Stereo / CD probs in my 03

[krman68]

I have the Mach 460 with the 6 CD player in my 03. The CD rack is loaded with all 6 CDs. It worked great up until last week and now I'm getting a CD ERROR msg. I disconnected the battery to see if I could reset the player but no change. The radio plays fine but no CDs will play and I cannot Eject any of them.

I know Ford usually pulls the radio out and sends it out for repair. I'd like to get the CD's out of it before I get it pulled. Has anyone pulled their stereo for an aftermarket? How easy is it to pull and how do you get the face plate off?

Any info would be really helpful Thanks

 

[nj7703]

Are these original CD's? meaning store bought music? If it is, check to see if the disc is dirty. If they are burned CDR's they tend to be somewhat flaky in this system. I have some that work some that do not.

 

[krman68]

They are original CD's and I can't get them out of the stereo - when I hit eject for any of the 6 slots it comes back CD error

 

[nj7703]

Ohhh crap, sorry man, you would think they would have a manual way of opening up the changer. if you can't play them even you probably can't shuffle them, may have one stuck. Sorry man

 

[krman68]

No prob. Thanks for the input.

Somebody out there has to have taken theirs out. I'm sure there is a manual way of getting to them

 

[Cobra03]

This happened to me. Look in the slot. I bet there is a CD stuck in there trying to eject. I could see the edge of it in there trying to get out. I used two credit cards to pinch the CD and pull it out. Insert one on top and one on the bottom of the stuck CD, pinch them together and pull it out. Everything works fine now. If you cannot see the stuck CD, you are, so to speak, stuck.

My understanding of the system is that it is proprietary all the way through, and in order to replace the head unit you should also replace the amps and the speakers. I could be wrong there.

 

[racerat]

Same thing happened to me and I used the credit card trick. I could see the CD, but not get a hold of it. Just fiddle around with it while pushing the eject button...it will pop out.
Haven't had any problems since.
Good luck.

 

[ZXnVS]

If you're lucky it is a CD stuck near the door, as mentioned in the other two posts. If you're unlucky, you're having the problem I had on the day I bought the car. The door itself was jamming, and I couldn't load or unload any CDs.

I'm not sure what you mean about removing the faceplate. To remove the stereo you have to pull the entire center console trim ring off (which first requires removing the trim around the shifter). Then you just remove two torx bolts and the stereo slides right out. The faceplate of the stereo can then be removed (more torx, I think).

If you try to have the unit replaced under warranty they WILL send you a reman--no new units. Yes, I know, it sucks.

If you want to replace the stereo you either have to buy a cheesy adapter that may or may not work correctly (if you can even find one--I couldn't) or replace the entire system, as mentioned above.

It's a good-sounding unit when it works, but it's a nightmare when it quits.

 

[flyn high again]

Any time you add moving parts [cd changers] you add potential problems. Add that to cost cutting corporate measures and it's not surprising that some people have problems. Ford's answer? Slap a sticker on the unit saying not to play home made cds. I like the 460 for a stock unit, but once it goes I will look into Alpine or some other quality aftermarket system.

 

[Lomancobra]

HAHAH, I had this happen to me. Wanna here how stupid I was? I had a CD go in partially and it got stuck so later that night when I got drunk I tried taking tweezers to it. Couldnt get them in far enough. I was drunk and stupid so I took a pair of wire cutters and cut up the whole front of the display so I could manuever the tweezers further in. I got the CD out and the next day the player worked fine. :lol:
I wanted to upgrade the stereo eventually anyway. This just bumps it up my list of priorities.

 

[krman68]

Thanks for the advise guys. I did as suggested and pulled the unit out of the car initially to get the part number for the dealer. Once out I was able to pull all 6 CDs out with plastic covered plyers. I hooked it back up and it works fine so far. Only loss was one CD - AC~DC Hwy to Hell - O well back to the store to replace it.

Seems like the innards on these units are shit. Lets hope it doesn't happen again

Thanks for the input guys - I appreciate it