1986 Rivvie radio problem...help

[jake1960]

I was just given a 1986 Riv from my Uncle. The radio sounds like it is working but maybe the antenna is not plugged in. (Static but no sound) I started to disassemble the dash and the monitor but gave up after not seeing the antennae wire. Is the radio part of the touch screen monitor or is it located somewhere entirely different?

The antennea wire to the power ant is hooked up. The car has a smashed front bumper so maybe a wire came loose? The tape player works so I know it's not the speakers bad.

Any help is appreciated,

Jake

[NTX5467]

As I recall, "everthing" goes through the touch screen--heat and a/c climate controls, radio, engine gauges, and diagnostics--really quite neat. If the touch screen is just basically the "control head", then there will be another "box" that is the "guts and amplifier" for the radio somewhere under the instrument panel, I suspect. That's where the antenna lead-in will be plugged into, not the touch screen itself (it is a fancy CRT just like a television tube, basically, that relies on other circuitry to make it work, just like a more modern touch screen computer setup).

You might head down to your local GM dealership and ask them to pull up a picture of the sound system for your car on their computerized GM Parts database. It should, hopefully, detail the radio system on the car. You might also trace the antenna lead-in and check it for degradation or possible water seepage into the coax from any cable joints (as the initial cable from the antenna itself that plugs into the rest of the coax going to the radio box). There might also be an illustration of the power antenna and the related coax lead-in cables between the antenna and the radio box too. The problem could be an age issue with the antenna itself too.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Rawja]

The radio is located in the center console below the ashtray.

Come check out the Reatta board, as the Reatta and the Riviera are the same car with different body styles. All the technical expertise you require are there.