GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Base Radio Shown, Bose® Similar


Object Number: 1246312  Size: B2

If your vehicle has the Bose® audio system, your vehicle will have six Bose® amplified speakers.

Radio Data System (RDS)

The audio system has a Radio Data System (RDS). RDS features are available for use only on FM stations that broadcast RDS information.

With RDS, the 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
    • 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 the radio is tuned to an RDS station, the station name or 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™ Satellite Radio Service

XM™ is a satellite radio service that is based in the 48 contiguous United Stated. XM™ offers 100 coast to coast channels including music, news, sports, talk, and children's programming. XM™ provides digital quality audio and text information that includes 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 the volume.

AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume): With automatic volume, the 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 at faster vehicle speeds. To turn automatic volume off, press this button until AVOL OFF appears on the display.

DISPL (Display): Press this knob to switch the display between the radio station frequency and the time. When the ignition is off, press this knob to display the time. For RDS, press the DISPL 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™ (if equipped), press the DISPL knob while in XM™ mode to retrieve four different categories of information related to the current song or channel: Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel Number/Channel Name. To change the default on the display, press the DISPL knob until you see the display you want, then hold the knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and the selected display will now be the default.

Finding a Station

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

TUNE: Turn this knob to select radio stations.

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

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

Setting Preset Stations

Up to 30 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM, or six XM1 and six XM2 (if equipped)), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps:

  1. Turn the radio on.
  2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2.
  3. Tune in the desired station.
  4. Press AUTO EQ to select the equalization.
  5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until you hear a beep. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return and the equalization that was selected will be stored for that pushbutton.
  6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)

AUDIO: Push 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, 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. ALL will appear on the display, you will hear a beep, and the display level will be adjusted to the middle position.

AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalization): Press this button to select customized equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock, and classical. 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 the radio is equipped with the Bose audio system, the 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. ALL will appear on the display, you will hear a beep, and the display level will be adjusted to the middle position.

Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station (RDS and XM™)

To select and find a desired PTY perform the following:

  1. Turn the P-TYPE knob to activate program type select mode. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display.
  2. Turn the P-TYPE knob to select a PTY.
  3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button or one of the SEEK arrows to take you to the PTY's first station.
  4. If you want to go to another station within that PTY and the PTY is displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button once. If the PTY is not displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button twice to display the PTY and then to go to another station.
  5. Press the P-TYPE knob to exit program type select mode.
  6. If PTY times out and is no longer on the display, go back to Step 1.

If both PTY and TRAF are on, the radio will search for stations with the selected PTY and traffic announcements.

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: Scan the stations within a PTY by performing the following:

  1. Turn the P-TYPE knob to activate program type select mode. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display.
  2. Turn the P-TYPE knob to select a PTY.
  3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press either SCAN arrow, and the radio will begin scanning the stations in the PTY.
  4. Press either SCAN arrow to stop scanning.

If both PTY and TRAF are on, the radio will scan for stations with the selected PTY and traffic announcements.

BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same program type. To turn alternate frequency on, press and hold BAND for two seconds. AF ON will appear on the display. The radio may switch to stations with a stronger frequency. To turn alternate frequency off, press and hold BAND again for two seconds. AF OFF will appear on the display. The radio will not switch to other stations. This function does not apply for XM™ Satellite Radio Service.

Setting Preset PTYs (RDS Only)

Up to 12 PTYs (six FM1 and six FM2), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps:

  1. Press BAND to select FM1 or FM2.
  2. Turn the P-TYPE knob to activate program type select mode. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display.
  3. Turn the P-TYPE knob to select a PTY.
  4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until you hear a beep. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the PTY that was 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 low or a cassette tape or CD is playing. If a cassette tape or CD is playing, play will stop during the announcement. Alert announcements cannot be turned off. 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, song title, call in phone numbers, etc. If the entire message is not displayed, parts of the message will appear every three seconds. To scroll through the message, press and release the INFO button. A new group of words will appear on the display after every press of the button. Once the complete message has been displayed, the information symbol will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The last message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button. You can view the last message 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 appear on the display.

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 station does not broadcast traffic announcements, press the TRAF button and the radio will seek to a station that does. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts traffic announcements, the radio will stop seeking and TRAF will appear on the display. If no station is found that broadcasts traffic announcements, NO TRAFFIC will appear on the display. If TRAF is on the display, press the TRAF button to turn off the traffic announcements. The radio will play the traffic announcement even if the volume is low. The radio will interrupt the play of a cassette tape or 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): The audio system has been calibrated for your vehicle from the factory. If CAL ERR appears on the display, it means that the radio has not been configured properly for the vehicle and must be returned to the dealer for service.

LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCK® system has locked up. Take the vehicle to the dealer for service.

If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer when reporting the problem.

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 the receiver is being updated, and no action is required. This process should take no longer than 30 seconds.

No Signal

Loss of signal

The system is functioning correctly, but the vehicle is 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)

The audio 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 the presets, 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. The system is working properly.

No Info

Song/Program Title not available

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

No Info

Category Name not available

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

No Info

No Text/Informational message available

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

Not Found

No channel available for the chosen category

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

XM Locked

Theft lock active

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

Radio ID

Radio ID label (channel 0)

If tuned to channel 0, this message will alternate with the XM Radio 8 digit radio ID label. This label is needed to activate the service.

Unknown

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

If this message is received when tuned to channel 0, there may be 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 dealer.

Playing a Cassette Tape

The 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 will appear on the display whenever a tape is inserted. If you hear nothing, or hear a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely. Press the eject button 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. TAPE will appear on the display and an arrow showing which side of the tape is playing. The tape player automatically begins playing the other side when it reaches the end of the tape.

If you want to insert a tape while the ignition is off, first press the eject button or the DISPL knob. Cassette tape adapter kits for portable CD players will work in your cassette tape player.

The tape bias is set automatically when a metal or chrome tape is inserted.

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

1 PREV (Previous): The 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: The 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 this pushbutton is pressed 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 this pushbutton again to return to playing speed. The radio will play while the tape reverses. The station frequency and REV will appear on the display. Select stations during reverse operation by using TUNE and SEEK.

4 FWD (Forward): Press this pushbutton to advance the tape rapidly. 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. 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 either 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. The 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 cassette tape or CD is playing. The inactive tape or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

TAPE DISC: Press this button to play a cassette tape or CD when listening to the radio. The inactive tape or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. TAPE and/or the CD symbol will appear on the display when a cassette tape or CD is loaded.

(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 this message appears on the display, the tape will not play because of one of the following errors:

    • The tape is tight and the player cannot 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, the tape may be damaged and should not be used in the player. Try a new tape to make sure the 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 it should be cleaned 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 cannot be corrected, contact your dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer when reporting the problem.

CD Adapter Kits

It is possible to use a portable CD player with the cassette tape player after activating the bypass feature on the 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. READY will appear on the display 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 button is pressed.

Playing a CD

Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing. If you want to insert a CD with the ignition off, first press the eject button or the DISPL knob.

If the ignition or radio is turned off with the CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or the radio is turned on, the CD will start playing, where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.

When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on the display. As each new track starts to play, the track number will appear on the display.

The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner.

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. There may be 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 CDs, they could get caught in the CD player.

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

1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the current track if more than eight seconds have played. TRACK and the track number will appear on the display. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward through the CD.

2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. TRACK and the track number will appear on the display. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the CD.

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 this pushbutton to play the passage. ET and the elapsed time of the track will appear on the display.

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 this pushbutton to play the passage. ET and the elapsed time of the track will appear on the display.

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 than once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD.

SCAN : To scan the CD, 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 CD. Press either SCAN arrow again, to stop scanning.

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

BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a cassette tape or CD is playing. The inactive tape or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

TAPE DISC: Press this button to play a cassette tape or CD when listening to the radio. The inactive tape or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. TAPE and/or the CD symbol will appear on the display when a cassette tape or CD is loaded.

(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 ignition and radio off if this button is pressed first.

CD Messages

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

    • It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play.
    • You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play.
    • The CD 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 cannot be corrected, contact your dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer when reporting the problem.

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 RSE OFF will appear on the radio display. The radio will return to the last radio source that you were listening to.