Radio stalk repair - Com 2000

[505604]

While the whole Com 2000 unit is out of the 406, I thought that I’d take the opportunity to see if I can get the radio stalk working properly.

All of the functions work properly, except for one. When you press the two volume control buttons - up and down - at the same time, the audio is supposed to mute. Mine doesn’t. On mine, the volume goes up or down, depending on which button it sensed was pressed first. Only once has the sound been muted.

Has anyone on here pulled one of these units apart? What did you discover? How did you get the end “Source” button and the two volume controls off?

My Com 2000 is a DAV unit, in case that makes any difference.

Thanks once again for any help.

Andrew

Before anyone asks, I did soak the internals of the back of the stalk quite liberally with an appropriate plastic safe electrical contact cleaner. It had no effect on the operation of the stalk.

 

[The Gonz]

Hi, Andrew. I'm not familiar with the model but from an electronics perspective, I wouldn't be too quick to blame the stalk. If the buttons work individually but not together, that sounds more like the logic further into the unit. If you have the 'spares', it would be good to change the match-up of stalk and radio to test this.

 

[COL]

I have a similar setup in my Renault Laguna. The buttons would sometimes work. I pulled it all apart and physically cleaned the contacts with some meths and a rag. Re-assembled and all worked fine.

Spraying contact cleaner inside does not always work.

 

[505604]

Hi, Andrew. I'm not familiar with the model but from an electronics perspective, I wouldn't be too quick to blame the stalk. If the buttons work individually but not together, that sounds more like the logic further into the unit. If you have the 'spares', it would be good to change the match-up of stalk and radio to test this.

Hi Gonz,

I think that I understand what you’re saying. But please correct me if what I say shows that I haven’t understood you!

The problem I have with what you suggest is that it has worked once. If it’s a logics problem, would it ever work?

I do have another radio stalk, but it is installed in my 307. I don’t really want to pull apart another steering column to do the test, if I can possibly help it.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[505604]

I have a similar setup in my Renault Laguna. The buttons would sometimes work. I pulled it all apart and physically cleaned the contacts with some meths and a rag. Re-assembled and all worked fine.

Spraying contact cleaner inside does not always work.

COL,

I fully appreciate that spraying contact cleaner will not always work. I mentioned and emphasised it because I didn’t want to be told that I should try the simple and obvious things first. I have tried it.

If your unit is the same as the one in the 406, what I need to know is how you got it apart! You can see where I got to in the dismantling, but I couldn’t get any further. I couldn’t see what I should be dismantling next.

Physically cleaning the contacts is what I was aiming to do.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[COL]

COL,

I fully appreciate that spraying contact cleaner will not always work. I mentioned and emphasised it because I didn’t want to be told that I should try the simple and obvious things first. I have tried it.

If your unit is the same as the one in the 406, what I need to know is how you got it apart! You can see where I got to in the dismantling, but I couldn’t get any further. I couldn’t see what I should be dismantling next.

Physically cleaning the contacts is what I was aiming to do.

Thanks,
Andrew

Mine had little screws holding it all together.

Yours may not come apart much more than you have it already easily.

In the first photo you posted you see the little white silicone membrane with the black carbon dot in the middle. This is what you need to clean and also the corresponding contact that it touches.

 

[505604]

Mine had little screws holding it all together.

On mine, there’s one screw in the back of the wide part of the stalk. Even after I had removed that screw, it wasn’t that obvious how to take the stalk apart. One thing is clipped into the next piece.

Yours may not come apart much more than you have it already easily.

It didn’t easily come apart as far as this! I’m certainly not expecting anything easier.

In the first photo you posted you see the little white silicone membrane with the black carbon dot in the middle. This is what you need to clean and also the corresponding contact that it touches.

The two membranes in the photo are for the fast forward and reverse buttons. So I should be looking for similar membranes if and when I can get to the back of the inside of the stalk. Is that correct?

Thanks again,
Andrew

 

[COL]

The two membranes in the photo are for the fast forward and reverse buttons. So I should be looking for similar membranes if and when I can get to the back of the inside of the stalk. Is that correct?

Thanks again,
Andrew

Yes correct

 

[505604]

Thanks both Gonz and COL for your assistance with my attempt at repairing the radio stalk.

I had another look at it in better light this morning and I still can’t see how I can get it dismantled further. A hammer would do the trick, but then I’d have other issues to attend to! I also showed it to a friend, in case I was missing something (obvious?). They couldn’t see anything, either.

So the Com 2000 is back together and in the car, albeit not working properly. I’ll detail some things on my thread there.

Thanks again, Gonz and COL. Much appreciated,

Andrew