GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Base Radio Shown, Bose® Similar


Object Number: 874251  Size: B2

If your vehicle is equipped with the Bose® audio system, your vehicle will have six Bose® amplified speakers.

Radio Data System (RDS)

Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data System (RDS). RDS features are available for use only on FM stations that broadcast RDS information.

With RDS, your radio can do the following:

    • Seek to stations broadcasting the selected type of programming,
    • receive announcements concerning local and national emergencies,
    • display messages from radio stations, and
    • seek to stations with traffic announcements.

This system relies upon receiving specific information from these stations and will only work when the information is available. In rare cases, a radio station may broadcast incorrect information that will cause the radio features to work improperly. If this happens, contact the radio station.

While you are tuned to an RDS station, the station name or the call letters will appear on the display instead of the frequency. RDS stations may also provide the time of day, a program type (PTY) for current programming and the name of the program being broadcast.

XM™ Radio Satellite Service (USA Only)

XM™ is a continental U.S. based satellite radio service that offers 100 coast to coast channels including music, news, sports, talk and children's programming. XM™ provides digital quality audio and text information, including song title and artist name. A service fee is required in order to receive the XM™ service. For more information, contact XM™ at www.xmradio.com or call 1-800-852-XMXM (9696).

Playing the Radio

PWR (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off.

VOL (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease volume.

AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume): With automatic volume, your audio system will adjust automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive by increasing the volume as vehicle speed increases. Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to select LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH. AVOL will appear on the display. Each higher setting will provide more volume compensation as vehicle speed increases. To turn automatic volume off, press this button until AVOL OFF appears on the display.

DISP (Display): Push this knob to switch the display between radio station frequency and time. Time display is available with the ignition turned off. For RDS, push this knob to change what appears on the display while using RDS. The display options are station name, RDS station frequency, PTY and the name of the program (if available). For XM™ (USA only, if equipped), push this knob while in XM mode to retrieve various pieces of information related to the current song or channel. By pressing and releasing this knob, you may retrieve four different categories of information: Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel Number/Channel Name. To change the default on the display, push this knob until you see the display you want, then hold the knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and selected display will now be the default.

Finding a Station

BAND: Press this button to switch between AM, FM1, FM2, or XM1, XM2 (USA only, if equipped). The display will show your selection.

TUNE: Turn this knob to choose radio stations.

SEEK : Press the right or the left arrow to seek to the next or to the previous station and stay there. The radio will seek only to stations that are in the selected band and only to those with a strong signal.

SCAN : Press and hold one of the arrows for more than two seconds. The radio will produce one beep. The radio will scan to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. SCAN will be displayed. Press one of the arrows again to stop scanning. The radio will scan only to stations that are in the selected band and only to those with a strong signal. To scan preset stations, press and hold one of the arrows for more than four seconds. The radio will produce two beeps. The radio will scan to the first preset station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset station. PSCN will be displayed. Press one of the arrows again or one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning. The radio will scan only to preset stations that are in the selected band and only to those with a strong signal.

Setting Preset Stations

The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your favorite stations. You can set up to 30 stations (six AM, six FM1 and six FM2, or six XM1 and six XM2 (USA only, if equipped), by performing the following steps:

  1. Turn the radio on.
  2. Press BAND to select AM, FM1, FM2, or XM1, or XM2.
  3. Tune in the desired station.
  4. Press AUTO EQ to choose the bass and treble equalization that best suits the type of station you are listening to.
  5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons. The radio will produce one beep. Whenever you press that numbered pushbutton, the station you set will return and the bass and treble equalization that you selected will also be automatically selected for that pushbutton.
  6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)

AUDIO: Press and release the AUDIO knob until BASS or TREB appears on the display. Turn the knob to increase or to decrease. The display will show the bass or treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease the treble. To adjust the bass and treble to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio will produce one beep and adjust the display level to the middle position. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce one beep and display ALL with the level display in the middle position.

AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalization): Press this button to choose bass and treble equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock and classical stations. Selecting CUSTOM or changing bass or treble, returns the EQ to the manual bass and treble settings. The radio will save separate AUTO EQ settings for each preset and source. If you radio is equipped with the Bose audio system, your equalization settings are either CUSTOM or TALK.

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)

AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. To adjust the balance and fade to the middle position, push the AUDIO knob then push it again and hold it until the radio produces one beep. The balance and fade will be adjusted to the middle position and the display will show the speaker balance. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce one beep and display ALL with the level display in the middle position.

Finding a PTY Station (RDS and XM™)

To select and find a desired PTY perform the following:

  1. Turn the P-TYPE LIST knob. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display.
  2. Select a category by turning the P-TYPE LIST knob.
  3. Once the desired category is displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button or one of the SEEK arrows to take you to the category's first station.
  4. If you want to go to another station within that category and the category is displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button once. If the category is not displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button twice to display the category and then to go to another station.

If the radio cannot find the desired program type, NONE will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to.

SCAN: You can also scan through the channels within a category by performing the following:

  1. Turn the P-TYPE LIST knob. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display.
  2. Select a category by turning the P-TYPE LIST knob.
  3. Once the desired category is displayed, press either SCAN arrow, and the radio will begin scanning within your chosen category.
  4. Press wither SCAN arrow again to stop scanning.
BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same program type. Press and hold BAND for two seconds to turn alternate frequency on. AF ON will appear on the display. The radio may switch to stronger stations. Press and hold BAND again for two seconds to turn alternate frequency off. AF OFF will appear on the display. The radio will not switch to other stations. This function does not apply for XM™.

Setting Preset PTYs (RDS Only)

The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your favorite PTYs. These buttons have factory PTY presets. You can set up to 12 PTYs (six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the following steps:

  1. Press BAND to select FM1 or FM2.
  2. Turn the P-TYPE LIST knob. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display.
  3. Turn the P-TYPE LIST knob to select a PTY.
  4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until you hear a beep. Whenever you press that numbered pushbutton, the PTY you set will return.
  5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

RDS Messages

ALERT!: Alert warns of local or national emergencies. When an alert announcement comes on the current radio station, ALERT! will appear on the display. You will hear the announcement, even if the volume is muted or a cassette tape or compact disc is playing. If the cassette tape or compact disc player is playing, play will stop during the announcement. You will not be able to turn off alert announcements. ALERT! will not be affected by tests of the emergency broadcast system. This feature is not supported by all RDS stations.

INFO (Information): If the current station has a message, the information symbol will appear on the display. Press this button to see the message. The message may display the artist and song title, call in phone numbers, etc. If the whole message is not displayed, parts of it will appear every three seconds. To scroll through the message at your own speed, press the INFO button repeatedly. A new group of words will appear on the display with each press. Once the complete message has been displayed, the information symbol will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The old message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button until a new message is received or a different station is tuned to. When a message is not available from a station, NO INFO will be displayed.

TRAF (Traffic): If TRAF appears on the display, the tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements and when a traffic announcement comes on the tuned radio station you will hear it. If the current tuned station does not broadcast traffic announcements, press this button and the radio will seek to a station that does. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts traffic announcements, it will stop and TRAF will be displayed. When a traffic announcement comes on the tuned radio station you will hear it. If no station is found, NO TRAFFIC will appear on the display. If TRAF is on the display you can press the TRAF button to turn off the traffic announcements. Your radio will play the traffic announcement even if the volume is muted or interrupt the play of a cassette tape or a CD if the last tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements. This function does not apply to XM™ Satellite Radio Service.

Radio Messages

CAL ERR (Calibration Error): This message is displayed when the radio has not been calibrated properly for the vehicle. You must return to the dealership for service.

LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCK® system has locked up. You must return to the dealership for service.

XM™ Radio Messages

Radio Display Message

Condition

Action Required

XL (Explicit Language Channels)

XL on the radio display, after the channel name, indicates content with explicit language.

These channels, or any others, can be blocked at a customer's request, by calling 1-800-852-XMXM (9696).

Updating

Updating encryption code

The encryption code in your receiver is being updated, and no action is required. This process should take no longer than 30 seconds.

No Signal

Loss of signal

Your system is functioning correctly, but you are in a location that is blocking the XM signal. When you move into an open area, the signal should return.

Loading XM

Acquiring channel audio (after 4 second delay)

Your radio system is acquiring and processing audio and text data. No action is needed. This message should disappear shortly.

CH Off Air

Channel not in service

This channel is not currently in service. Tune to another channel.

CH Unavail

Channel no longer available

This previously assigned channel is no longer assigned. Tune to another station. If this station was one of your presets, you may need to choose another station for that preset button.

No Info

Artist Name/Feature not available

No artist information is available at this time on this channel. Your system is working properly.

No Info

Song/Program Title not available

No song title information is available at this time on this channel. Your system is working properly.

No Info

Category Name not available

No category information is available at this time on this channel. Your system is working properly.

No Info

No Text/Informational message available

No text or informational messages are available at this time on this channel. Your system is working properly.

Not Found

No channel available for the chosen category

There are no channels available for the category you selected. Your system is working properly.

XM Locked

Theft lock active

The XM receiver in your vehicle may have previously been in another vehicle. For security purposes, XM receivers cannot be swapped between vehicles. If you receive this message after having your vehicle serviced, check with the servicing facility.

Radio ID

Radio ID label (channel 0)

If you tune to channel 0, you will see this message alternating with your XM Radio 8 digit radio ID label. This label is needed to activate your service.

Unknown

Radio ID not known (should only be if hardware failure)

If you receive this message when you tune to channel 0, you may have a receiver fault. Consult with your dealer.

Chk XMRcvr

Hardware failure

If this message does not clear within a short period of time, your receiver may have a fault. Consult with your retail location.

Playing a Cassette Tape

Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer than that are so thin they may not work well in this player. The longer side with the tape visible should face to the right. If the ignition is on, but the radio is off, the tape can be inserted and will begin playing. A tape symbol is shown on the display whenever a tape is inserted. If you hear nothing but a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely. Press the eject symbol to remove the tape and start over.

While the tape is playing, use the VOL, AUDIO and SEEK controls just as you do for the radio. The display will show TAPE and an arrow showing which side of the tape is playing.

If you want to insert a tape while the ignition is off, first press the eject symbol or DISP.

If an error appears on the display, see "Cassette Tape Messages" later in this section.

1 PREV (Previous): Your tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for previous to work. Press this pushbutton to go to the previous selection on the tape if the current selection has been playing for less than three seconds. If pressed when the current selection has been playing from 3 to 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the previous selection or the beginning of the current selection, depending upon the position on the tape. If pressed when the current selection has been playing for more than 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the current selection. SEEK and a negative number will appear on the display while the cassette player is in the previous mode. Pressing this pushbutton multiple times will increase the number of selections to be searched back, up to -9.

2 NEXT: Your tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for next to work. Press this pushbutton to go to the next selection on the tape. If you press the pushbutton more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the tape. SEEK and a positive number will appear on the display.

3 REV (Reverse): Press this pushbutton to reverse the tape rapidly. Press it again to return to playing speed. The radio will play while the tape reverses. The station frequency and REV will appear on the display. You may select stations during reverse operation by using the TUNE and SEEK.

4 FWD (Forward): Press this pushbutton to advance quickly to another part of the tape. Press this pushbutton again to return to playing speed. The radio will play while the tape advances. The station frequency and FWD will appear on the display. You may select stations during forward operation by using TUNE and SEEK.

5 SIDE: Press this pushbutton to play the other side of the tape.

SEEK : The right arrow is the same as the NEXT pushbutton, and the left arrow is the same as the PREV pushbutton. If the arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving forward or backward through the tape. SEEK and a positive or negative number will appear on the display.

SCAN : To scan the tape, press and hold either SCAN arrow for more than two seconds until SCAN appears on the display and you hear a beep. Use this feature to listen to 10 seconds of each selection on the current side of the tape. Press either SCAN arrow again, to stop scanning. Your tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for scan to work.

BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a tape is playing. The tape will stop but remain in the player.

TAPE DISC: Press this button to play a tape when listening to the radio. Press this button to switch between the tape and compact disc if both are loaded. The inactive tape or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

(Eject): Press this button to stop a tape when it is playing or to eject a tape when it is not playing. Eject may be activated with the radio off. Cassette tapes may be loaded with the radio off if this button is pressed first.

Cassette Tape Messages

CHK TAPE (Check Tape): If CHK TAPE appears on the radio display, the tape won't play because of one of the following errors.

    • The tape is tight and the player can't turn the tape hubs. Remove the tape. Hold the tape with the open end down and try to turn the right hub counterclockwise with a pencil. Turn the tape over and repeat. If the hubs do not turn easily, your tape may be damaged and should not be used in the player. Try a new tape to make sure your player is working properly.
    • The tape is broken. Try a new tape.
    • The tape is wrapped around the tape head. Attempt to get the cassette out. Try a new tape.
CLEAN: If this message appears on the display, the cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent damage to the tapes and player. See Care of the Cassette Tape Player . If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be corrected, contact your dealer.

CD Adapter Kits

It is possible to use a portable CD player adapter kit with your cassette tape player after activating the bypass feature on your tape player.

To activate the bypass feature, perform the following steps:

  1. Turn the ignition on.
  2. Turn the radio off.
  3. Press and hold the TAPE DISC button for five seconds. The radio will display READY and the tape symbol on the display will flash, indicating the feature is active.
  4. Insert the adapter into the cassette tape slot. It will power up the radio and begin playing.

The override feature will remain active until the eject symbol is pressed.

Playing a Compact Disc

Insert a disc partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the disc should begin playing. The display will show the CD symbol. If you want to insert a compact disc with the ignition off, first press DISP or the eject symbol.

If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded and the way the CD-R has been handled. You may experience an increase in skipping, difficulty in finding tracks and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a known good CD.

Do not add paper labels to discs, they could get caught in the CD player.

Do not play 3 inch discs without a standard adapter disc.

If an error appears on the display, see "Compact Disc Messages" later in this section.

1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the previous track if the current track has been playing for less than eight seconds. If pressed when the current track has been playing for more than eight seconds, it will go to the beginning of the current track. TRACK and the track number will appear on the display. If you hold this pushbutton or press it more than once, the player will continue moving back through the disc.

2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. TRACK and the track number will appear on the display. If you hold this pushbutton or press it more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the disc.

3 REV (Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to reverse quickly within a track. Press and hold this pushbutton for less than two seconds to reverse at six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for more than two seconds to reverse at 17 times the normal playing speed. Release it to play the passage. The display will show ET and the elapsed time.

4 FWD (Forward): Press and hold this pushbutton to advance quickly within a track. Press and hold this pushbutton for less than two seconds to advance at six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for more than two seconds to advance at 17 times the normal playing speed. Release it to play the passage. The display will show ET and the elapsed time.

6 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM ON will appear on the display. RDM T and the track number will appear on the display when each track starts to play. Press this pushbutton again to turn off random play. RDM OFF will appear on the display.

SEEK : Press the left arrow to go to the start of the current or to the previous track. Press the right arrow to go to the start of the next track. If either arrow is held or pressed more then once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD.

SCAN : To scan the disc, press and hold either SCAN arrow for more than two seconds until SCAN appears on the display and you hear a beep. Use this feature to listen to 10 seconds of each track of the disc. Press either SCAN arrow again, to stop scanning.

DISP (Display): Press this knob to see how long the current track has been playing. ET and the elapsed time will appear on the display. To change the default on the display (track or elapsed time), push the knob until you see the display you want, then hold the knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and selected display will now be the default.

BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The CD will stop but remain in the player.

TAPE DISC: Press this button to play a tape when listening to the radio. Press this button to switch between the tape and compact disc if both are loaded. The inactive tape or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

(Eject): Press this button to stop a CD when it is playing or to eject a CD when it is not playing. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs may be loaded with the radio and ignition off if this button is pressed first.

Compact Disc Messages

If the disc comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons:

    • You're driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother the disc should play.
    • It's very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the disc should play.
    • The disc is dirty, scratched, wet or upside down.
    • The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again.
    • There may have been a problem while burning the CD.
    • The label may be caught in the CD player.

If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason, try a known good CD.

If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be corrected, contact your dealer.

Listening to a DVD

If your vehicle has the Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) system and a DVD is playing, the DVD symbol will appear on the radio display indicating that the DVD is available and can be listened to through your vehicle's speakers. To listen to the DVD, press the TAPE DISC button until RSE appears on the radio display. The current radio source will stop and the DVD sound will come through the speakers. To stop listening to the DVD, press the TAPE DISC button, if a cassette tape or a CD is loaded, or press the BAND button to select a different source.

When the RSE system is turned off, the DVD symbol will go off of the radio display and the radio will display RSE OFF. The radio will return to the last radio source that you were listening to.