jimreed2160
01-30-2016, 08:17 PM
Sorry in advance for the long post but often one thing leads to another.
Even the Florida weather has turned cool lately and for the past month, my MM has refused to start after sitting. Since the battery was 1 year old, but had an uncertain life, I decided to change it. When I started the car at O'Reillys, I heard a whirring noise from the dash and tracked it down to the CD motor.
Troubleshooting began with a donor CD (Easy Virtue soundtrack), which it promptly ate. The buttons did not respond and radio amplifier had sounded iffy anyway. Perhaps the radio has been my battery drain culprit? Anyway, I pulled the fuse (#1) to kill the CD motor and then consulted MM.net for advice. Recent postings in this forum suggested an alternative and Ebay was my friend. The 6L8T-18C815-FD (2005 Mercury Mariner; Ford Escape) radio arrived in a few days. (Only $119 shipped)
I used the four nail technique to remove old unit and install new one. It did not seat. WTF? I removed it and found the phono jack wrapped around one of the three connectors. Once that was resolved, the unit fit fine. Plug and play--even the steering controls work! The new tunes are outstanding and the CD is now blasting Dylan and the Dead.
The car continues to start everytime, so my fingers are crossed. Many smiles to those in this forum who posted their experiences. My first radio swap went great, thanks to this fine group of MM owners.
Even the Florida weather has turned cool lately and for the past month, my MM has refused to start after sitting. Since the battery was 1 year old, but had an uncertain life, I decided to change it. When I started the car at O'Reillys, I heard a whirring noise from the dash and tracked it down to the CD motor.
Troubleshooting began with a donor CD (Easy Virtue soundtrack), which it promptly ate. The buttons did not respond and radio amplifier had sounded iffy anyway. Perhaps the radio has been my battery drain culprit? Anyway, I pulled the fuse (#1) to kill the CD motor and then consulted MM.net for advice. Recent postings in this forum suggested an alternative and Ebay was my friend. The 6L8T-18C815-FD (2005 Mercury Mariner; Ford Escape) radio arrived in a few days. (Only $119 shipped)
I used the four nail technique to remove old unit and install new one. It did not seat. WTF? I removed it and found the phono jack wrapped around one of the three connectors. Once that was resolved, the unit fit fine. Plug and play--even the steering controls work! The new tunes are outstanding and the CD is now blasting Dylan and the Dead.
The car continues to start everytime, so my fingers are crossed. Many smiles to those in this forum who posted their experiences. My first radio swap went great, thanks to this fine group of MM owners.