[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/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Murano&Number=67655798&page=24&view=collapsed&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/nissan/TSB/Nissan/54328.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?

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[GripperDon]

Get nut tightened or DIY

 

[SugarRushMurano]

DIY the TSB and use a 22mm deep wall socket

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.

 

[GripperDon]

 

[larry1960]

antenna

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

 

[GripperDon]

Had an 04 traded for an 05 with a few days overlap. I have NO problems of ANY kind.

 

[Marcsut99]

Back from dealer

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.

 

[GripperDon]

Is this true? Clear when not moving but engine running. Crackles associated with vehicle motion?

 

[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.)

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[GripperDon]

Guess I was double lucky

 

[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..

 

[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.

 

[Steve Richards]

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...