What Minuit knows about stock Jeep radios

[Minuit]

@87MJTIM You have two good ones there. The RX-161 (8956001910) is correct for a 1986 or 1987 truck and is quite nice. I generally have good luck repairing everything except the FM tuner section which is a relatively rare failure. I have full repair documentation and a healthy parts supply.

 

The RX-170 (8956002467) is correct for a 1988 truck and is (by a small margin) my favorite sound-wise. They can be somewhat troublesome due to the very large number of connectors inside, which can oxidize or become loose over time, but if working they're a treat. I also have full repair documentation, but parts can sometimes be a challenge since it's a one-year model.

 

Both have XJ brackets on them which makes them a direct fit in an MJ dash. The connectors are different between them - they changed from two 8-pin connectors to one 13-pin connector for 1988.

 

I can perform full service and add auxiliary inputs to both.

[1990Limited]

Can you change the face of the stereo I have a 1990 Limited Cherokee and It is gold buttons. The new one I got has white buttons.

[Minuit]

On 9/25/2019 at 1:11 PM, 1990Limited said:

Can you change the face of the stereo I have a 1990 Limited Cherokee and It is gold buttons. The new one I got has white buttons.

No. The differences between the gold button and white button radios are not really something that can be changed. They're entirely different radios in pretty much every way.

 

For what it's worth, the white button one is much better. For a couple of years ('89 and '90) Jeep used a different supplier for all of their radios, probably for cost reasons. Almost all of the radios made by that supplier sucked in comparison to any other year's radios. Those are the ones that have the brown buttons. Therefore, brown buttons = crappy, cheap radio.

 

The '88 radios are works of art on the inside compared to any other year. They must have cost an absolute fortune to make, so for '89 and '90 they wanted something less expensive. Too bad the '89 and '90 radios were maybe a little too cheap, so for the '91 model year they went back to the same guys who made most of the '84 thru '88 radios. The '91 radios are similar to the '88 radios, with some major simplifications to the internals.

[eaglescout526]

16 minutes ago, Minuit said:

Too bad the '89 and '90 radios were maybe a little too cheap

Chrysler trying to get their bearings on what to do with Jeep. 

[BeaterComanche86]

@Minuit Just wondering for my next JY trip are you interested in any Jeep Oem radio? There was a 94 Cherokee with a factory radio and I was gonna pull it but the buttons were a little faded so I wasn’t sure if you’d be interested in it. 

[Minuit]

2 hours ago, BeaterComanche86 said:

@Minuit Just wondering for my next JY trip are you interested in any Jeep Oem radio? There was a 94 Cherokee with a factory radio and I was gonna pull it but the buttons were a little faded so I wasn’t sure if you’d be interested in it. 

I'm generally interested in anything for the right price. If you can get it for relatively cheap and pass it on to me for relatively cheap after your finder's fee, a few faded buttons won't bother me. They're arguably worth more to me as parts than whole.

[BeaterComanche86]

Alright I’ll keep that in mind, maybe if I get enough together we could work out a trade for one of your factory radios with aux or Bluetooth if that an option. Before I didn’t mind my aftermarket radio but after seeing some of these older radios my JVC is looking a bit cheesy and out of place in my MJ. Is there any oem radios your not interested in? Maybe after a certain year

[Minuit]

19 hours ago, BeaterComanche86 said:

Alright I’ll keep that in mind, maybe if I get enough together we could work out a trade for one of your factory radios with aux or Bluetooth if that an option. Before I didn’t mind my aftermarket radio but after seeing some of these older radios my JVC is looking a bit cheesy and out of place in my MJ. Is there any oem radios your not interested in? Maybe after a certain year

Sounds good. Let me know what you come across.

 

As to "what am I interested in?" - good question, and I really should make a printer or mobile-friendly "field guide" so that the junkyard prospector can see what they're looking at. Cliffs notes:

 

- I am not interested in any radio made in Korea at this time. They will have a sticker indicating country of origin. Radios bearing stickers saying "Made in Japan" or "Made in Singapore" are good.

 

- I am not interested in any Jeep branded radio (not AMC) with brown button lettering. White lettering is good. Typically found in '89 and '90 models. Ignore this if the radio has the AMC triangle logo, only if it says Jeep on it.

 

- At this time, I am not interested in Chrysler radios newer than 1997 or in the larger "1.5 DIN" form factor used in the ZJ and most other Chrysler products, and all Jeeps after '97.

 

- At this time, I am not interested in radios from other manufacturers. Unless you can find a good condition CD player out of a '94-'97 Ford Thunderbird or Mercury Cougar, but that's irrelevant to this thread

 

Anything else is fair game.

[BeaterComanche86]

16 hours ago, Minuit said:

Sounds good. Let me know what you come across.

 

As to "what am I interested in?" - good question, and I really should make a printer or mobile-friendly "field guide" so that the junkyard prospector can see what they're looking at. Cliffs notes:

 

- I am not interested in any radio made in Korea at this time. They will have a sticker indicating country of origin. Radios bearing stickers saying "Made in Japan" or "Made in Singapore" are good.

 

- I am not interested in any Jeep branded radio (not AMC) with brown button lettering. White lettering is good. Typically found in '89 and '90 models. Ignore this if the radio has the AMC triangle logo, only if it says Jeep on it.

 

- At this time, I am not interested in Chrysler radios newer than 1997 or in the larger "1.5 DIN" form factor used in the ZJ and most other Chrysler products, and all Jeeps after '97.

 

- At this time, I am not interested in radios from other manufacturers. Unless you can find a good condition CD player out of a '94-'97 Ford Thunderbird or Mercury Cougar, but that's irrelevant to this thread

 

Anything else is fair game.

Good to know, I’ll be in the lookout at the JY and I’ll be keeping an eye out for that Ford radio as well.

[coheed]

Hey @Minuit, I have a RX-135 that I'm having some issues with. It only powers on occasionally, and when it does it hunts for a station on seek but I can't tune it with the knob. The tape portion seems to work well. All functions of the tape player work, except it only produces a faint hissing. I can barely hear the music playing if I get really close to the speaker and the volume is all the way up. Any advice on what I could do to alleviate those issues?

 

[Minuit]

6 hours ago, coheed said:

Hey @Minuit, I have a RX-135 that I'm having some issues with. It only powers on occasionally, and when it does it hunts for a station on seek but I can't tune it with the knob. The tape portion seems to work well. All functions of the tape player work, except it only produces a faint hissing. I can barely hear the music playing if I get really close to the speaker and the volume is all the way up. Any advice on what I could do to alleviate those issues?

 

Sounds like this radio needs a good thorough service. The RX-135 is very prone to bad solder joints, which is probably where most of your problems lie. If you're electrically inclined, it's not TOO bad of a job to do yourself, although there is a lot of work required to disassemble the AMC radios (the case must be split to get to some of the boards that would need service)

[coheed]

12 hours ago, Minuit said:

Sounds like this radio needs a good thorough service. The RX-135 is very prone to bad solder joints, which is probably where most of your problems lie. If you're electrically inclined, it's not TOO bad of a job to do yourself, although there is a lot of work required to disassemble the AMC radios (the case must be split to get to some of the boards that would need service)

I assumed it would be something like this. I'm comfortable doing wiring repair and the like, I don't feel like I have enough experience with more delicate stuff to risk messing up a rare radio. Whenever you start taking orders again I'd love for you to give this the work it deserves.

[Minuit]

11 hours ago, coheed said:

I assumed it would be something like this. I'm comfortable doing wiring repair and the like, I don't feel like I have enough experience with more delicate stuff to risk messing up a rare radio. Whenever you start taking orders again I'd love for you to give this the work it deserves.

[Maras]

Hi, 

 

would anyone know who is the manufacturer of this audio system and what is the model number? Thanks

[Pete M]

what year/model of car is it in?  love that factory equalizer!  

[Minuit]

My guess - 86 or 87 Renault car, high trim level. Maybe a GTA or similar. Essentially the precursor to the Eagle Premier system I've talked about. The top unit is the receiver and outputs a line level signal to the bottom part, which handles EQ, amplification, and volume control - if it's the same operating principle as the Eagle unit.

 

Should be manufactured by Mitsubishi. I have part numbers written down somewhere. 8936001127 for the head unit comes to mind.

 

 

[Maras]

3 minutes ago, Pete M said:

what year/model of car is it in?  love that factory equalizer!  

This is from the 1987 AMC Renault Alliance GTA, this sound system has not been used in other AMC models. In the European Renault 9, 11, Fuego models, these car radios do not appear at all.

[Maras]

4 minutes ago, Minuit said:

My guess - 86 or 87 Renault car, high trim level. Maybe a GTA or similar. Essentially the precursor to the Eagle Premier system I've talked about.

 

Should be manufactured by Mitsubishi. I have part numbers written down somewhere.

 

 

Thank you very much for the information if you could get part numbers. There is very little information on the website regarding the Renault Alliance equipment. Unfortunately, I do not have any period catalog where the equipment levels were broken down.

[Pete M]

part number should be on the radio if you can partially remove it from the dash.   

[Maras]

15 hours ago, Pete M said:

part number should be on the radio if you can partially remove it from the dash.   

 

Yes, I understand, but I don't have this audio system in my car, I'm trying to get it so I can fit it in my Renault.

[Pete M]

gotcha.    then I wish you good luck on your hunt! 

 

you should also post up in the Tech section as it's possible someone has a parts manual that goes beyond Jeep. (I have an 87-90 manual but it only covers the radios found in the Jeeps)

[Maras]

21 minutes ago, Pete M said:

gotcha.    then I wish you good luck on your hunt! 

 

you should also post up in the Tech section as it's possible someone has a parts manual that goes beyond Jeep. (I have an 87-90 manual but it only covers the radios found in the Jeeps)

 

I understand, thank you.
I'm trying to get information anywhere.

[Snowstorm87MJ]

Hello, i’ve been digging through a 95 cherokee in the junkyard and it looks like it has a RX—173, i want it for my my 87 comanche but i was wondering what the light bulb numbers/ types are so i could replace them. I want to keep the interior some what factory as possible and figured cleaning up a factory radio would be the best option. Thanks - Tyler

[Minuit]

12 hours ago, Snowstorm87MJ said:

Hello, i’ve been digging through a 95 cherokee in the junkyard and it looks like it has a RX—173, i want it for my my 87 comanche but i was wondering what the light bulb numbers/ types are so i could replace them. I want to keep the interior some what factory as possible and figured cleaning up a factory radio would be the best option. Thanks - Tyler

12V T-1 bulbs, 6 in total. Three in twist-lock bases (easy), and two soldered to the board behind the LCD assembly (not so easy), and one behind the tape door. Take care to not destroy the LCD assembly or front panel ribbon cable if you choose to replace the LCD bulbs.

[Snowstorm87MJ]

9 hours ago, Minuit said:

12V T-1 bulbs, 6 in total. Three in twist-lock bases (easy), and two soldered to the board behind the LCD assembly (not so easy), and one behind the tape door. Take care to not destroy the LCD assembly or front panel ribbon cable if you choose to replace the LCD bulbs.

Thank you for bulb information it’s appreciated. Google doesn’t really give specifics on old jeep radios :).