Aftermarket radio got wet, any hope for recovery?

[Dino]

According to yesterday's forecast it was supposed to be a dry day today.  A few hours after I arrived at work, the clouds started forming and the flood gates opened.  It is still raining cats and dogs.

The Charger sat in the rain all day long and you will likely know how watertight these cars are...

When I left work I quickly looked in the trunk, there was water in there but considering the downpour it wasn't that bad, I expected much worse.  The cowl is another problem area so I felt the rug and again not too bad there, the outher edge on the driver's side was wet but considering the seals have never been replaced on this car it again was not that bad! 

I'm not too worried about these things as the interior is old and will some day need to be replaced, and the trunk floor is covered with some sort of tar, repair by first owner.  I have a new trunk floor to go in when ever all the leaks are fixed.  For now the tar actually acts as a barrier.

Now the real issue...

I installed a JVC HD radio under the dash recently, right under the ignition switch.  When I started up the car I let it warm up and raise the oil pressure before I took off so while I sat there I turned on the radio and flipped channels.  As soon as I pullled out of my spot and turned the wheel, I felt a splash of water hit my right ankle.  The radio crackled for a second and gone was the sound.  Since it's right above my foot, it got the splash as well.  The top of the console was a bit wet as well.

I turned the radio off and drove home.  Once in the garage I checked the radio and it was still a bit damp on the back so I let it be.

Half an hour ago I checked it again, it's all dry but still no sound.  The thing is, everything else seems to work, I know it's a moot point to have anything but sound work on a radio but it just shows the whole thing didn't fry.  The radio lights up, all buttons work, but no sound at all.

Is this radio going into the trash or is there a fix for things like this?  I need to take a 4 hour trip in it this Friday and having no music will drive me nuts.  I know there's a fuse in the back of the radio but I'm assuming if that's dead the whole radio would be as well.

Whatever issue there is with the cowl, this needs to be fixed!  I do not want water running behind my dash.

I just got this radio and really like it, I hope it can be fixed but if not, I need to get another fast!

The model is a JVC KD-HDR50

[b5blue]

Stick it in a big container full of dried rice for a week to dry it out. 

[Dino]

Stick it in a big container full of dried rice for a week to dry it out. 

I didn't think of that!  I also have a heat gun so I will try to speed up the process a bit.  I so don't want to take that trip without a radio!

[66chargeragain]

Some units have more than one fuse so be sure to check all lines for fuseholders.

[Dino]

I took it to work again yesterday and left it sitting in the sun all day.  When I left work the radio worked but not as it should, the sound was weak.  I left it on and drove a few minutes and the sound was back to normal levels.  Whenever I stepped on the brake it would crackle a bit though and when I stepped on the gas it would work again as normal, indicating that there's still water in there mov :poke:ing around.  I'll remove it today and try to dry it as best I can.

Looks like I'll be having music on my trip after all.

I wonder how much of the car I'll have to take apart to find and fix the leak(s)   

[tan top]

could take the top off the radio &  put a hair dryer on it for a while   balance the radio on one off its corners also to let any water run out 

the leak might be coming from the wind shield  wiper  pivots that got through the cowel 

[Dino]

could take the top off the radio &  put a hair dryer on it for a while  balance the radio on one off its corners also to let any water run out 

the leak might be coming from the wind shield  wiper  pivots that got through the cowel 

Yep, gonna use the hairdryer on it, should work!

That's right, those wiper pivots are notorious for leaking aren't they...So the water that enters the cowl grille, where is it supposed to go?  Down the side of the outer A pillars?  Haven't had one apart for a long time and I can't remember.

The windshield itself might be part of the problem as well, it was removed when the vinyl top was replaced but that's near 20 years ago, who knows what it looks like in the channel.  I know I have a small leak coming from the passenger side corner, not sure where it originates but you can see it come in above the kick panel, my glove box liner is out.  It's a tiny leak and you really have to hose that area down to see it but it's one more to fix.  The trunk's a bit weird, seems to be all coming from the sail panel area, likely the holes for the chrome trim may be (part of) the problem, the seal seems to hold fine as the top stayed dry.  All the water was right under the dutchman panel and the passenger side wheelwell was wet.

I'll just have to minimize having it in the heavy rain as much as possible until I can tackle these things and I likely won't do so until I have time to take it apart and do a proper resto on it.

[ODZKing]

Wow, I am surprised it works at all after that.  Could be the power supply for the amp side got wet enough.  If it isn't blown, they will dry and work.
I just looked on EBay, there are a bunch of them on there.  Looks like a nice unit.
Glad you got'er goin'   

[1970Moparmann]

Stick it in a big container full of dried rice for a week to dry it out. 

I agree!

[Dino]

Honestly I was surprised myself when it started working again.  It's a really nice unit.  I know it's a bit modern looking in there, hence it's under the dash.  When the time comes I'll build a small enclosure around it with a little door to block it from sight.  The nice thing is that the menu and display color is fully customizable and one of the standard colors is a dead ringer for the yellowed white lights on the gauges!   

I grabbed this one new in the box, previous owner literally never installed it and he only wanted $50 so I grabbed it.  Comes with a small remote, has aux in on the front panel for my mp3 player and a usb slot.  Oh and CD of course, very nice unit indeed.

Since I don't have a week I didn't try the rice thing.  Radio worked great when I tested it this morning but I did remove it and put it over one of the heater vents in the house to get a constant stream of warm air.  No water came out of it luckily.

Good thing I removed it though, I noticed that although I did connect the ground wire to the chassis, I didn't connect the rear ground terminal to anything!  Idiot....

[BigBlockSam]

same thing happened to me with my superbee radio mounted under the dash but sad to say , i couldn't restore my radio . it was fried . no sound but everything else works fine .

[b5blue]

Sounds a lot like the Sony 550 in my Jeep, it has USB and 1/8" jack ports in front, that "tip" on the rice is from saving water soaked cell phones and such.