stock stereo problem

when i turn on the headlights the stock stereo does not light up. cant see any of the buttoms. this happen to anyone, or does anyone know what it could be?

is the inside light dimmer down low?

nope..everything else works fine

Do all the button (including the steering wheel controls) function properly? If not, you have a faulty head unit and will need to replace it. Fairly common problem. If it's JUST the illumination, I'm not sure...

i know what it is and you won't be happy. The same thing has been reported in the Navigators, Explorers and many other FLM vehicles.

There is a DC/DC converter inside the head unit and because everything is so compact heat becomes a problem for the boards components. The technical term is thermal degeneration; basically that means they broke down due to heat stress. Usually the problem is at the solder joints.

I have not repaired a Lincoln Radio Head but I have repaired an Explorer HU and the only thing that can happen if you do decide to go in and repair the dc/dc converter is that it won't work more.

It is highly unprobable that they have acomponent replacement for the converter as the dealer typically just replaces the head. You may find a component level repair shop that can handle the task for you if you don't want to deal with it yourself.

Good luck and let me know if you have any further questions.

so i should just buy an aftermaket head unit

I would as the problem tend to repeat with a high frequency once repaired. Plus if you are considering replacing the factory unit your money would be better spent elsewhere. :2cents: