Why is the led radio light on 1998 ford explorer dont work?

Answer 1

1) Remove the power supply board for the radio display (LED driver board). Clean any scorch marks with a nylon brush and then resolder everything. You'll need a low temp circuit board soldering gun, a solder wick and a magnifying glass with light. Also alot of skill or experience. Instructions are available for the recommended modifications at shareamemory.com/radio for about $20.

2) Put in a brand new board. Available from the Pioneer Parts Center (800-421-1404) as part of a Compuond Unit. Just follow the phone system prompts. You may have to work with the person that answers the phone. Pioneer and Ford pretend they don't know they have a problem radio. This is just a kit with three circuit boards in it. The long skinny one is what you're after. You'll need the Ford model number and the Pioneer model number from your radio. These are found on the bottom or back of the unit. They charge about $95 for it. You can also get this kit from Auto Radio & Electronics (aka speed-O-Tach) out of Concord CA., about $94. Ask for Cindy (ext. 562), she will know exactly what you need. Compound unit part #HWM0043, there are two other part numbers available (HWM5469 is one). They are all interchangable. I don't know which is the most recent update or if each is for a specific radio model number.

3) Have a pro fix it. One is Trevor at Pacific Audio in Washington. 360-791-5336 or on the web at explorerradio.com or pacificaudiotech. He was charging about $60 but I doubt this includes shipping for the radio. I believe he offers a warranty but you should check to be sure. He can also fix most other problems your radio may have and it will get a good cleaning.

4) Replace the board with a rebuilt and modified one. You can get this from the Save My Sanity swap program at FixYourRadio.com. $84 plus $20 deposit on your old board. All postage included even the return label. The $20 deposit is credited back to your PayPal account when he gets your board back. If this doesn't fix your radio, you send him back the modified board and he refunds everything. He also has lots of other fixes available (volume on/off knob, stuck CD). You can also do this through Wayne at In House Service Company in NY (631-751-1803) aka ourworld.compuserve.com. They were charging $78 for the board.

There are several other qualified repair services around the country and maybe a few other sources for the new board, but these were the ones I boiled it down to. They all seemed to have plenty of experience dealing with the radio display problem.

The specifics on my unit; Ford model #F87F-18C868-CD, Pioneer model #FH-2216ZF manufactured 2/98. I bought the compound unit from Cindy in option 2. Compound unit $93.80, shipping $10 UPS ground, CA sales tax $6.80, total cost $110.60. Arrived two days after I ordered it just like Cindy said. After I assembled the tools (stereo removal tool from Wal Mart, needle nose pliers, Jewelers phillip screw driver, #2 screw driver and small straight blade screw driver) and had the part in my had, it took less the 20 minutes. I now have a functioning display. You should assume it continues to work until I post again.