88 grand am radio issue/question

Yeah, I know, this is a very specific question, but…

I just recently got an 88 grand am, and the radio reception sucks compared to other cars. It reminds me of the reception I got when I ripped the antenna off another car (don’t ask)… weak, and would become horrible if a building got between me and the transmitter, etc. Randomly fade in and out…

Anyway, is this some flaw inherent to 88 grand am stereo’s, or something? Is it possible/probable that the wire that connects the stereo to the antenna is frayed?

What can I do to improve the situation? Can I replace the antenna-stereo easily if that is the problem? Can I just put a wire between my stereo and the body of the car with electrical tape?

Any suggestions in general to make my radio reception not suck so much?

I had an '89 Grand Am for a number of years. The radio sucked when I bought the car, and forever died soon after. The only thing that fixed the problem was to get a decent stereo installed in the dash, along with the usual new antenna and wiring harness. The only saving grace of the situation was that the factory speakers were actually pretty good, and therefore didn’t need to be replaced. This solved the problem for two years, until the stereo was stolen…

:eek: Holy cow! I saw this thread title and thought it was about an AM radio that cost $88,000!!

Hmmm…those GM radios actually had a goof rep.

Those radios are easy to remove, an the antennae wire is quite robust…you’ll notice it enters the radio alone, is quite heavy gauge and has a 90 degree angled plug on it.

I doubt the wire is damaged unless the car was in a major accident.

A problem that did arise on those cars was radio tuner performance that suffered when the car got hot. Does the tuner get worse when the car runs for a longer time? If so, ditch it …the radio is shot.

Duh: ‘Hmmm…those GM radios actually had a goof rep.’

They had a GOOD rep.

I should read the posts first - I know.

Me too! :stuck_out_tongue:

As Philster mentioned, just remove the radio (I’m not sure of the uninstall procedure on a 1988 Grand Am, but from the pictures I’[ve found online, it just looks like popping out a trim plate). Find the antenna wire (it’s thick and black with a hefty plug on the end) and make sure it’s connected correctly. If so, you can trace the antenna wire back to the antenna, if you want.

But it’s just as likely to be a problem with the tuner in the stereo as it is a problem with the antenna. If it’s a tuner issue, it’s time for a new head unit.

If I get a new head unit, are the connectors on the antenna wire pretty standard, or are they proprietary? Will it be easy to just pop the current wire into the new stereo?

Auto antenna wire connectors are standardized, I’ve only ever seen one design.

The rest of the wiring–power, ground, speakers, power antenna trigger–varies a lot. Sometimes it’s necessary to identify what each wire goes to in both the car’s wiring harness connectors and the replacement radio, and splice accordingly.

Try twisting the antenna base a bit. Often, I’d find that the antenna was a bit loose, and it would have a huge impact on the reception. Try unscrewing it, and screwing it back in again, too.

Grand Am radio removal: Pop out gray plastic trim around radio. Remove around four 7mm bolts (9/32" also fits perfectly). Slide radio out.

The antenna is a thick, black cable, separate from all the other wires. Be sure that it is secure. Make sure the antenna mast is tight. Use an adjustable wrench to tighten the mast. Take care that the wrench doesn’t nick the paint as you turn.

If you get a lot of engine noise with AM radio, this is a hint that the antenna isn’t properly grounded to the car’s body, or that there’s a break in the shielding of the cable. It will probably take professional troubleshooting to find the exact nature of the problem. Or you could just replace the whole thing.

Delco (General Motors) radios have the best reception I’ve ever experienced—if yours isn’t doing well, something is definitely wrong.

If you decide to install an aftermarket radio, figure on about $50 (full retail) in parts. $16 for the mounting kit, to make the smaller aftermarket radio mount in the large GM opening. $16 for the wiring harness adapter, for the main power/speaker connections. $11 for the antenna adapter. (All GM cars from the late 80s/early 90s on up DO have a unique antenna connection.)

used GM tape decks can be obtained very inexpensively–you should pay no more than $25. Check eBay or local junkyards. Or I can find you one if you have trouble. There are many, many different styles of factory GM radios, with different backlighting colors, knobs, features, et cetera… if the back of the new radio has the same plugs as yours, and you can transfer the mounting brackets from your old radio to the new one…you’ll most likely be all set.

If you can obtain/borrow a long automotive antenna extension cord, do this test: Using the extension, operate your radio, but using the antenna mounted to a buddy’s car…then try your buddy’s radio using your antenna…you will quickly figure out which item is broken.

If you need to replace the antenna: If it’s on the rear quarter panel, peel back the trunk carpet and all is self explanatory. If it’s on the front fender, it’s not even worth doing.

Radio Shack sells an easy do-it-yourself windshield antenna for $5—it’s essentially a roll of Scotch tape with a metal wire in the middle, mated to an antenna plug. They’re easy to install and work fairly well. As Radio Shack is discontiuning their car stereo stuff, this antenna may be hard to find.

Most replacement antennas will have a standard plug that will not go into your GM radio–again, an adapter is needed.

If you replace the radio with an aftermarket one: Metra 40-GM-10
If you replace the antenna with aftermarket: Metra 40-GM-20
If you install an aftermarket radio AND antenna: none needed

You can look up these parts at www.metraonline.com. Also, www.scosche.com or www.americaninternational.com. Most car stereo shops use one of these “big three” kit manufacturers.

Also, sorry for the lengthy answer. I’m tired and somewhat rambling.

If you do replace the radio with an aftermarket, AutoZone sells the harness and antenna adapter cheaper than Best Buy or Circuit City. But the AutoZone dash mounting kit isn’t very good—go to Best Buy or Circuit City—directly to the install bay, not in the store—and buy the Metra 99-4544. It’s in a huge bag with a million parts–and the instructions suck—contact me for help to do an extra-nice job. Again, don’t let them sell you any dash kit but the 4544.

Thanks for the very detailed answer. I’ll start working on it soon.

Not true. They come in a few different variations on the same theme. The only differences are that some of them, GM’s mostly, have a 90 degree bend at the end of the connection to feed it into the factory stereo. You can buy an adapter to straighten it out because you can’t plug the 90 degree end into aftermarket decks. BUT, regardless of what other people tell you, those adapters are worthless. You can take some pliers or vice grips and bend the connection straight. You aren’t actually bending anything important, its just the chassis of the connector. It does not affect reception at all. Those adapters aren’t cheap.

The other varations that I have seen are skinnier connectors that can’t fill a standard plug no matter what you do. You must buy an adapter for those.

FWIW I installed mobile electronics for about 5 years.