Tape deck still works, radio does not. I thought it must be a problem with the radio but I bought another (used) one and installed it and it had the same problem. This car has had a lot of of electrical problems in general (e.g. clock, gas gauge, power windows & locks and the like). Also, it once had a problem with interference with the reception, and I installed an interference blocker, which worked excellently for a while and so-so afterwards.
Question is could there be some sort of wiring or other car problem which would cause only the tape deck to work, and if so what would it be?
Your car could have one wiring problem that would trouble the radio in particular. If the spark plug cables (or maybe the distributor, coil or plugs) are bad, they can emit lots of radio interference. You’ll get very noisy reception, especially on AM.
But if the problem is that the radio does not even turn on, then you have a burnt fuse or loose wire or error, something like that.
sounds like the problem I have been faced with twice. Radio decides to shut down , wont work, tape deck works, in any case the light comes on. Every so often the radio works. But hammering for a loose connection never worked, the radio seeming to have a mind of it’s own The first radio I replaced and then sold the car. The second radio I still have in my car, but when it doesn’t work, I put it on seek till it does.
I’m convinced the problem is inside the unit and due to complication of modern chip technology which precludes my fixing it.
Happens regularly to radios that have automatic scanning to keep you tuned - (called RDS here). I think you’ll have to replace it unless it’s an expensive set and is worth getting it rpaired.