I can't get any sound from my 1996 LS400 stereo system until I drive the car for about 30-45 minutes. The power is on, the antenna is up, and I can see the display working. But nothing comes out of the radio or CD player. After the car apparently warms up for the requisite time, I sometimes hear a pop or two, then the sound comes on. Other times, I don't hear the pop, but if I keep playing with the volume switch--turning it ever so slightly a fraction of an inch--the sound comes on. Either way, it doesn't work until the car has been driven for at least 30 minutes. I've already pulled off the switch cover and sprayed the contacts, but this didn't make a difference.
This just started happening in the fall when the weather began to get cooler. It's very frustrating because I can't get the radio to work until I'm about a block from my office--so no traffic reports all the way there! I'm wondering if there's something I can do to check for a shorted wire, or if I should just sit back and wait for summer to come.
I asked a local mechanic about it when I had some engine work done recently, and he just told me he didn't work on radios but to buy a new one. I don't want to invest that kind of money because the car already has 245,000 miles on it. Any ideas? Thanks!
