&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

 

[Eventhorizon]

Looking to find a repair shop for or replacement for media center/CD player.

The OEM used are asking $400. Bought one off Ebay that was "guaranteed fit" and it's not even close.

Suggestions?

 

[biddle]

Send it in for repair or buy an Alpine touchscreen

Repair- https://www.ebay.com/itm/1232206837...pid=5338236430&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

 

[Tnargrant]

Get rid of it and the giant CD player. You can replace it with a bluetooth touchscreen. Toggle switches and gauges will fit as well.