Using my turn signals or brights turns my radio off and on again?

[mbboy]

Title says it all, guys. When I use the turn signals on my 81 380sl, or turn my brights on or off, my radio will turn off and come right back on again -- not always, but enough to bother me.

I'm pretty sure it can't be a fuse, because the radio and the turn signals would just stop working in that case. So, before I pull the radio or signal stalk out and start digging into the wiring, I was hoping someone might be able to tell me what else to look for.

Thanks in advance.

[RadioTek]

Most likeley cause is a bad ground. There is a known problem with the grounding of the instrument cluster. The recommended fix is to add another ground lead from the cluster to the frame of the car. You might want to look into that.

Also, go through the light units at the corners, look for a corroded ground connector. You might even want to tighten down any connectors you find.

A small side note on the fuses: The stock fuses in the car are made from aluminum conductors over ceramic bodies. There is a known problem with dis-similar metals corrosion between the aluminum fuse and the brass holders. The "fix" for this is to remove each fuse one at a time, buff the ends with acoarse cloth (not abrasive), and apply a tiny dab of contact grease to each end before replacing it. The grease eliminates oxygen and moisture from the contact area to prevent future corrosion. The contact grease is available in small envelopes at auto supply stores for a nominal amount.

Just a few ideas,
Scott

[meltedpanda]

have you done any thing that might have led to this issue, taking out or moving the dash pod could have done it ( the ground issue discussed with first post) . I always retrace my steps when it comes to electrical gremlins. Check also your radio ground

[mbboy]

Originally Posted by meltedpanda

taking out or moving the dash pod could have done it ( the ground issue discussed with first post) . I always retrace my steps when it comes to electrical gremlins. Check also your radio ground

Yep. You hit it on the head again, Panda. But it wasn't the ground, because I ran a new ground from the radio to the chassis and I still had the problem

It was the old "cluster f _ _ k." I forgot that I removed the cluster because my seat belt light was flashing briefly now and then. So I pulled the seat belt bulb along with its holder out of the cluster, and just left it hanging. Mistake!

As the wiring diagram shows, the power to the radio and cluster are also related
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/attachments/r-c107-sl-slc-class/329133d1283649174-help-original-radio-wiring-81-380sl-new-bitmap-image.jpg.

So when I reinstalled the seat belt light, it fixed the problem somehow.

Live and learn. Who knows what's gonna pop-up next.

[meltedpanda]

Lol. Glad you found it !