My 1990 Buick Riviera has an unusual separate CD player in the lower central dash. I plays through the stereo above. It is a Delco brand. It pops out CD's or holds them and pops them out at will. When I first bought the car in 09/08 on a really hot day it actually played just fine till the AC cooled the car off. What is my problem?, can I take the player out and get it fixed? Thank you for any advice, seems to be OEM equipment. Also I need to remove passenger door panel.
Replies (11)
swez on 01/31/2009 06:55:23
Condensation on the reading lense of the CD player will often cause this. On hot/dry days the condensation is gone and the CD player works. But when you turn on the AC, condensation comes back and you may see an error code on the display.
Are you willing to replace the factory system with a decent aftermarket HU? (After 19 years of use, most CD players are out of date and it's time for and upgrade if you want top perfomance) If you plan on keeping this car for a few more years, it's worth the investment.
Why do you need to remove the passenger side door? (Power window switch is not working?)
Say more please.
Swez
atobeforez on 01/31/2009 10:23:03
Yes, the power door lock actuator is apparently not working, also I hit a sign and popped the glass out of the side view mirror and broke the guts, need to remove door panel to fix these two issues.
Would be so easy to get an aftermarket unit, but was hoping to keep the car original. According to the owner's manual aftermarket radios can cause problems in other electronics, is this true?
swez on 01/31/2009 12:17:31
If you want to keep the stock system, you may want to buy a CD lense cleaning kits and see if that works. If not, you may have to remove the CD unit and clean it manually.
As for door panel removal, there are a series of "Christmas Tree" like plugs around the paremeter of the door panel. A special tool to dislodge them is recommended on this older car as they can rip out w/o the tool.
Also, there are a few hidden screws where the inside door handle is located. The arm rest will have a few hidden screws as well. From there, you may need to remove the electronic switch plate from it's mounting. GM used a slotted clip type retainer back then and a small flat head screwdriver or narrow/stiff puddy knife works well to depress the clip and pop the assy out by lifting up and pulling the front tang backward to free the assy.
FYI: I had a 1990 Olds Trofeo' and like your Riv, these were the flagships of the line. They are a real PITA to work on with all the electronics in them. The factory radio may also share control circuits with the HVAC system. (Common data lines) So it's best not to install an Aftermarket one unless done by a Pro who has done these before.
Finally, there are places that rebuild factory HU's or sell refurbished ones. They are not cheap either! Going to "Boneyard" is not recommended for radios. (Especially if they were not removed and brought into dry storage)
Comments?
Swez
PS Take you time on this job as this is a complex car and parts are not cheap or easy to find. This was a low production model and parts will be hard to find, even from the dealer.
ttocs on 01/31/2009 16:27:18
I would also recommend a lense cleaner. If it is too dirty since its last cleaning(when was that again?) it will think the cd is bad and spit it out. I can't picture that dash... Can you take a pic? Does it have an infinity radio in it? This might be one of the rare cases where I would recomend repairing the factory radio instead of replacing it as it could be a lot of fun for someone to try and put a simpe cd player meaning big $$$....
swez on 01/31/2009 18:54:07
Need pics? Have a look here to jog your memory.
http://wwwf.lemonfree.com/19856026.html
This one shows the tape player model that was in my Olds. (Similar, but not an exact match) Trust me... this one is a real pain to remove. All the trim around it must come off and part of lower shift consol has to come off to get the radio out.
Swez
ttocs on 01/31/2009 19:15:28
ok wow, for some reason I was thinking of a strange chrysler...... That is just a standard GM radio. I am not sure about the slave CD player but replacing that stereo would not be a big problem other then it is not very deep.
swez on 01/31/2009 19:24:57
But if this HU shares data buss info with the internal diagnostics computer like mine did, he's gonna lose those features.
Yes, the CD player may just be a slave unit, but the HU integration to diagnostics computer functions are also tied to the OEM HU.
I found that out the hard way when the internal computer started flagging a bunch of ECM/BCM codes. The factory radio was linked into that data buss system, but I would have never known about the computer diagnostics tools, had I not spent $100.00 on the Factory Manual. D'oh?
Clean the lense reader 1st.
Swez
atobeforez on 02/1/2009 02:26:24
Thank you all for so much help, I rely on puter so much.
It is a very nice stereo, has tape player in radio and graphic equalizer, is not the Bose, but seems to be upgraded from base model? I will try to get a picture tomorrow in the daylight.
I have been trying to get a repair manual for the car, but like you all said, is a VERY low production car, maybe why they do not make them anymore. I have already experienced the rare and expensive parts fun. However, it is a rare beauty!, want to keep. A couple weeks ago a man offered to buy it from me in a parking lot, wanted to give me his phone number!
swez on 02/1/2009 06:26:17
Yep, used to rent them on biz trips and after 2 years of fleet service, Budget pulled them from the fleet as just to expensive to maintain. The electronics on this vehicle are like a spaceship and expensive as all heck to fix.
I looked in the back pages of the owner's manual for the repair manual that shops use and paid $100.00 for it. In 3 years and several repairs later, the shop manual paid for itself.
Dealerships are not up on these cars either. Mine was in the shop for 1 week and $400.00 labor w/ NO RESULTS! I dickered with the shop manager as he was a HS buddy and wound up buying a boneyard display module somewhere in Iowa. After that fix, she was tip-top for another 3 years. Nice cars, but a real PITA to work on!
Lesson: NEVER BY A LOW PRODUCTION LUXURY CAR FROM GM.
Swez
ttocs on 02/1/2009 19:13:47
never buy a low production car from any manf. My mustang being a 94 was the first year of the SN95 body style, and the 2nd to last year that they used the 302 5.0 since 76. Most mustang owners can pull for a bunch of years to get the body or motor parts they need but if I want used parts there are only the 94/95 years that I can pull from.
swez on 02/1/2009 23:35:14
In addition to that, buying a new/used vehicle that has been totally revamped in a given model year, don't buy the 1st years' model. These are likely to have snags not found in rigorous testing, but show up later after a 50,000 units were sold, have some serious miles on them and come back with problems in the field that are not listed for recall and refits. Dealers' love the extra work, but the Mfg'ers are slow to admit problems unless it's a severe safety issue.
If your lucky, a recall notice is issued and TSB's, (Tech Service Bulletins) are written for the techs and mechanics to correct the problem(s). The owner pays nothing, but still a pain to deal with.
Swez
Replies (11)
swez on 01/31/2009 06:55:23
Condensation on the reading lense of the CD player will often cause this. On hot/dry days the condensation is gone and the CD player works. But when you turn on the AC, condensation comes back and you may see an error code on the display.
Are you willing to replace the factory system with a decent aftermarket HU? (After 19 years of use, most CD players are out of date and it's time for and upgrade if you want top perfomance) If you plan on keeping this car for a few more years, it's worth the investment.
Why do you need to remove the passenger side door? (Power window switch is not working?)
Say more please.
Swez
atobeforez on 01/31/2009 10:23:03
Yes, the power door lock actuator is apparently not working, also I hit a sign and popped the glass out of the side view mirror and broke the guts, need to remove door panel to fix these two issues.
Would be so easy to get an aftermarket unit, but was hoping to keep the car original. According to the owner's manual aftermarket radios can cause problems in other electronics, is this true?
swez on 01/31/2009 12:17:31
If you want to keep the stock system, you may want to buy a CD lense cleaning kits and see if that works. If not, you may have to remove the CD unit and clean it manually.
As for door panel removal, there are a series of "Christmas Tree" like plugs around the paremeter of the door panel. A special tool to dislodge them is recommended on this older car as they can rip out w/o the tool.
Also, there are a few hidden screws where the inside door handle is located. The arm rest will have a few hidden screws as well. From there, you may need to remove the electronic switch plate from it's mounting. GM used a slotted clip type retainer back then and a small flat head screwdriver or narrow/stiff puddy knife works well to depress the clip and pop the assy out by lifting up and pulling the front tang backward to free the assy.
FYI: I had a 1990 Olds Trofeo' and like your Riv, these were the flagships of the line. They are a real PITA to work on with all the electronics in them. The factory radio may also share control circuits with the HVAC system. (Common data lines) So it's best not to install an Aftermarket one unless done by a Pro who has done these before.
Finally, there are places that rebuild factory HU's or sell refurbished ones. They are not cheap either! Going to "Boneyard" is not recommended for radios. (Especially if they were not removed and brought into dry storage)
Comments?
Swez
PS Take you time on this job as this is a complex car and parts are not cheap or easy to find. This was a low production model and parts will be hard to find, even from the dealer.
ttocs on 01/31/2009 16:27:18
I would also recommend a lense cleaner. If it is too dirty since its last cleaning(when was that again?) it will think the cd is bad and spit it out. I can't picture that dash... Can you take a pic? Does it have an infinity radio in it? This might be one of the rare cases where I would recomend repairing the factory radio instead of replacing it as it could be a lot of fun for someone to try and put a simpe cd player meaning big $$$....
swez on 01/31/2009 18:54:07
Need pics? Have a look here to jog your memory.
http://wwwf.lemonfree.com/19856026.html
This one shows the tape player model that was in my Olds. (Similar, but not an exact match) Trust me... this one is a real pain to remove. All the trim around it must come off and part of lower shift consol has to come off to get the radio out.
Swez
ttocs on 01/31/2009 19:15:28
ok wow, for some reason I was thinking of a strange chrysler...... That is just a standard GM radio. I am not sure about the slave CD player but replacing that stereo would not be a big problem other then it is not very deep.
swez on 01/31/2009 19:24:57
But if this HU shares data buss info with the internal diagnostics computer like mine did, he's gonna lose those features.
Yes, the CD player may just be a slave unit, but the HU integration to diagnostics computer functions are also tied to the OEM HU.
I found that out the hard way when the internal computer started flagging a bunch of ECM/BCM codes. The factory radio was linked into that data buss system, but I would have never known about the computer diagnostics tools, had I not spent $100.00 on the Factory Manual. D'oh?
Clean the lense reader 1st.
Swez
atobeforez on 02/1/2009 02:26:24
Thank you all for so much help, I rely on puter so much.
It is a very nice stereo, has tape player in radio and graphic equalizer, is not the Bose, but seems to be upgraded from base model? I will try to get a picture tomorrow in the daylight.
I have been trying to get a repair manual for the car, but like you all said, is a VERY low production car, maybe why they do not make them anymore. I have already experienced the rare and expensive parts fun. However, it is a rare beauty!, want to keep. A couple weeks ago a man offered to buy it from me in a parking lot, wanted to give me his phone number!
swez on 02/1/2009 06:26:17
Yep, used to rent them on biz trips and after 2 years of fleet service, Budget pulled them from the fleet as just to expensive to maintain. The electronics on this vehicle are like a spaceship and expensive as all heck to fix.
I looked in the back pages of the owner's manual for the repair manual that shops use and paid $100.00 for it. In 3 years and several repairs later, the shop manual paid for itself.
Dealerships are not up on these cars either. Mine was in the shop for 1 week and $400.00 labor w/ NO RESULTS! I dickered with the shop manager as he was a HS buddy and wound up buying a boneyard display module somewhere in Iowa. After that fix, she was tip-top for another 3 years. Nice cars, but a real PITA to work on!
Lesson: NEVER BY A LOW PRODUCTION LUXURY CAR FROM GM.
Swez
ttocs on 02/1/2009 19:13:47
never buy a low production car from any manf. My mustang being a 94 was the first year of the SN95 body style, and the 2nd to last year that they used the 302 5.0 since 76. Most mustang owners can pull for a bunch of years to get the body or motor parts they need but if I want used parts there are only the 94/95 years that I can pull from.
swez on 02/1/2009 23:35:14
In addition to that, buying a new/used vehicle that has been totally revamped in a given model year, don't buy the 1st years' model. These are likely to have snags not found in rigorous testing, but show up later after a 50,000 units were sold, have some serious miles on them and come back with problems in the field that are not listed for recall and refits. Dealers' love the extra work, but the Mfg'ers are slow to admit problems unless it's a severe safety issue.
If your lucky, a recall notice is issued and TSB's, (Tech Service Bulletins) are written for the techs and mechanics to correct the problem(s). The owner pays nothing, but still a pain to deal with.
Swez
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