XM Function Disappears Intermittently

[billsacto]

Hello,

Got an intermittent XM problem

Everything works perfectly when I turn on my radio using just the accessory function (engine not running). XM works perfectly too. All my XM preset buttons select their XM stations, and toggling the "Radio Button" toggles between AM, FM, and XM. No problems!

However, when I start the car normally (engine running) the XM function disappears and is no longer available. The preset buttons that previously selected XM stations do not select their XM station and do not do anything when you press them. Toggling the Radio Button only toggles between AM and FM- that is, XM is missing.

Also in this mode, sometimes the Preset Selector button locks up and does not work. You are stuck on whatever preset the radio is currently on, I.E. A, B, or C.

I made a short YouTube video on it:



Appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks!

Bill

[Ilya]

I would probably start with reseating the connections for the radio, the XM module and amp in the back...sounds like something may not be 100% seated and maybe the idling vibration of the car is causing a plug to slightly lose connection?

[steve_c]

Same problem started occurring on my 06 a few mos. back! I originally thought it was a combo of cold and wet weather, but I realized it occurred sometime after I installed a new battery!
After about 2 weeks of no Sirius, I was going to reset battery power, but to my surprise, before I did so Sirius came back and has been working ever since!
During Sirius failure, I only had AM/FM....and that did not last long before I lost FM altogether also!
Again, all this happened after battery replacement, but I did have excessive condensation condition that I thought might be giving connection issues as Ilyia has alluded to. I cleared up the condensation issue, but cannot say if it had anything to do with Sirius loss! Same for battery change out. I changed out the battery once before (eight years ago) and had no issues...so I cannot say if battery change out had anything to do with it!
Since all is working again steady for over 6 weeks now, I have not pursued a root cause for the issue.

[billsacto]

Thank you for the suggestion. Coincidentally I did recently get a new battery not sure why that would have any bearing on this problem but I have tried removing power reconnecting power several times it does not seem to affect this problem but it is a strange coincidence that we both had battery replacements.

[steve_c]

The battery "reset" theory has to do with discharging some capacitor and starting fresh as best as I understand it.
I am trying to locate source of info, but have lost it it seems! I am looking for it again!
I was (I am) a bit leery to perform this procedure, so I put it off hoping to do more research. It was at that point all started working again!
Due to me not trying it & proving its worth, I cannot recommend that you do so either!

[VStar650CL]

A "hard reset" discharges everything in the car. It forces all the onboard firmware to reboot cold, which will usually remedy any firmware which has gone "off in the weeds". Disconnect both battery terminals (negative first) and jump them together for a minimum 5 minutes (Nissan TechLine recommends 30 minutes to guarantee discharge of all devices and circuits in the vehicle). Then reconnect the cables (negative last).

[steve_c]

Ty Vstar...that is what I was looking for!

[VStar650CL]

[billsacto]

Re: "Hard Reset"

So I went ahead with the hard reset. Didn't help.

This problem seems to be a loose connection. Sometimes after the car is running, the XM function starts working again.

[VStar650CL]

Honestly, that sounds more like a dying XM antenna than a loose wire. They don't go bad frequently, but they do go bad. Spotty reception is usually the first sign, and on some of the older stuff, the "XM" option will disappear if the antenna is incommunicado.

[steve_c]

Did both SAT options (back then) share the same antenna? Got me wondering now, how hard it would be to find an antenna for either option should you need one!

[VStar650CL]

No, the antenna at the back of the roof is for XSM, the FM/AM comes in through the window antenna. But looking over your wiring diagrams, the SXM receiver is a separate unit in the trunk, not an embedded part of the radio like all the later stuff. It looks to be the same for all trim levels. It has a bit-bang LIN which talks to the radio, and it decodes the audio onboard before sending it to the radio. So you could have a bad receiver or a bad wire in the LIN rendering the receiver incommunicado. I still think the antenna is your likely culprit, but there are other possibilities.

The AV Unit does have a self-diagnosis mode that may help you out. See AV-86 here:
https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual ... 5%2Fav.pdf
If the comms are dropping out between the sat tuner and the AV, there should be something in the error log. If there isn't, it's probably a bad antenna.

[billsacto]

Hmmm... I hear you suspect the antenna, but I think it's unlikely it's the antenna...

Works perfectly in ACC mode and doesn't work when the car is started. (sometimes starts working after running a while).

If it was the antenna, seems to me, it would be intermittent when it was in ACC and intermittent when running- 50/50 split. No? Not sure how bad antenna could result in my set of symptoms.

[Ilya]

Hmmm... I hear you suspect the antenna, but I think it's unlikely it's the antenna...

Works perfectly in ACC mode and doesn't work when the car is started. (sometimes starts working after running a while).

If it was the antenna, seems to me, it would be intermittent when it was in ACC and intermittent when running- 50/50 split. No? Not sure how bad antenna could result in my set of symptoms.

Again, the antenna is only one of the components involved. If you have lose wires in the trunk (have you reseated them?), one or more components could be causing your issue. You need to start digging in the trunk and refer to the FSM available on this site with wiring schematics/troubleshooting steps to diagnose your issue.

IMO, the antenna definitely has a chance of being the culprit. Working perfectly in ACC means it works when the car is not vibrating slightly.

[billsacto]

Okay thanks. I'll check the antenna carefully as well as other connector and power sources with a meter and report back.

[midnightclub619]

check the connectors also if they are possibly burnt or corroding for any strange reason. I've had that happen once at the connector. If I didn't remove the connector I never wouldn't fixed my issue.