Questions and Answers
Jeep Antenna
Q. I need help with my 1994 Jeep Cherokee radio. It will not play all of the time. When it does play, it has a lot of noise and static in it. Kind of like the noise you make when you breath or rub your hand over a microphone. How's that for a description!!
The cassette plays fine and doesn't have any problems. Just the radio part has problems. I wonder if it has something to do with the antenna, because it will only pick up one local channel. It doesn't even pick it up all the time. I tried to inspect the antenna wire, but I can't figure out how to get it out of the fender well to see if it's the problem. I also don't know how to check to see if it has a problem at the radio end. Any help would be greatly appreciated to save dealer repair costs.
Thanks so much,
KimA. It does sound like an antenna connection gone bad. What you can do is pull the radio out and plug another antenna in. If it improves, then you know for sure it is an antenna problem. If there is no improvement, then it's the radio itself.
To take the radio out:
- Remove instrument cluster bezel attaching screws, then gently snap bezel from instrument panel.
- Remove the two radio retaining screws, then pull radio out gently and disconnect electrical connector and antenna lead.
- Remove radio from vehicle
If we determine it is the antenna you have to remove the inner fender well. Then, from above, there is a ring around the base of the antenna that has two or four slots in it. Using an appropriate tool, remove the ring and the antenna will drop down and come out the bottom. Now it's just a matter of fishing the old antenna wire out and the new one in.
A little tip, tie a piece of stout string to the old wire as you pull it out and then tie it to the end of the new one. Sometimes it makes it a lot easier to get the new one in.
Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
