Radio keeps cutting out - alternator issue perhaps?

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Palfrem

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 11, 2005
Messages
2,965
Location
Solihull, near Birmingham
Car
W124 E36 AMG, G 300 GEL his, SLK 200 hers
I have a 1993 W463 petrol G Wagen, fitted with a newish, subtle, Blaupunkt Toronto radio.

Lately, the radio has been turning off by itself accompanied by a whine from the alternator and a rise in the speed of the heater blower fan. Then after a ransom period of time it comes back on again.

As I don't use it much at night it was only yesterday (coming home at 11:00 pm) that the fault arrived again and promptly took out both headlamps and the spotlamps. We were on a very dark country lane! Thankfully the fog lamps remained operational so we could get home.

Previously I took the car to Halfords to check the radio and associated wiring out and the lad suggested the radio was u/s as he could find no fault with the wiring.

Went and bought new radio. Not had it fitted yet.

Am I correct thinking the it's maybe the radio detects the power surge and turns itself off as the alternator or voltage regulator is at fault?

Or is the radio actually the source of the problem?

Thanks.
 
I had a like problem the other week (e500 c207) the comand shut down.
On turning the engine off, the battery was flat. I had a large red battery figure in the centre display. The fault was intermittent but was traced to a faulty alternator.
 
99% that your voltage regulator is at fault and the radio is a symptom of that.
These are classic symptoms of overcharging.
 
Along with all inf above check all the fuses in your fuse box along with earth straps from engine to body work , clean them up and grease them . But i looks like the regulator in the alternator check out put from alternator to be sure . Diont know if yours is the same as the old mb cars, they had a bulb in the console for the charging system if this bulb went down it stops charging the battery. Had a problem with an old Sunbeam Rapier long tome back ,Every now and then the radio and overdrive would just go off . The earth lead on the battery was loose .
 

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