replace radio in 88'300e

The radio in my 88' 300e has gone out, I think it is only the on off switch. Any chance at repair?

I really would just as soon change the radio to a unit with cd player. I called circuit city and talked to the installer
which brings me to ask the following questions:

Will the ant. still go up 1/2 way when the radio is turned on? and will the dash ant. switch still function as always?

Does this car have an amp?

Are the speakers common ground?

Any issues I should know about?
Thanks in advance guys.

cgar

[Crowe]

I am certainly not a expert, but my 300E was purchased used and the prior owner had already installed an in dash Sony CD/radio. The antenna switch on the dash still functions as before and the fader switch on the center console also still works. It is possible to simply replace the radio itself and still use the other stock parts of the system.

[longston]

cgar,

You didn't specify which radio you already had in your car. As for your other questions, first, I have had nothing but problems with Circus Cissy, next, your antenna should go all the way up, and finally, Whether or not the car has an amp is determined by whether or not the radio is stock. Do you have a Becker?

As for the speakers, the stock speakers with an in-dash fader had a "floating" ground.

And for both cgar and Crowe: If you already have, or buy a modern CD player, it's likely to come with 4-channel self-amplified power. It also has a built-in fader in the head unit, so you need to by-pass the stock in-dash fader to get full value of the power being supplied by the head unit.

The old systems were 2-channel powered, and went into the fader to allow for a four-speaker system to function. The new systems are more sophisticated, so you need to forget the old in-dash fader system, by-pass it, and wire the 4-channel powered head unit directly to the speaker wires. Don't worry, it can be done, and quite easily.

If you're not up to the job ask around, and find someone who knows how to do the job properly. Otherwise, if you are up to do it, there are detailed directions available in the archives on this forum.

Crowe, you might want to check your system specs, if it says that it is 4-channel, and is being run through the stock in-dash fader, I'll wager that you are getting half of the power available for your system...