Just got a great, low mileage 88000 SSE/ Former owner jammed a cassette tape and the radio is stuck in TAPE MODE. How do I remove the radio to open and fix? Is there a security code I need to worry about? Please advise. This is a gift for my son. He can't live without a radio....

Moved to the Audio section.

there is no radio code for you to worry about, you may have to press and hold the "mute" button on the steering wheel pod to reconnect the radio and steering wheel controls after reconnecting the radio.

hi shortstuf;

have you had personal experience with this? the reason i'm asking is i've had a couple of times with my 89 sse where the power has been disconnected and the radio has loocked out. both times i've had to take it back to the dealership and have them recode the radio at 75 bucks a pop! it'd be great if i could skip that experience again.

also i had the same problem, a tape jammed in mine. i got it out with a screwdriver but the tape deck never worked right after words. my 89 parts car has a radio but i never thought of switching it cause i wasn't gonna pay the money again to have it recoded.

sorry if i sidetracked this subject but enquiring minds want to know!

Ok. Its rather easy. Just pry off the faux wood bezel and remove it and set it aside, I believe it has about 8 clips, don't worry about breaking it, just get your fingers under it and pull straight out. you should now see a couple screws on the bracket. Remove those and slide it out. Disconnect all wires in the rear and then if you understand basic electronics and know about assembly and disassembly, preceed to open the radio. I have not done it personally, but it can't be that hard, it usually looks harder than it actually is. if you still need help, I will personally take apart my own and take pictures tomorrow or saturday.

on a side note!!! Some radios WERE equipped with Delco-Loc II.! Those WILL have to be reprogrammed to unlock. I am sure its extremely simple to do, you just need the code. I will look in my FSM for any information on that and to see where you can get the code.

Ok then, I have returned with instructions from the 1989 FSM.

According to the FSM, you can set YOUR own code. This is VERY important to do BEFORE you disconnect power from the radio if yours is Delco-Loc II equipped. If you do not set a new code, you will not be able to unlock the radio and you will have to pay big money to get it unlocked.

To set the code:
1. Write down any 6 digit number and keep it in a safe place. This will be your radio lock code.
2. Turn ignition to "accessory" or "run" position.
3. Press the PWR button to turn the radio OFF.
4. Press the PREV and FF buttons together...hold until "--------" shows on the display.
You are now ready to enter your secret code. Do NOT wait more than 15 seconds between each step. (it would help to pre-read this carefully to be prepared)
5. Press SET and "000" appears on the display.
6. Press SEEK and hold until the first digit of your code appears.
7. Press SCAN and hold until the second and third digits of your code appears.
8. Press AM-FM "000" will appear once again and you can now enter the last three digits of your security code.
9. Once again, press SEEK and hold until the value of the 4th number in the code appears.
10. Then press SCAN and hold until the remaining two numbers appear on the display.
11. Press AM-FM once and "REP" should appear on the display for 5 seconds then "000" appears.
12. Now repeat steps 6-11. This is a confirmation. When you are done with step 11 the second time, "SEC" will appear on the display meaning that your radio is now secured.

Now its time to take out that radio!

After you reinstall the radio when you get it back installed and everything is in normal working order, just follow the following set of instructions.

Instructions on unlocking radio after power loss:

When battery power is reapplied to a secured radio, the radio won't turn on and "LOC" will appear on the display.

Now you must enter your secret code as follows. (Remember, Do not pause more than 15 seconds between steps!)
1. Turn ignition on.
2. Press SET and "000" will appear on the display.
3. Press SEEK and hold until the first digit of your secret code appears.
4. Press scan and hold until the second and third digits appear.
5. Press AM-FM and the "000" will appear, indicating it is ready for the rest of the code.
6. Once again, press SEEK until your first digit appears.
7. Press SCAN until the 5th and 6th digits appear.
8. Press AM-FM "SEC" appears and the radio can be turned on. The radio will now remain in secured mode, and these steps will have to be repeated if power is ever lost again.

Hope this information helps you with your radio problem!!

Edit: I just realized that you either have the UM6 or the UT4 if you are talking about a tape. If you have a tape and no UK3 controls ( 5 channel equalizer), then you have the UM6, if you have said 5 channel equilizer with steering wheel controls, then you have the UT4 radio. IIRC, only the UA1 CD Player has that DELCO-LOC II feature, so most of those instructions will probably be useless to you. The UM7 (no tape), UM6 (tape), UT4 (tape with equilizer), have no security features. You are safe to disconnect the radio with no problems. Just follow my first instructions.

Good luck.

john;

i followed thru what you said and am not questioning you, just confused myself. i have a ut4 system(tape with equilizer). as mentioned, when the power was disconnected the radio came back on locked and that was when i had to have it reset. now since my understanding was all these cars were built at the same plant in the states i can't see this being a canada only feature. the instructions you gave for the delco loc i remember are in the owners manual and i did try them with no luck. this would be great if i could switch radios as i do miss my tapes, but i am just not wanting another trip to the dealer if i can help it especially since the power has been permanently disconnected on the parts car (swiped one of the battery cables) so i'm sol on experimenting on it.

bill

Are you sure you SET your own code CORRECTLY? And those instructions aren't in my Owners Manual for some reason. Um. If done correctly, that should work perfectly. And also, I did state that if it says DELCO-LOC II on the front of the radio, you will have to follow those steps. I would try it on whatever radio you have, just to make sure that it is or is not the delco-loc II system. if it doesn't respond to those functions, i guess it isn't one. Personally, I wouldn't know, mine doesn't have delco-loc. I disconnect and reconnect it all the time. Then again I have the UM6. So I dunno. The only advice I can offer is to try to secure it and if its not securable, then don't worry.

I thought my BMW ROadfly forum was great. It is fantastic to find this level of help and responsiveness. I personally owned a 1993 SSEi and loved it. My son has a great car and now a working radio thanks to everyone here.