1976 Fleetwood Radio

[Frank Palacio]

Hello guys and gals
I recently acquired my uncles 1976 Fleetwood Brougham.  It has a couple little things going on.  First thing I'm gonna start with though, is the radio.  When you turn the radio on, it lights up, but no sound.  Also, the light under the dash, by the parking brake comes on.  Any thoughts on this?  Also, the power antenna will not rise when the switch is flipped.
Thanks
Frank

[Barry]

Barry is restoring my 76 Fleetwood stereo/8 track now--also adding IPod plug that can be hidden. http://barrys8trackrepair.com/8TrackPrices.html

B.Norman

[Scot Minesinger]

Great timing, I just fixed a 1976 Fleetwood power antenna tonight.  I know most everything there is know about these, emphasis on not all things, but I got the antenna to work.  The radio will not work unless antenna is up.

Yes the wiring is very poor on these cars.  The plastic connectors tend to let the wires back out so when you plug them in the wires are actually not connected.  Also you often have to re-crimp the female connectors often because they are too loose to accept the male spade and make a good connection.  Be careful when disconnecting that you never pull the wires always grasp the plastic connector to plug and unplug.  Check all the wiring connections.

The same thing happened to me, the antenna would not go up and some of the lights worked only when the antenna relay is unplugged.  This will take quite a while to find the problem.  To get the antenna to raise, open the hood and look at the connector of four wires that powers the antenna.  Unplug the connector.  Take a short section of wire and jump red to black on the connector attached to antenna.  Then apply battery voltage to the green wire of the connector attached to the antenna.  The antenna should raise all the way.  Now apply battery voltage to the white wire on the antenna connector and the antenna should lower.  If this happens the antenna motor and all is good, if not then it needs replaced, call Cadillac Tim.

Next with connector still unplugged go to the inside of the car and switch the antenna to up, and you should have continuity between black and red on the connector not attached to antenna, if not switch is bad and needs to be replaced.

Now go the antenna relay under glove box, it is real easy to get to, there is a single pink wire connector - pull that off and turn radio on, then measure pink wire voltage, should be 12V.  That is the signal from radio telling antenna to go up.  If radio is on and no 12V, then that is the problem in the radio.  If you have 12V, then good.

Now test the antenna relay.  With power off, nothing on, check continuity between orange wire and white wire (on relay, not wire connector), should be zero ohms.  If not relay is stuck and needs to be replaced.  If you do have continuity, great.  Now with car on, radio on, check voltage of orange wire, it should be 12V, if not find out why there is no power.  Now last relay check, apply power 12V to the pink connector spade on relay, then measure continuity between green and orange spade connectors on relay, should be zero (and infinity between orange and white), indicating relay solenoid and contact are good.

If all this checks out as mine did then I found out that when the antenna started to draw power the voltage on green wire dropped from 12V to 2V and nothing would happen.  Everything checks but this weird thing happens that is difficult to explain - chime in anyone.

I should add that there is an aftermarket radio installed ten years ago by my customer (he had it done, did not do himself).  There are a lot of modifications in the wiring, which looked like it would take days to figure out.  I'm an electrical engineer, so nothing is too complicated, just too time consuming.

So to get the antenna to work I ran battery voltage to the antenna relay (with an in-line fuse of course).  Then I sent battery voltage thru the switch at the red and black connector under hood, so when switch was made to raise antenna, power was applied to pink spade connector on antenna relay.  Now it works great, even when the car is off.  I did not cut anything and if the real problem is ever discovered it can all be put back to as it left the factory.

Good luck, and enjoy your Cadillac!

[Frank Palacio]

Thank you for the information!  Turns out I think I have greater wiring problems.  When I turn the headlights on at night, the light under the dash by the parking brake comes on.  Then when the drivers door is opened, it goes off, shut the door, it's on again!  When I push the switch with my foot to turn brights on, they stay on for a few seconds, then go back to dim, then back to bright?  Sounds like a nightmare doesn't it!
Thanks
Frank

[35-709]

Also sounds like a ground problem.

[76eldo]

Whenever you get strange things like that going on check the body fuse. It's in the fuse box.
When you are messing with courtesy lights, lighters, etc you can short out the body fuse and all kinds of circuits back feed voltage.

In an 84 Eldo I had years ago the courtesy lifts would stay on and when you opened the door something else would turn on. I called a friend who owns a body shop and he told me to check all the lighters. Sure enough there was a penny on one of the holes. I took the lighters out because my kids were young.

Worth checking.

Brian