| Marcsut99 |
As the owner of a new Murano, I must say I am very dissapointed at the poor and crackly reception I get with FM stations. A quick google of this problem shows I am not alone here:
http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthr...sb=3&o=&fpart=1
Here's the crux of this issue as posted by someone else:
There is a TSB issued that basically requires the dealer to tighten up the mounting plate for the AM/FM antenna. Apparently they weren't all tightened properly when they were originally assembled.
TSB # NTB03059
http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/niss...28.asp?mscssid=
I plan on taking mine in really soon and hope I don't get a hassle from the dealer. Given the this is not a new problem, it sucks that mine has the same issue, given it's a new car and Nissan did nothing to fix it yet.
Anyone else have the same problem? |
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| Rayt |
Marcsut99,
The poor radio reception is a real problem for me as well. The TSB is for '03 models up to a certain date (mine is an '04) when I complained about the radio they did check the connection but they said it was fine.
The dealer told me the issue is do to the small antenna, I really don't feel thats the case. I believe its the radio itself. Or maybe it's the match of the two units.
I wish we could make a big enough stink to force them to have a recall to resolve this issue.
In this day and age there's should be no excuse to have such poor reception...
Ray |
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| GripperDon |
| a small advise, The antenna will be better if it is up straight, it maximizes the ground plane effect of the roof. Secondly pop off the map light assembly and you can see the nut to tighten. No matter the year you "could" check and make sure it's tight yourself. My 04 and 05 both had great reception so they are no all that way. |
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| promike |
| I agree with GripperDon. The position of the antenna makes a big difference in the reception on my '04. When positioned correctly, reception is great. |
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| Marcsut99 |
Hey Ray,
Well mine is a new '04 and still has the problem too. I've printed off stuff from the net regarding this issue to show the dealer as I'm taking it in tomorrow AM. I'm a bit dissapointed as there's four things
I need to have looked at
1) Bad radio reception
2) Right Front Mud guard is loose (not as tightly secured nor flush like the left)
3) Passenger side wiper does not wipe cleanly in a large spot.
4) White gummy stuff on the left part of engine heat shield and on on tube that runs verically beside the power steering resivoir. <--no I did not get it rustproofed.
Kind've a bummer that this stuff needs addressing expecially since the car is a month old and only has 1200km's on it. Needless to say I'll be raising a *BIG* stink if this stuff is not addressed to my satisfaction, ESPECIALLY the radio, which was a deal maker for me getting this car.
Cheers!
Marcus |
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| Marcsut99 |
| I've tried positioning the antenna completely vertically to no avail. I still get the same scratchy sound on FM stations, which is more pronounced with "s" words. Like if someone says "smile", the static kinda makes it sound like "chmile". VERY annoying. |
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| GripperDon |
| Get nut tightened or DIY |
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| SugarRushMurano |
Yes, i did what the TSB instructed. Very easy.
Coincidently, I have a 22 mm deep wall oxygen sensor socket that i used to replace 02 sensor in my other car. Fit like a charm on the antenna's bolt.
It was very easy to do, 20 minutes and done.
It sure fix the radio reception.
Mostly now I listen to XM though. |
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| larry1960 |
quote:
Originally posted by GripperDon
Get nut tightened or DIY
How do you get the dome light out
Thank you
You have a 03 and a 05 ??
I have a 05, and the drivers seat when you push it down and pull up it creaks popping sound.And when you stop and start I hear it.Do you have the same thing?
Thank you
:confused: |
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| GripperDon |
| Had an 04 traded for an 05 with a few days overlap. I have NO problems of ANY kind. :D |
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| Marcsut99 |
| So I was at my dealer this morning getting the radio looked at. I showed the service mananger the printout from another site which listed it as a known problem with a TSB number. He vaugely remembered there being a known issue with the reception but said they've never had anyone complain before about poor reception in a Murano. Kinda surprising since this is one of the busiest Nissan dealers in all of Canada. Anyways, after the car was done, the manager tells me they did tighen the antenna bolt as per the TSB. I get no more than 2 blocks when I still hear the static as before. Back to the dealer. I had to get the service manager to come into my car and listen for himself. Admittedly, it was very hard to hear the crackly reception while the car was still, but once we moved, I think he was convinced it;s not right. Needless to say, I have to schedule another appointment so they can do "further diagnostics" on the radio to see what the problem is. I've played with different antenna positions again to no avail. What a pain in the ass. |
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| GripperDon |
| Is this true? Clear when not moving but engine running. Crackles associated with vehicle motion? |
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| Marcsut99 |
| Well it's still crackly while stationary, but much less. I just attribute this to the antenna being able to get a better signal while in the one spot, as opposed to teh car moving and the antenna not always getting a contant strong signal (buildings, trucks, under bridges.) |
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| GripperDon |
| Well that was what I wanted to check out, sometimes static electricity buils up when the wheels rotate, But that can't be it if it occurs when you are not moving. Wish I could help my radion is actually quite good compared to most I have had. |
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| Rayt |
Marcsut99,
Please let me know if you have any luck with your dealer. I told my dealer I wasn't happy with the radio reception and they needed to do something. They said they would look at it again when I bring it in for service. They're very nice but they really don't know what to do about.
The sales manager said he'd help me with the cost of the SAT if I wanted to go that route. Problem is, I really like the local stations.
For what its worth, I spoke to a Nissan service manager in CA or AZ when I was researching SAT radio. He told me its a known problem and Nissan has been putting pressure on the radio manufacturer to fix it.
I've tried repositioning the antenna and its makes very little difference at all.
Ray |
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| GripperDon |
| Guess I was double lucky :D |
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| Marcsut99 |
| Thanks for the info Ray. It sure is frustrating, especially considering I've only had the car a month. If I don[t get anywhere with the dealer, I'll be sure to contact the head office.. |
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| GripperDon |
A little good reading.:
After which you might want to sand the inside of the roof area where the nut washer etc make contact. The effect of the angle of the antenna will not be noticeable if the antenna is not grounded properly or if the receiver is operating above the RF limit point, other wise there is an important detectable difference, you may not be able to tell as I said when station received signal is above the automatic RF gain limit.
Follows is a useful quotes:
Antenna's fields are distorted by nearby objects (particularly metal ones). Avoid placing the antenna near a distorting object, to insure proper performance.
Because these antennas also have a vertical polarization component antennas that are mounted vertically will perform better than ones that are mounted horizontally.
Keep the antenna as far away as practical from sensitive circuitry such as A/D converters, clock signal traces, and other noise generators. Otherwise you may find that the signals couple onto the antenna coaxial cable or CRFM board. If this happens, these signals will
1. Be radiated by the receice signal and
2. Be conducted into the receiver, making it less sensitive to the desired control channel signals.
Use of connectors and interconnecting cable should be minimized. Each of these items has some RF loss associated with it. For cable runs longer than 5 feet, we recommend Belden RF cable type 9913 or better. Loss in the transmit chain allows less of the transmitter's power to get to the antenna to be radiated. Loss in the receive chain causes less of the received power to get from the antenna to the receiver circuitry for decoding. In fringe areas these additional tenths of dB may mean the difference between working and not working.
Do not paint the hole through which your antenna connects. Paint near the antenna hole or antenna connector hole will prevent good contact between the connector and the grounded case. |
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| Steve Richards |
quote:
Originally posted by GripperDon
Is this true? Clear when not moving but engine running. Crackles associated with vehicle motion?
I also have the problem with my '04.
The nut has been tightened, still the problem.
There is definitly an issue with the radio, a couple of stations are great, but a couple that are the strongest in the area basically don't get any usable reception.
It's almost like the tuning frequency is not correct on the higher end of the FM band... |
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| Gonzo |
| Did anyone just try ground one end of a wire and then touching something metal on the radio itself? Sounds like the radio has a bad ground and this would be a very simple thing to check. |
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| Spin_Echo |
| Can anyone report suboptimal radio reception on 05 models? |
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| Marcsut99 |
| So I finally took my Murano into another dealer to have them look at the radio. This dealer is also a very large one and have never heard of this problem at all with the Murano. The service manager said the biggest issues they've seen is with the CD players. They have ordered a new radio which they will be replacing tomorrow. I will report back if this fixes the problem..Marcus |
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| mozman |
quote:
Originally posted by Spin_Echo
Can anyone report suboptimal radio reception on 05 models?
Sorry, my radio is fine on my '05. |
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| GripperDon |
| 05 Great. Antenna is correct design, electrically the right length mechanically good also. Low SWR. !!GRIP :D |
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| Steve Richards |
quote:
Originally posted by Marcsut99
So I finally took my Murano into another dealer to have them look at the radio. This dealer is also a very large one and have never heard of this problem at all with the Murano. The service manager said the biggest issues they've seen is with the CD players. They have ordered a new radio which they will be replacing tomorrow. I will report back if this fixes the problem..Marcus
Since you did report back I presume the problem still exists ?
I was looking at the service manuals for something and noticed that there is an antenna amplifier in the schematic.
I wonder if there is something going on with that as opposed to the radio.
I live about 20 miles as the crow flies from most of the Boston transmitters. I generally get all of the stations, except for WBCN, pretty good.
When I go out another 15 miles and do a station scan, the radio hits 5 stations. WBCN is almost non existant.
When I go another 5 miles, WBCN is gone altogether. For those not in the area, WBCN has the Patriots broadcast in the fall and is pretty stong signal, I could get it very clearly in my old vehicle another 40 miles past where it is gone in this vehicle. |
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| jaak |
| The major problem is the antenna, while very fashionable, sucks. |
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| Gonzo |
| I've got an 03 with antenna in the normal 40ish° position. I tighten the bolt myself an although no issues prior to tighten it I have not had a problem with radio reception. |
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| jaak |
Best position for reception is straight up, but it looks stupid. Second best is on the sexy angle, worst is flat after a car wash pushes it down.
In the normal position, it's OK as an antenna, but not a stellar performer. If you find it's really bad, then there's a TSB for ensuring the ground is good.
There is much room for improvement, but it shouldn't be terrible. |
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| Marcsut99 |
Further to my previous posts regarding the poor radio reception in my Murano:
So about 3 weeks ago I had the dealer completely replace the radio. The result was the reception was just as crappy as the original. But now in cold weather, the CD player would skip like crazy (the original didn't). AHH! SO I call the dealer up. The service manager said he would order yet another radio and replace that, hoping to fix the CD player.
So just this morning I was in at the dealer and they replaced the radio AGAIN. Well it's not very cold out today, so I'm not sure if the CD player skips but the reception is still ****ty.
The manager at the dealer told me these tidbits:
- All Nissan stereos are made by Clarion despite the "BOSE" label on the dash.
- They've had TONS of problems across the board with these Clarion stereos, particularly in the Murano and Infinity, primarily with the CD players skipping in cold weather. The radio reception issue isn't one they get a lot of business for.
- When you get a "new" replacement, it isn't exactly that. It's almost always a "refurb" unit back from Clarion.
He seemed pretty fed up and apparenly Nissan is really giving them a hard time about all these problems.
Well there I have it: 2 replaced radios in my 4 month old Murano, several hours spent at the dealer, and the original issue of bad reception still isn't fixed. Nice. |
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| rwm3100 |
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Marcsut99
[B]
So just this morning I was in at the dealer and they replaced the radio AGAIN. Well it's not very cold out today, so I'm not sure if the CD player skips but the reception is still ****ty.
As has been previously mentioned in this thread, the antenna on the Murano was designed for good looks rather than optimum functionality. It just isn't going to receive FM as well as a car with a proper FM antenna. I would do a test while you are at the dealership by parking your Mo beside another one and tune in a weak FM station. Although there is no signal strength indication on the "Bose" receiver, you should be able to tell by listening if your reception is any weaker than another unit. If not, give up. It just isn't going to get any better with that antenna.
I have been wondering if there is a "rod" type antenna that will screw into the threads of the Murano antenna. I have been thinking about finding a car with that type antenna, unscrewing it and see if it fits on the Murano. That isn't an urgent project for me since I listen to XM 99% of the time. Perhaps someone else might like to try it. |
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| jaak |
I doubt the thread is the same, and the resonant frequency would be wrong, but there are antennas for handheld radios, that have a similar concept in attachment. Some of the rugged Motorola radios are like that.
You could also build one. Find a brass bolt the same size, drill a hole in it, put a fibreglas shaft in the lenth you want and helically wind copper wire around it, to the desired length, connecting it to the brass bolt. Put heat shrink tube over the whole thing and you have a new antenna.
There's amateur radio and CB antennas built that way. Actually, even buying a CB antenna and trimming it, might do the job. You'd need to to make it 1/3 to 1/4 the original length, roughly.... |
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| jaak |
quote:
Originally posted by GripperDon
05 Great. Antenna is correct design, electrically the right length mechanically good also. Low SWR. !!GRIP :D
Hey Don, what did you measure it with? |
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| Mr. A |
| Same problem here with the radio..I also went to the dealer told them about the TBS.. I also have a problem when my kid plugs in he's DVD player. I get nothing no radio at all.. Dealer says it's pulling to much juice for the car.. I said it sounds like a ground issue.. They say they checked that and all is well.. Does anyone have this problem??? |
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| zebelkhan |
quote:
Originally posted by Mr. A
.. I also have a problem when my kid plugs in he's DVD player. I get nothing no radio at all..
You mean when he plugs it in to the cig lighter socket? Which one? Inside the arm rest or by the radio? Too much current should blow the fuse before shutting down your radio. I say your dealer is full of it so don't trust your car to him.... |
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| Mr. A |
| Sorry about that It does it in all of them..(Tryed all 3).. I told them maybe I need a new Alternator..:rolleyes: If this one doesn't have the POWER to supply the cars needs.. And that was the only thing that was pluged into it. |
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| jaak |
| Yup, makes no sense at all. You'll blow a fuse before you run into a problem with the alternator (other than the usual) as it and the battery should have no problems delivering the current. If it couldn't, you wouldn't be able to start your Murano. |
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| hfelknor |
"I also have a problem when my kid plugs in he's DVD player. I get nothing no radio at all.. Dealer says it's pulling to much juice for the car.. I said it sounds like a ground issue."
Ah C'mon. A DVD player?
A DVD player doesn't pull very much current.
Certainly not anywhere near as much as a Cigarette lighter!
And radios don't quit just because somebody plugs in a cig lighter!
You need a new dealer.
I think you are closer to the problem than he is when you say "ground issue"
Homer |
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| Mr. A |
| I'm going to take it to a different dealer to see whaty they have to say about it... :confused: |
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| muranoguy79 |
My radio is also not functioning very well.
However, my problem is also in the AM band. I just figured out that the interference in the AM band happens when the heating/cooling is in operation.
I live in NJ with some of the most powerful radio stations around.
My wife's 2001 Escape gets better FM reception than my 2004 Murano.
Did Nissan ever consider building an aftermarket antenna to increase reception on certain stations?
My former car, a 1995 Ford Crown Vic had better reception that my new car.
So is the problem a poor antenna or a poor radio design? |
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| TheGymKid |
| Wow, switched the Radio 3 times with the same problem. How about switching the antenna for another one? Maybe it's a bad antenna. Or cleaning out the thread inside it... with steal whool or something. Maybe it has a bad connection. :confused: |
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