98 GMC Sierra cassette system internal failure

minx50

Please help me, somebody. Has anyone else had this problem. I have a 1998 GMC Sierra 4X4 shortbed with an AM/FM Cassette deck by ?AC Delco. It was replaced in 08/2000 due to some kind of internal failure with the cassette head - it was replaced AGAIN in 10/2000, same thing. And now -- it's doing it again!!!! I called my dealer (it's still under warranty) and asked if we could please replace it with a different model since there's apparently some kind of internal defect with this model - and that was two days ago and they haven't called me back. I'm sending them a certified letter tomorrow. But has anyone else had this problem, or is it just me? The radio plays completely fine. The first two times the cassette wouldn't play on one speaker side or another - this time it's trying to play both sides of the tape at once. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

redsilverado

probably not the answer you wanna hear, but two of my friends got rid of their HU's for that very reason, and were glad they did as they have much better HU's (aftermarket) in their trucks now. some of the ones with the CD players are known to say bye bye right after they are out of warranty.

when a cassette player tries to produce the sound from both sides of the tape, it is usually because the height of the tape head is not properly adjusted.

dealer might be waiting on GM for an answer to your problem, and therefore has not gotten in touch with you and then again......

i have a '00 rado and at about 7,000 miles i ditched the stock HU and replaced it with a Kenwood (through the advice of Obyone) and was never so glad that i did.

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red

minx50

Thanks, Red. The weird thing about this is that the problem doesn't develop for a few months (apparently I just am not using the cassette deck often enough!! :-)), and that it's been two different problems. I sent off a certified letter today to my dealer as they still have not called me back, but my hope is that they'll like split the cost of the difference of an after market model (fingers crossed). Can't really afford to put any money into the truck right now - just bought a motorcycle!! And my son now has a 1973 Chewy Corvette - thought you'd be interested. Just curious - how much would it cost me to replace the stereo system? Thanks for the info, though.

redsilverado

hey take the kids radio...just kiddin, but that should be a great car for him, and yeah i like em all except the first couple of years.
i would do what Obyone did at first and go with the Kenwood eXcelon series HU. the X-715 (now X-717) is an excellent unit and has speaker output leads that can be wired into an adapter that will plug right into the existing harness where the Delco is plugged in. it also has the RCA plugs that you can use for hooking up to an amplifier should you decide to get into further system improvement. you'll be looking at spending around 400 bones for the Kenwood, but trust me it's worth it. if you'd like more input about this HU, i'm sure Obyone wouldn't mind if you contacted him by email. this HU also allows an unbelievable amount of adjustments and the way the face rotates to a closed position will blow ya away.
for further info to your present dilemna try going to www.sounddomain.com and click on forums, there's a ton of info there.
also you can go to www.crutchfield.com to look at quite a few of the HU's that are on the market.

minx50

Actually, Red, I gave him the car, so... but I do make him take me for a ride whenever I go to San Antonio to visit!

Can't afford 400 clams right now to update the stereo system in the truck - just going to make the dealer keep replacing it, I guess.

Does anyone know if I purchase the extended warranty on this truck ('98 GMC Sierra) whether this problem will be covered? Thanks.
Minx

redsilverado

on the warranty coverage that you bought. in the past i remember buying an extended plan that covered almost everything from bumper to bumper, but never ended up using it.
you don't have to spend that kinda dough either for a good HU, it was just a suggestion. there are great HU's out there for less money with great sound.
if the truck is still under warranty, i'd force them into a new one. there is also the BBB which will work in your favor to make GM rectify this problem. a lot of people get great results from using BBB in situations where you have to keep going back for the same problem. sounds like it's time to do so as well.
i called them last year when i had a problem on my '00 rado that the dealer "could not duplicate" (famous dealer words), and it is now resolved. the dealer took care of the rental that i used as well. good luck.....

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red

minx50

I haven't bought the extended warranty yet - my original warranty is still good until 08/2001, so... I will make them replace the stereo system yet again, but was hoping for a more permanent solution. The BBB is a good idea, though. Thanks.

After reading a lot of these other posts, I'm going to go check out the TSB's for my truck. Seem to remember having a lot of other stuff done - and I think my truck still pulls to the right too!! I want to be armed with info the next time I take it in.

Also, my antennae keeps unscrewing and I can hear it rattling when I go over bumps. I think they replaced the antennae the first time that the stereo was replaced - I'll have to look back to see if I have a slip on it.

Thanks again for all the info - catch you later.
Minx in Maine

akjbmw

Do you take it through the car wash places? They remove the mast for the duration of the wash and replace it after during the wipe down. Therefore, its always loose.

minx50

Yes, I do go through car washes, but they don't remove the antenna. I stopped by the dealer the other day and they tightened it up. Hopefully, that will solve the problem.

Does anyone know how to get ahold of GMC to ask about the extended warranty? They called me a few months ago, but since my truck still has coverage until 08/2001, I told them to call back. But now they haven't called back, and I only have 4 months left on my warranty, and I'm still having stereo problems.

The dealer is replacing the stereo system yet again (fourth one) next week. We'll see how long this one lasts...