View Single Post
 
Old 11-04-2012, 09:52 AM
flamax flamax is offline
Enthusiast
2001 Maxima
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 45
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Concealed_1911 View Post
I was told on another forum that it is a bad solder joint and a common problem, but easy to fix. Problem is I pulled out the stereo/HVAC and could not get the screws in the mounting bracket to break loose !
I may try to pull the radio and take a peek, looks like removing the radio is pretty straightforward (found instructions here: 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima Radio Removal Procedure | Nissanhelp.com). If the screws give me trouble I'll try PB Blaster on them, it has worked wonders on rusted bolts, so perhaps it'll work on these if they don't want to come loose.

EDIT: I took the radio out and found the PC board to which the ON/OFF/Volume knob was soldered had all 5 of it's thru hole solder connections broken. It's obvious to me that every time you push the knob to turn the radio ON or OFF, you stress those solder connections and eventually they break. The reason they are often intermittent is that you can still get a metal to solder connection, however since it's a loose connection, it will not be stable. Anyway, after I touched up the connections with an iron and reinstalled, my radio works just like new. I suspect this repair will last for a good long time as long as I remember not to press the knob too hard when turning the radio ON and OFF. I have to say however that Nissan really dropped the ball on this one because anyone with any knowledge of PC boards knows that you never, ever, rely on solder joints to provide structural support, however that's exactly what they did on this board, a very poor design!

Last edited by flamax; 11-05-2012 at 02:45 PM.
Reply With Quote