84 Blaupunkt sacramento radio removal...help needed

[grant mills]

I've removed the coin collector on top (where the speaker originally went), as well as the front knobs and support nuts at the front. Does the support bracket for the top tray also need to be removed for better access?  I can not see any side connections holding the radio in place. Is there a lower tray or some other mechanism holding it in place? Judging by the workshop manual description, I don't want to remove the dash to get to the back. I am willing to remove the front seats if necessary to get down on the floor and work from underneath. Any hints or pointers in the right direction would be appreciated.

Yes the radio has failed (or faded to almost no sound) and the tape deck has eaten a tape. I will fix or replace as practical.

[ronmanfredi]

On my 82 model, I removed the coin/cup holder on top, the knob nuts and pulled the radio out through the top.  There was a Blaupunkt amp on top of the radio that had to be removed first.  I believe the radio has to be turned to where the side of it comes out first.

[grant mills]

I've done the first of those steps. I can see the amp on top...a simple PCB somehow affixed to the top. I have not yet figured out how it is attached. I think I have found the source of my problems. There appears to be an L shaped bracket at the back..bolted to a base plate and the vertical portion has a bolt from the radio going through it and has a white wire held down by a (loose) nut on that bolt. Taking the nut and wire off does not appear that it will loosen the bracket so that the radio can be removed, but I will give it a try after I have photographed as much as I can in case I do a reassembly of the original radio connections. I have found an operating manual and schematic of the electrical for that particular radio and downloaded them....and looking at it just now, I see it has a "quick bolt" on the back for connection to a supporting strap. This may be all that I need to finish the removal

[ronmanfredi]

On 6/7/2025 at 6:32 PM, grant mills said:

I've done the first of those steps. I can see the amp on top...a simple PCB somehow affixed to the top. I have not yet figured out how it is attached. I think I have found the source of my problems. There appears to be an L shaped bracket at the back..bolted to a base plate and the vertical portion has a bolt from the radio going through it and has a white wire held down by a (loose) nut on that bolt. Taking the nut and wire off does not appear that it will loosen the bracket so that the radio can be removed, but I will give it a try after I have photographed as much as I can in case I do a reassembly of the original radio connections. I have found an operating manual and schematic of the electrical for that particular radio and downloaded them....and looking at it just now, I see it has a "quick bolt" on the back for connection to a supporting strap. This may be all that I need to finish the removal

The amp on mine was attached with double sided tape.  Wire harness plugs into the amp so once I got it loose, it wasn't hard to get out.  Then the radio was next.  There wasn't a rear bracket on the radio on mine, but there should have been.

[grant mills]

Thanks. I just discovered last night that the amp was held down by two squares of velcro at opposite corners. I spent too much time agonising about how I was going to get the amp off and in the end it was a simple affair.

[grant mills]

The "amp" is out, as is the radio. I don't think that the "amp" has anything to do with the radio but sits on it as a place to rest. I have checked continuity from a couple of the speaker connections with the connector to that "amp" and find none. Does anyone know what that little PCB is used for? I assume that after fixing or replacing the radio I will have to reattach it.

[ronmanfredi]

14 hours ago, grant mills said:

The "amp" is out, as is the radio. I don't think that the "amp" has anything to do with the radio but sits on it as a place to rest. I have checked continuity from a couple of the speaker connections with the connector to that "amp" and find none. Does anyone know what that little PCB is used for? I assume that after fixing or replacing the radio I will have to reattach it.

The radio puts out a low-level speaker signal to the amp.  The amp boosts the signal to the speakers.  You need the amp to get any sound.

[grant mills]

We may be talking about different items. I've attached a picture of the PCB that sits on the radio...apologies for the poor quality, but my cheap flip phone has a cheap camera.. Anyway, I did a continuity tests between 3 of the speaker wire connectors (Becker 2pin DIN) and the each of the 9 pins on the connector to the "amp". I got nothing. I would expect an external amp to be connected to the AUX output (round 7 pin connection plug) and that had no connection. So I am still curious as to what it is for (on my system)