Bose cuts out at random, very odd

[Blerv]

I searched around and can't seem to find a similar situation.

At times the stereo works great for the whole drive.

Other times it will cut out every few seconds and the speakers make a bit of a crackling noise.  It sounds like the power is being cut then it turns back on in about half a second.  No dimming of lights on the dash or the head unit.  No surge in power so it's not powertrain related.  It seems to happen more in then morning than in the afternoon but that's the closest to a pattern I can track.

It's very odd. No signs of rats under the hood.  Maybe a failing head unit or amp?  Only 9k miles on the unit but it is 11 years old.

Thanks for any guesses .

[joeereid]

Are you listening to the radio, or playing CDs?

[SilverMiataRacer]

When it doubt start with bad connections.  Remove the radio and clean the connections on it and the amps.  Best way for this is to get some TV Tuner Cleaner and spray it onto the contacts and into the plugs and then connect and disconnect them a few times to see what happens.  But if it's the audio dropping and the radio stays on I'm betting amp problem.  Joe has a good point, radio, cds or both.  This would help in your troubleshooting.

[Blerv]

Are you listening to the radio, or playing CDs?

When it doubt start with bad connections.  Remove the radio and clean the connections on it and the amps.  Best way for this is to get some TV Tuner Cleaner and spray it onto the contacts and into the plugs and then connect and disconnect them a few times to see what happens.  But if it's the audio dropping and the radio stays on I'm betting amp problem.  Joe has a good point, radio, cds or both.  This would help in your troubleshooting.

Thanks for the ideas .

It doesn't matter on CD's or the radio.  Also it does it regardless of the volume or stereo settings.

[SilverMiataRacer]

Then I'd go for electrical connectors first.  Pretty cheap to do, not super hard to do.  You want to get something like this.

[joeereid]

There's actually a better product called "Deoxit" , but the radio Shack stuff will work in a pinch. I have a some friends that work on/collect vintage electronics and they won't let the Radio Shack stuff any where near their gear, It also has a Low/Med/High valve on it so you can fine-tune the spray volume.

[PK1]

If it happens more in the morning I wonder if condensation/dew is exacerbating an existing contact issue. I think the above advice is pretty sound and it's where I'd focus my efforts.