Radio issues

The radio in my new-to-you '82 400i from BaT is DOA. The tech is checking if it has power or if it's actually the radio that's the problem. Are there known issues with the radio? Do you guys have a recommended replacement that would accept XM and USB ports? Is this the original radio?

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That's a Becker from the 7xx serie. Mine is a 738, which is very similar to the 754 and 780. I've downgraded this unit in favour of a Philips a AC800 that is more "period correct", the Becker sounds better, and is much easier to adjust, the Philips does not have the PCB and battery issues of the Becker.

These are excellent units with good sound, an equalizer that works and 4x20w (or even 4x20w) output. The keyboard is very intuitive.

On the negative side, the PC board does not age well (phenolic?), and one can easily see that the traces do not stick to the the glass fiber of the board, so the circuit should be handled with extreme care. That's a pity as the radio itself is easy to service (adjusting azimuth is a no brainer), and plenty of upgrades are possible in order to use an auxiliary input.

Unfortunately although very similar some of these units do have a nasty anti theft mechanism that goes wild when the built-in li-ion battery is depleted. Looks like yours is a 780, which has all the bells and whistles anti-theft features...

Here is the connection diagram : http://www.tehnomagazin.com/Auto-radio-car-connector/Becker-Car-Radio-Wiring-Connector.htm

There are two companies (one in the US: https://www.beckerautosound.com/, one in Europe https://www.koenigs-klassik-radios.de) that fix (and upgrade) these radios

 

Thankfully the radio in my 365 doesn't work!!!

 

My does and it's a real must have while the engine is out for a total reconstruction...

This being said, the auto are less noisy than the manual cars: low converter slippage at 120kmh, so 1000 less rpms than the manual cars, which makes a huge difference in terms of cockpit noise. So on my brother's 365's that has no intermediate mufflers, I usually provide the passenger with a Bose noise cancelling headphone while on my 400i auto I can listen to classical music. Must admit that the music has to be pre-processed with lots of dynamic compression, but I really enjoy the car like this, and so does the lady...

Have to agree that V12 music is the best music score for this car, but for the time being, the only music I can hear is the one from the loudspeakers.

 

I'm so awfully and dreadfully sorry for my following remarks BUT they're going to be out here anyway.....I just don't get an automatic FEV12.
If you only had one arm(even then that's not an issue for one Aussie multi Ferrari owning enthusiast)...or leg I GET it,but for a proper Ferrari enthusiast,sorry I don't......get a Roller or Benz ...

 

If you want a CD player, be sure it will play at an angle, many only work horizontal.

Raemin, Top gear RPM is same for auto's and 5-speeds at least in later years; maybe 365's are not geared same. The 5th gear overdrive is offset by higher ratio read diff.
Ken

 

Ken, Top gear is actually a bit shorter on 400 gen2 and 412 (shorter axle ratio compared to the earlier ones), but cannot comment on the sound as I could not test a 412 auto (yet).

As far as the noise is concerned, I stand by my affirmation: far less noise in the auto than in the manual until the converter starts to "slip". No idea if this is due to the fifth overdrive (that makes the shaft rev 20% higher in the torque tube), the shape of the gears or the smaller bevel gear of the rear axle, but the noise is different.

I just tend to prefer to keep both arms on the steering wheel. Auto vs Manual is never ending debate, which we managed to solve as follows: three brothers, one 365, one 400 carb mechanical, one "cheap" 400i auto (mine). So each to his own, with the added bonus that they let me play with their gear sticks whenever I feel like so (and vice versa). Raphaël is a much better driver than I am so he can fully unleash the potential of his high compression 365; being myself less talented I drive my auto much faster than I drive his 365.

So I love this V12 whatever the tranny or fuel distribution might be... (Money wise it's hard to beat a 400i auto)

 

Hey Jeff -

It's unlikely you have a power issue going TO the radio but that's super easy to check for - radios have a very obvious hot wire that is generally always hot, or is hot when you turn the key to the first position. Most likely your radio is just broken.

In my experience, it's not worth rebuilding these radios. There are people that do it. I would find a working one (tested on eBay is your best bet) if you want an exact or close replacement. My 400i has its original radio and I'm just going to trash it (I'll save it, but only for posterity). I'm putting in a period correct (i.e. 80's) head unit with proper knobs and a tape player. Something someone would have put in if they were upgrading the head unit in period. Having said that, I have purchased a Bluetooth Cassette Tape (yes, a cassette) that will allow you to use Bluetooth through your radio - just pop it in. I'll be replacing all my speakers as well but not adding additional - just putting new ones in place of the old.

Personally, I love music, and I can't imagine not having it at least some of the time even in the Ferrari. Yes, they sound amazing - I get it - but sometimes I need some Miles Davis or Diana Krall, or .. why not some Hootie and the Blowfish? Whatever you're into. I love jazz and 90's music - showing my age in my mid-40's.

ALSO - it's very easy to add USB charging if you need it (for you iPhone, etc.) through the hot wire that goes to the radio (you can splice it) or run a wire from another hot source where you may not have interference.

LINK TO THE BLUETOOTH CASSETTE: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XDDHXRN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Just talked to my tech, it appears one of the PO's had a replacement radio in there but took it out for some reason. When they did, they simply cut the wires then dropped the original radio back into the hole!!! So now it will be extremely difficult to identify all the wires as well as getting the correct connectors to hook up to the original radio. Plus, we don't know if they are still long enough or if they have to be spliced. Boo Hoo…..

James, what make and model are you installing?

 

Not surprised at all about the cutting wires thing

Here is the radio I bought off of eBay (not sure if the link works still); https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Pioneer-kex-50-component-car-stereo/333327405363?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

It's a Pioneer kex-50. I really liked the fact that it was silver, and also had green illumination as it matches the dash lights of the Ferrari. Also, very simple wiring. I like to keep my cars period correct but also there's no need to not have modern conveniences these days the way technology works.

I haven't installed it yet as I have some other bigger fish to fry, but I'll be pulling that whole console out at some point anyway to check all my switches / buttons and do some minor repairs in there - that's when I'll put the radio in.

Hope this helps!

 

If you are considering the Becker, this radio is easy to open and bypassing the funny connector is probably the way to go (see the first link I provided in the second post). This being said, if the radio has remained unplugged for a few months, chances are that the li-ion battery is depleted, and the security system is probably locked... A refurbishment with auxiliary input modification is approx $150, so quite well worth it and as a bonus, they can remove the anti-theft protection. As said the sound of this radio is excellent.

If you want to try another radio, you can have a look at the "antique autoradio madness" website and identify a period correct car radio. Philips and Alpine are good dependable radio that can be purchased NOS for approx $100...

More generally speaking, got to agree with you: it's nice to have music. But I am not using "smart" tapes any-more: the alignment of the fake track is so-so (lots of distortion). Adjusting the Azimuth of the head (on the radio), and recording with the proper bias can turn most underrated radio into perfectly acceptable performers.

Finally, nobody would try to drive a car with 30 years old gasoline, so let's not expect a 20 year old blank tape to deliver decent sound. Recording the Masters have re-issued brand new Ferric blank tapes of good quality. That's what I am now using exclusively.

 

I have a Blaupunkt Toronto SQR32 that was original in my 1982 400i. It came with the original manual in the original pouch. It had some issues, and Steve at Aston Martin New England sent it out to their local radio rebuilder, and he needed some parts that he could not find to make it work properly. Lots of static.

I found another one in the UK from a gent who specializes in older radios on eBay. Purchased it and it works great. Kept my original in case I ever find the parts needed to get it working.

Unfortunately, now my antenna raising / lowering function is getting sketchy. Im guessing there are plastic teeth on a belt or gear and some have stripped. Motor goes no problem, just doesnt want to retract without some manual assistance (ie pushing it down a bit)

Pics attached.

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Here is a snapshot of the back of your radio with the complete connection diagram (source http://www.peachparts.com). This car radio requires hot and switched wire. Hope this helps.

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Resurrecting this thread as some things have changed. I've got a new radio with XM, connects to my phone, all the bells and whistles. The problem with it, and all the others in the audio shop here, is that the readout is LED and can't be seen in the sun. So of course with the slanted position of the radio in our 400's, there will never be a case where the readout can be seen (except at night) because of the light through the windshield. There are $10 sunshades made for Jeep's because they have the same problem but I haven't tried it yet.

So my cunning plan is to find an old school radio with dials or a slider bar display and have it modified for XM, bluetooth, etc. so I get period correct looks but modern functionality. I seem to have some high end (?) speaker cables that wouldn't plug into the radio at the start of this thread so whatever I get should be able to be adapted to this kind of speaker connecter.

Any suggestions as to what radio might be a candidate? I think the guys at Becker can modify it.

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I modified an original Becker which came with my 450SL through a Sirius XM adapter as described in this article, https://www.crutchfield.com/S-0lvB7gRRPtD/learn/two-ways-to-add-siriusxm-satellite-radio-to-your-car.html. Adds all of the Sirius functionality and all I need to do is to take out the magnetic antenna from the engine compartment before heading on a trip.

 

For my daily driver (Renault R5 auto...) I went to the local auto part store and tested all their radio until I could find one that was properly displaying (and playing CD) in the slanted position. I ended up buying a JVC unit which happened to be the only unit that could meet my requirements.

As your car is equipped with RCA cables, I suspect that there was an amplifier somewhere. In order to complete their dirty work they probably re-routed the stock speaker cables toward this amplifier. Assuming the amplifier was installed in the trunk, all wires should have been re-routed there. Reverting back to stock could imply to remove the central console, rear back seats and the "rear shelf" (were the safety belts are bolted behind the rear seats). No wonder why they did not plug back the previous radio... (Ask me how I know!)

As a less aggressive approach you could just re-implement what they did: If the amplifier was dropped (I suspect it was), you will have to find where the RCA cables are heading to and re-install an amplifier there. From then on you can just install whatever radio suits you. If your favourite radio does not have an RCA output, you can convert the high level speaker signal to low level with a cheap "Speaker to RCA converter". If I were in your shoes this is what I would do with period correct amplifier and radio, which at least would be less sacrilegious (and not overly expensive).

 

As usual, your observations and suggestions are spot on. I'll see if I can find an amp tomorrow, should there be any type of external controls for it or does it just "turn on" with the rest of the system?

 

Just have a look at what they implemented and do not try to go further...

Normally the amp should draw its power directly from the ammeter shunt and should be switched on by either an antenna wire or a "key on" signal. To be frank if they implemented it differently, that's not a big deal.

Just choose a no-nonsense amp, no point in going above 150w if the cables are not capable to cope with the load.

 

I replaced my radio last year and if I remember correctly it seemed to have two hot wires - check the inline fuses in case they are the problem.

 

The grey cable is indeed a "hot wire", if you need a "switched" one with reasonable output you can use one of the spare tabs of the toggle switch for the rear window defroster. The switch is supplied through a line that is behind a 40A relay. This toggle switch is "after" the relay (i.e does not operate the relay which is activated whenever the key is on), the relay is only here in order to prevent the battery depletion when the key is removed. So that's a reasonably beefy line (2mm²) with power to spare. It is properly fused also. That's what I would use instead of the red cable.

The inline fuse on the yellow wire is probably useless as this cable seems to be connected to the grey cable that is already protected by fuse U.