No radio signal, only noise

[DustyLion]

Hi

I have a BMW 540 ´97 with the MKIII 16:9 Navigation

My problem is that is it not possible to receive any radio signals even if I set it to a channel that I know works.

I tried to remove the 16:9 unit to see if the radio cable was inserted but there was only a white and blue multiconnecter inserted to the navi unit and no place to plug in the radio cable that was lying next to the 16:9 unit, I have no clue where to start looking for the problem, everything else seems to work fine.

Hope that you guys could help me with the problem.

[JV]

Start with your antenna connection. Without an antenna connection, you can park right next to a transmitter and hear nothing but static.

[RichardP1]

Not sure exactly where the radio module is in a 5 series, but in the 3 series it's in the boot near the CD changer. The antenna connection is a small SMB which just clicks on, it's quite possible that it's been pulled off.

[vinuneuro]

The radio module should be somewhere in the back since you have navi, similar to the 3.

[DustyLion]

What does the radio module looks like?

Is the antenna built in the rear window?

[Brian-bmw]

The radio module is in the trunk, between the CD changer and tail light in the E39 5 Series. It is a nondescript, square silver box about 8" x 8" x 2". If you remove the gray felt trunk cover that hids your electronics (nav computer, amp, CD changer, etc.), you will find it.

It is not the norm to have a MKIII nav in a 1997 E39. So, did you do the upgrade or buy the car that way? And, if you did the upgrade, did the radio work before the upgrade? Have you ever heard the radio work?

[DustyLion]

I bought the car with the upgrade but it have never worked while I owned the car.

[Brian-bmw]

I did not ask before, but does any other audio source work (like tape or CD)?

Since it did not work when you bought the car, I am betting that it is something more difficult. My reasoning is that the previous owner would have fixed the problem to enhance value. But, let's cover the basics...

First, make sure that the radio is set to the correct region.

* Turn on your car
* If the radio is on, turn it off
* Turn the radio on
* Immediatly push and hold the SELECT button until the radio serial number shows (5 to 10 seconds)
* Use the < > keys to cycle through the menu until you see the AREA mode. The radio may be set to "NOAREA."
* Use the 1 or 2 buttons to switch to different areas-- set it to the one most applicable for you.
* Turn the radio off to save the settings.
* Turn the radio back on and use it as normal.

Next, check your antenna connections on the radio. Based on the year of your car, your radio should have two coax antenna wires connected. (It will only have one, if the previous owner upgraded the radio to a "New Gen" radio.)

If your radio's AREA is correct and the antenna wires are connected, then you are on to the harder problems.

1) Your radio could have a bad AM/FM tuner section.
2) The Diversity Antenna Amplifiers mounted in the C-Pillars are bad or disconnected.
3) The antenna wires in the rear window have major breaks or faults. (Does your rear window defogger work?)

[DustyLion]

I will try to check the area modejust downgraded to ver. 21 to get my Info and Select button to work.

Please let me know if I am correct about the picture

[DustyLion]

Here's the picture