I followed your instructions and just finished reassembling my dash. I have a full functioning radio and display again. Six cold solder joints in all. Thanks for the tutorial!
Radio display has been fixed thanks to your video! Removing and installing the screws is a nightmare without the right tool. Used needle nose to remove and then replaced them with #4 1/2 in wood screws. Thanks again!!
I was having an intermittent problem at the beginning. A smack on the dash and it would would work for awhile. I suspected a bad ground somewhere until I ran across your video. Thankfully I have a good soldering station, followed your instructions and now life is good. Thanks for posting this. 👍
Thank you for posting this video. I figured there was some soft of connection failure, probably a failed solder joint. It was very intermittent at first; an occasional whack to the dash woudl light it up again-- but, as the years went by, it got worse and worse. It's dark all the time now. GM has an issue with this on other boards: Wiper controller and ABS controller boards on S10 trucks during the same era. I appreciate you doing the research; I wasn't wiling to take the thing apart not knowing what I was against, but now I feel confident that I have a decent shot at it.
I'm glad my video could help. If there are any other things you want to see a video on, I'm always open to suggestions. I want to do more videos like this, but each one takes so much time. This one was a little rushed, I probably only spent 5 hours filming, writing the script, and editing, and you can definitely tell. And that's not to mention the research and practice, or the time my friend spent recording the voice-over, time spent rendering and uploading the video. So, it makes me really happy that someone has found it useful. One thing I should add to this video is, upon further research, people have had good results with lead-free solder, rather than the solder I linked in the description, because lead-free has a higher melting point, so it resists heat cycling better.
Wow!!! This is EXACTLY what I was looking for, presented thoroughly, quickly, and with ZERO RUclipsry fluff! You really are great at this, so keep at it and I'm SURE you can make a big name here!
Finally finished up. That fixed it! Couldn't tell which if any solder joints were cracked so i did them all where you showed. I just applied new solder to the old. It worked, thanks!
I used this info to repair my 2012 Silverado radio display which was flickering and blank. I replaced all the ‘pins’ solder like shown. Thank you. Years of aggravation solved in less than 1 hour.
Thanks much for the info. I have the same issue with my 2013 Chevy Silverado and came here looking for advice, which it looks like I've found. I'll tackle this in a couple days when I have the time. UPDATE: worked for me too. Those little screws on the board were a pia though. I tried going to harbor freight and home depot so see if I could find the right tool/socket, but was unable to locate, so I ended up using needle nose pliers. I didn't put the screws back in, as I'm planning to swap them out with some Phillips screws for electronics.
Can confirm, it's not a 3.5mm socket. Bought a set from Walmart that had the 3mm & 3.5mm. 3.5mm too big. 3mm too small. Had to take a tiny file & remove inside of socket til it halfway fit. This is basically a at rant at GM engineers
Great video. Will attempt this on my 2012 gmc acadia. I was wondering though. By disconnecting the radio when you reinstall it will it be locked out? Need the dealer to reprogram? Hope not. But I've heard of folks purchasing factory radios off ebay only to discover installing the radio it is locked. This requires the dealer to unlock which is very expensive for some reason.
Good luck on your repair. When a gm radio powers on, it checks if it has a VIN stored in its internal memory. If not, it reads the VIN of whatever vehicle it's plugged into, and locks itself to that VIN. So, as long as you aren't trying to put the radio into a different vehicle, you should have no worries about unplugging it. You can deprogram them by erasing the section of the eeprom that contains the vin, then it'll automatically relock itself upon installation and powering on.
Just wondering if you have any idea on what the issue could be with my radio on my 2011 sierra. It changes to aux mode from time to time and I have to smack the dash to get it to change back. And also my LR door speaker quit working around the same time this started. Any help would be great.
Broken solder joints on the aux port, I've seen it quite a few times. As to the speaker, you'll have to check if the speaker is blown, and if the wiring to the speaker works. I could try to make a video diagnosing a speaker. Sorry it took so long for me to reply, I didn't see your question
Likely broken solder joints on the aux port. Try wiggling it with your finger. When the solder is broken, every time it wiggles and makes connection your radio will think something's being plugged into the aux port
this just happened to me, in my pontiac g6 stereo from out of no where......I'll try this...the stereo works fine but the display screen comes and goes
Great video! I have this problem. I could take everything apart but probably not solder. Do they sell new ones where I could just slide it in and reconnect or is there another brand radio that is simple to reconnect and replace, I wonder. I'm selling my truck and this is the only problem it has. Thanks for the video.
I know GM will sell you a new radio, but I imagine it'll be quite expensive. The vin locking code is contained within that front piece, so a junkyard radio isn't an option unless you're comfortable programming eeproms. You could go aftermarket. There are definitely companies that make plug and play adapters, and proper fitting faceplates.
You'll need something like this: www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/scosche-gmsrcl2-car-stereo-replacement-interface-for-2004-and-up-gm-vehicles-0350236p.0350236.html?loc=plp www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/scosche-gm1587b-dash-single-din-car-stereo-install-kit-for-2004-and-up-gm-vehicles-0350235p.0350235.html?loc=plp These are meant to be compatible with something like your average JVC or Pioneer aftermarket head unit. Or, if you're in Canada, you can ship it to me, and I can fix it
Great video! I have a question that maybe you could answer...My Sierra radio is starting to "fritz", a little "tap" on the display usually does the trick (for now) to get the screen back to normal. My question is, instead of taking the whole front screen apart and resoldering the connections could I buy a used radio, take the front display from that radio and put it on the "main base" of my origional radio? The reason I ask is that these radios are cheap on Ebay I assume mostly because they are "vehicle programmed" and will not work if directly swapped from one vehicle to the next with out the dealer "reprogramming" the radio to the correct VIN. So I guess what I am asking is the "prgramming" in the display of the radio, or in the "main body" that does not allow it be swapped from 1 vehicle to the next? Thanks in advance!
Short answer: yes you can swap fronts, but it won't help you. If you take the radio apart, you'll see that all the electronics are in the front display. The programming is in an eeprom chip on that main circuit board, so you could unsolder the eeproms and swap them, or if you know how to read eeproms you can overwrite the part of the eeprom that contains the VIN. There are videos that will show you how. However, both of these options are more costly, and require much more knowledge and skill than the fix I showed in my video, and I'm guessing that since you're asking this question you're wanting something simpler, not more complex. As long as you have a tiny bit of confidence with a soldering iron, and follow all the steps I set out, you can fix the radio with supplies you can use for other projects. Or, I'd recommend finding someone good with electronics to do the repair for you. If you're in Canada, you can ship it to me, and I'd be happy to help
The most likely reason that the connections failed is they had to use lead free solder because the of the world governments outlawing the use of Lead in electronic assemblies. The lead free solders are much more brittle than the previous tin/lead alloys so broken solder joints are far more common in today's electronics. As usual the governments in their zeal to appear concerned about health have caused many unintended consequences which cost the world billions of dollars in failed equipment and add more to the world's landfills causing more pollution than the original problem.
I followed your instructions and just finished reassembling my dash. I have a full functioning radio and display again. Six cold solder joints in all. Thanks for the tutorial!
Awesome! I'm glad to hear it!
Radio display has been fixed thanks to your video! Removing and installing the screws is a nightmare without the right tool. Used needle nose to remove and then replaced them with #4 1/2 in wood screws. Thanks again!!
Glad to hear it! Yeah, those screws suck without the right tool
I was having an intermittent problem at the beginning. A smack on the dash and it would would work for awhile. I suspected a bad ground somewhere until I ran across your video. Thankfully I have a good soldering station, followed your instructions and now life is good. Thanks for posting this. 👍
Awesome, I'm glad to hear that
Thank you for posting this video. I figured there was some soft of connection failure, probably a failed solder joint. It was very intermittent at first; an occasional whack to the dash woudl light it up again-- but, as the years went by, it got worse and worse. It's dark all the time now. GM has an issue with this on other boards: Wiper controller and ABS controller boards on S10 trucks during the same era. I appreciate you doing the research; I wasn't wiling to take the thing apart not knowing what I was against, but now I feel confident that I have a decent shot at it.
I'm glad my video could help.
If there are any other things you want to see a video on, I'm always open to suggestions.
I want to do more videos like this, but each one takes so much time.
This one was a little rushed, I probably only spent 5 hours filming, writing the script, and editing, and you can definitely tell. And that's not to mention the research and practice, or the time my friend spent recording the voice-over, time spent rendering and uploading the video.
So, it makes me really happy that someone has found it useful.
One thing I should add to this video is, upon further research, people have had good results with lead-free solder, rather than the solder I linked in the description, because lead-free has a higher melting point, so it resists heat cycling better.
Thank you!! My hubby didn’t believe I could do it…I followed all your steps and it’s now working!!! Woo hoo you’re the best!
That's awesome, I'm glad you were able to fix it!
Wow!!! This is EXACTLY what I was looking for, presented thoroughly, quickly, and with ZERO RUclipsry fluff! You really are great at this, so keep at it and I'm SURE you can make a big name here!
Finally finished up. That fixed it! Couldn't tell which if any solder joints were cracked so i did them all where you showed. I just applied new solder to the old. It worked, thanks!
Awesome, I'm glad I could help!
Just repaired my radio display on my HD2500 GMC with what I learned from this video. Great help!
That's awesome to hear!
I used this info to repair my 2012 Silverado radio display which was flickering and blank. I replaced all the ‘pins’ solder like shown. Thank you. Years of aggravation solved in less than 1 hour.
I'm glad to hear that.
Thanks much for the info. I have the same issue with my 2013 Chevy Silverado and came here looking for advice, which it looks like I've found. I'll tackle this in a couple days when I have the time.
UPDATE: worked for me too. Those little screws on the board were a pia though. I tried going to harbor freight and home depot so see if I could find the right tool/socket, but was unable to locate, so I ended up using needle nose pliers. I didn't put the screws back in, as I'm planning to swap them out with some Phillips screws for electronics.
Can confirm, it's not a 3.5mm socket. Bought a set from Walmart that had the 3mm & 3.5mm. 3.5mm too big. 3mm too small. Had to take a tiny file & remove inside of socket til it halfway fit. This is basically a at rant at GM engineers
Damn, what weird size are those screws, then?
@@CoffeeAddictEvan I saw on another post that the guy said they were 1/8. I used needle nose pliers.
@@destinyreturns4885 makes sense. Don't know why I didn't think it might be Imperial not metric
Great video. Will attempt this on my 2012 gmc acadia. I was wondering though. By disconnecting the radio when you reinstall it will it be locked out? Need the dealer to reprogram? Hope not. But I've heard of folks purchasing factory radios off ebay only to discover installing the radio it is locked. This requires the dealer to unlock which is very expensive for some reason.
Good luck on your repair.
When a gm radio powers on, it checks if it has a VIN stored in its internal memory. If not, it reads the VIN of whatever vehicle it's plugged into, and locks itself to that VIN.
So, as long as you aren't trying to put the radio into a different vehicle, you should have no worries about unplugging it.
You can deprogram them by erasing the section of the eeprom that contains the vin, then it'll automatically relock itself upon installation and powering on.
Just wondering if you have any idea on what the issue could be with my radio on my 2011 sierra. It changes to aux mode from time to time and I have to smack the dash to get it to change back. And also my LR door speaker quit working around the same time this started. Any help would be great.
Broken solder joints on the aux port, I've seen it quite a few times. As to the speaker, you'll have to check if the speaker is blown, and if the wiring to the speaker works.
I could try to make a video diagnosing a speaker.
Sorry it took so long for me to reply, I didn't see your question
Likely broken solder joints on the aux port. Try wiggling it with your finger. When the solder is broken, every time it wiggles and makes connection your radio will think something's being plugged into the aux port
Do you know how to unlock the same radio?
this just happened to me, in my pontiac g6 stereo from out of no where......I'll try this...the stereo works fine but the display screen comes and goes
Let me know how it goes
Hopefully I gave you enough information to go on
Thank you
You're welcome
Great video! I have this problem. I could take everything apart but probably not solder. Do they sell new ones where I could just slide it in and reconnect or is there another brand radio that is simple to reconnect and replace, I wonder. I'm selling my truck and this is the only problem it has. Thanks for the video.
I know GM will sell you a new radio, but I imagine it'll be quite expensive.
The vin locking code is contained within that front piece, so a junkyard radio isn't an option unless you're comfortable programming eeproms.
You could go aftermarket. There are definitely companies that make plug and play adapters, and proper fitting faceplates.
If you do go for an aftermarket radio, remember to get a chime module, because your truck uses the radio to make your blinker noises and door chime
You'll need something like this:
www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/scosche-gmsrcl2-car-stereo-replacement-interface-for-2004-and-up-gm-vehicles-0350236p.0350236.html?loc=plp
www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/scosche-gm1587b-dash-single-din-car-stereo-install-kit-for-2004-and-up-gm-vehicles-0350235p.0350235.html?loc=plp
These are meant to be compatible with something like your average JVC or Pioneer aftermarket head unit.
Or, if you're in Canada, you can ship it to me, and I can fix it
@@CoffeeAddictEvan good to know, thanks for taking the time to give the info!
@@bamagym you're welcome, hope this helps
Awesome. . . thanks!
You're welcome!
Instructions unclear: Google assistant took over my radio and is now playing rickrool at full blast. 💀
I’ve got to say that a 3 mm socket is the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to find
Apparently the proper size is 1/8th inch, if that helps at all
Great video! I have a question that maybe you could answer...My Sierra radio is starting to "fritz", a little "tap" on the display usually does the trick (for now) to get the screen back to normal. My question is, instead of taking the whole front screen apart and resoldering the connections could I buy a used radio, take the front display from that radio and put it on the "main base" of my origional radio? The reason I ask is that these radios are cheap on Ebay I assume mostly because they are "vehicle programmed" and will not work if directly swapped from one vehicle to the next with out the dealer "reprogramming" the radio to the correct VIN.
So I guess what I am asking is the "prgramming" in the display of the radio, or in the "main body" that does not allow it be swapped from 1 vehicle to the next?
Thanks in advance!
Short answer: yes you can swap fronts, but it won't help you.
If you take the radio apart, you'll see that all the electronics are in the front display.
The programming is in an eeprom chip on that main circuit board, so you could unsolder the eeproms and swap them, or if you know how to read eeproms you can overwrite the part of the eeprom that contains the VIN. There are videos that will show you how.
However, both of these options are more costly, and require much more knowledge and skill than the fix I showed in my video, and I'm guessing that since you're asking this question you're wanting something simpler, not more complex.
As long as you have a tiny bit of confidence with a soldering iron, and follow all the steps I set out, you can fix the radio with supplies you can use for other projects. Or, I'd recommend finding someone good with electronics to do the repair for you. If you're in Canada, you can ship it to me, and I'd be happy to help
wish I would of seen this video, before I put it all back together again. lol
On the plus side, you'll be really good at taking them apart and fixing them lol
thank you !
You're welcome!
The most likely reason that the connections failed is they had to use lead free solder because the of the world governments outlawing the use of Lead in electronic assemblies. The lead free solders are much more brittle than the previous tin/lead alloys so broken solder joints are far more common in today's electronics. As usual the governments in their zeal to appear concerned about health have caused many unintended consequences which cost the world billions of dollars in failed equipment and add more to the world's landfills causing more pollution than the original problem.
My 03 yukon denali sat/nav radio has a working display but most of the buttons do not respond. This might be the solution to my problem. 😮
Possibly. Please let me know what you find
I will just buy a stick on clock