old d
yes what i thought too - altho the main plug to the radio contains a ground. i alternately tried 'manually' grounding the whole unit when i was probing around.. to no effect.
a continuity light showed good power to the unit on the the 3 available wires.
i also checked the ground to the attenna in the trunk. it looked good.

so it could be TLJ at work!

i'm not complaining as you can imagine...

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

84300DT

What is the nature of the oily gunk that you found on the connections at the back of the Becker? I have found a similar kind of stuff saturating the loomed cables in my radio dash area. Am wondering if it might be oil leaking from vacuum line to ign key area or possibly the pressure gauge line. I have checked my gauge line and that does not appear to be the problem, however the PO had changed the ign lock module. Suspect the failure may have had something to do with the oil appearance in back of the radio?!?

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1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150

If the 123 is like the 124, the radio runs in series with the antenna. I would check the electrical conections to the antenna as well.

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1996 (W210) E300D 86K - Traded in for a Lexus
1992 (W124) 300D 2.5 Turbo 202K - Sold
1983 (W123) 300D, 146K - Sold
1970 280S, 263K - Sold - Beginning of addiction

lycomin -
well i don't really know what the black junque was cause it was kinda sticky and that points away from oil. as you say perhaps it was coming off the black tape stuff that's wrapped around some of the wire bundles nearby. i don't think it could be from the ignition area (too far away)
i got ok current on the test light on all 3 12v wires going to the back of the radio (acc,lights,constant 12v)
i'm gonna also take sloemoe's idea and do a better check of the antenna area in the trunk (only checked the ground sofar) cause i think water may have been leaking in back there..

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

There may be an amplifier in the back right part of the trunk and if check if there is a blown fuse in it

thanks but i do not think there is an amplifier. for now to get this old becker to work i am 'tapping' on the top of the radio's case just aft of the faceplate to get it to turn on/off. when i do this it works... for a while anyway ..
it must be a short somewhere in the radio's innards.

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP