Digital clock and Radio Problem

[Teenangel]

I have a 1983 ZX that had a clock with a display that would go dim and almost out, My first response was to replaced the clock. I found another clock and had a mechanic install it. At first it worked fine but after time it started going dim like the original one. On a hunch I took the original clock that was removed earlier and hooked it up to a power supply and it worked perfect, the display was bright as day and it worked fine. Now I am back to looking at a wiring problem in the console rather than the clock. I wondered if there was a way inadequate voltage was reaching the clock. In addition to this issue I have also noticed that my cars radio will no longer remember stations when it comes on, it comes up on 550kz on the AM band rather than the FM station I left it on. I then have to hit seek to find a station. If I turn the radio on and set it to an FM station and let it play for a few minutes and then turn it off and back on, it will come back to the station, but if I turn it off for an hour and try it, the memory is lost. In addition to this I also noticed on a couple of occasions that right after I started the car the radio came on for a few seconds and then went off  all on it's own. When this happened I could usually hit the power button on the radio again and the radio would come on and stay on. I might add that there does not seem to be any low voltage problem in other areas of the car. Everything else electrical works fine and the car starts right up every time. I'm not an expert on these things but I'm starting to think my radio and clock issues may be related in some connector in the dash. Anybody expert opinions appreciated.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2017 by Teenangel

[gwri8]

First off, I'm not an electrical guy.  I'm sure they will chime in shortly. But I do know that the electrical connections in these cars tend to oxidize or corrode after 30 or forty years.  I would recommend cleaning all your connections with something like deoxit and maybe some kind of abrasive like a wire brush or sandpaper.  Be sure to disconnect the neg cable on your battery first.

 

Edited January 1, 2017 by gwri8