Custom Autosound Radio

[jaero]

I have a ‘67 C20 with a/c and a Custom Autosound Slidebar radio. The battery started to drain quickly and it turns out that the radio was the problem because moisture was getting onto the radio circuit board. The only thing that I can figure is the center a/c vent over radio. Has anyone made a shield between the vent and the radio to prevent this?

[Casper42]

this sounds very strange to me. Moisture from the A/C vent? Sounds like someone other than an (independent) expert is making this assumption to void a warrantee. Does the radio still work, or is the issue just the draining of the battery? If it were just a mechanic that came to this concusion, it seems hard to believe they came up with that diagnosis - as that seems like it would take a hella lota work to trace it back to the circuit board of the radio. Are there any other signs of moisture exposure to the radio or better yet other dash parts? If it's just the radio distributor that's making this claim, I would suggest challenging them, or filing a complaint with your state attorney general (Consumer Protection Unit), and/or Federal Trade Commission.

[jaero]

The radio was sent to Custom Autosound, the manufacturer, and they determined that the c/b was bad. The radio has been out of warranty for several years, so they are not trying to get out of warranty work. In my opinion, they had no reason to make up a story about moisture. They could have just said the c/b was bad. The center a/c vent will have visible moisture on it during hot, humid days. Yes, the radio did work but drained the battery. The vents for the radio case are on top, just below the vent and ducting.
I’m just asking if anyone else has had this problem.

[jaero]

BTW, while troubleshooting, I isolated the radio from the electrical system and the battery drain problem went away.

[HO455]

Personally I don't think that would be the cause of the moisture. There's too many of those radios (Not to mention every other model radio) installed in AC trucks for it to be an unknown issue.

Where is the truck stored?
What has the dewpoint been on average?
How often is the truck driven?

My first thought would be condensation under the dash or liquid on the dash running down the speaker grille on to the radio.

Just my opinion from experience with my daily driver here in Oregon.

[jaero]

The truck is garage kept, never driven in the rain. Driven regularly. Nothing has been spilled on the dash. Seems odd to me, too.

[Palf70Step]

re you using the stock enter vent connection or the vintage air one (or is it factory AC). That could be a big difference in the design and sealing capabilities

[jaero]

It has Vintage Air.

[Palf70Step]

Wit thevintage air, if you use the stick center vent piece. You put a plug and not a hose on one side. That uh i could see it allowing condensation yo drip out unlesss you rtv the plug in.