Radio button stuck

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Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
1,281
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29
Location
New Jersey
My Car
1973 Mustang Convertible (Mach I Tribute)
When out cruising I figured how cool to play Meatloaf.

So I pick up NOS cassette of Bat out of Hell and popped it in and it was working.

I pushed in the play (rev/fwd) button to pop it out and the button is now stuck into the radio and it sounds like

it's also stuck either in rev or fwd. I as able to get the cassette out but no luck with getting the button out.

So because of the button being stuck in now the radio won't even play.  I do know that even though not a stock Mustang radio it's been there since 1998.

Any ideas of how to fix or am I now looking at replacing the radio with an aftermarket?

How hard to remove if that's what I need to do?

Thanks

Radio.jpg

 
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Don't know on how to fix radio but to remove it is not that bad. Should be able to take the 4 screws holding the radio bezel and pull it out far enough to remove radio wiring connector and antenna lead. Remove knobs and nuts to remove from bezel. Once out you might be able to get you buttons to pop out.

Good luck.

 
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Don't know on how to fix radio but to remove it is not that bad.  Should be able to take the 4 screws holding the radio bezel and pull it out far enough to remove radio wiring connector and antenna lead.  Remove knobs and nuts to remove from bezel.  Once out you might be able to get you buttons to pop out.

Good luck.
 Kilgon, you forgot to add "and if that fails, take it to a specialist in vintage car radios and have it rebuilt"

 I say this because, although mine is not a cassette deck radio, wish it were, the buttons were sticking and then the FM quit. Not necessarily connected issues, but the radio went through a complete rebuild with new capacitors and just about anything else that was soon to quit. The guy did a great job and well worth the 250 bucks Cdn it cost me.

Just sayin'

Geoff.

 
Don't know on how to fix radio but to remove it is not that bad.  Should be able to take the 4 screws holding the radio bezel and pull it out far enough to remove radio wiring connector and antenna lead.  Remove knobs and nuts to remove from bezel.  Once out you might be able to get you buttons to pop out.

Good luck.
 Kilgon, you forgot to add "and if that fails, take it to a specialist in vintage car radios and have it rebuilt"

 I say this because, although mine is not a cassette deck radio, wish it were, the buttons were sticking and then the FM quit. Not necessarily connected issues, but the radio went through a complete rebuild with new capacitors and just about anything else that was soon to quit. The guy did a great job and well worth the 250 bucks Cdn it cost me.

Just sayin'

Geoff.
Since my Stang isn't original and for a $250, I'll replace it with a retro radio that has blue tooth if I can't get that button unstuck.

 
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After you get it out, just take the covers off, inspect it to see if anything is obviously messed up or broken. Likely just needs cleaning and lubrication. Get some electronic spray cleaner and clean the inside of the radio, especially the mechanical parts. And, while you're in there get some electronic spray lubricant/cleaner and lightly spray the moving parts. I would also spray some in the potentiometers (volume, bass/treble, balance/fader controls) to get rid of that scratchy sound when you adjust something.

 
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 I say this because, although mine is not a cassette deck radio, wish it were, the buttons were sticking and then the FM quit. Not necessarily connected issues, but the radio went through a complete rebuild with new capacitors and just about anything else that was soon to quit. The guy did a great job and well worth the 250 bucks Cdn it cost me.

Just sayin'

Geoff.
Since my Stang isn't original and for a $250, I'll replace it with a retro radio that has blue tooth if I can't get that button unstuck.
 Yes, I thought about that option too, but as I had already got 'stung' for 200 bucks for what was supposedly and I quote " Professionally rebuilt" AM/FM Mustang radio, that turned out to have never been opened judging by the amount of crud in there, I decided to keep the radio and have it done by a real Professional. My choice. Because of a 35% difference in currency, a modern replacement retro radio would have cost me quite a bit more and that influenced my choice to rebuild.

Geoff.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
 I say this because, although mine is not a cassette deck radio, wish it were, the buttons were sticking and then the FM quit. Not necessarily connected issues, but the radio went through a complete rebuild with new capacitors and just about anything else that was soon to quit. The guy did a great job and well worth the 250 bucks Cdn it cost me.

Just sayin'

Geoff.
Since my Stang isn't original and for a $250, I'll replace it with a retro radio that has blue tooth if I can't get that button unstuck.
 Yes, I thought about that option too, but as I had already got 'stung' for 200 bucks for what was supposedly and I quote " Professionally rebuilt" AM/FM Mustang radio, that turned out to have never been opened judging by the amount of crud in there, I decided to keep the radio and have it done by a real Professional. My choice. Because of a 35% difference in currency, a modern replacement retro radio would have cost me quite a bit more and that influenced my choice to rebuild.

Geoff.
Sort of reminds me when I had my C4 rebuilt. Having some trouble less than a year later and brought it now to a local shop. It appears whatever the first shop did it didn't rebuild the C4. Had my new shop do it and confirmed no rebuild on the first as I saw the original C4 parts that were worn. Unfort no recourse against the first shop as it was farmed out from a client of mine who owned a body shop. Obvious to say that soured our relationship.

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Boy, glad to be "old school". I tried with a metal hanger to loop it in and to pull out the button. It did work a little but the button went back in.

Then I said WTH and banged on the front of the radio (like we did many years ago with banging on the side of a TV when it didn't work). While the button didn't pop out, the radio starting working again. Guessing the setting for the cassette must have unstuck even with the button in.

So now the radio is working.

Anybody want to buy a NOS cassette of Meatloaf, Bat out of Hell?

 
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