Volvo S40 2008 AWD Radio Problem
 

Good morning Volvo enthusiasts!

So I have purchased a used Volvo S40 2008 T5 AWD last year and the radio does not work. Now that I have a bit of spare time to further diagnose this issue, I thought to seek the forums for some answers.
This problem certainty doesn't seem all that unique. I turn the car on (or have the key in position II) and push the Power button for the radio. A nice picture of my S40 pops up and it says "High Performance Sound System". A few seconds later, it all disappears and I'm back at square one. Climate controls work just fine, I can see everything on the ICM so there really should be no problem there. In fact, I can even push the Tuner button and adjust the treble and bass etc. When I push the "Mode" button on the waterfall, I can select between CD, SR1, SR2, AUX, USB, and IPOD. Selecting any of those just goes right back to the default screen that displays the time and climate controls. Pushing the "AM/FM" button, nothing happens at all.

I'm more of a computer person so I understand LAN and fiber-optics. I understand that each module in the car communicates through the MOST bus and if one module were to fail, then it takes down everything with it.

Here is some further troubleshooting I have completed:

1. I had the opportunity to take apart the waterfall and the Radio/Tuner/ICM. I even went as far as opening up the Radio/Tuner to check for bad components on the motherboard such as faulty capacitors etc... but I could not find any visible faults. You can tell that the Radio/Tuner/ICM modules are for sure communicating because there are red light pulses going through from both ends.

2. I took apart the Amplifier in the back, I do not have a sub-woofer according to my research so that was one less module that could have failed. This specific Amplifier has a SiriusXM unit mounted right on it. What is confusing about the labelling of the Fiber-Optic cable is that the connector that plugs into the SirusXM module says "GPS/RDAR" but anyways, that's how it was wired. Amplifier looked fine on the inside, no burns or weird residues on the board etc, looks to be a perfectly functioning unit (though, clearly, I could be wrong). Again, red light pulses are coming in and out of the Amplifier and Sirius module so the communication is coming at least this far back to the car.

3. There is an "AUD" fiber-optic cable that splits into two, I tried removing that splitter cable and plugging the single cable directly into the back of the Amplifier but that didn't work (but I was already expecting that, just wanted to try anyways).

4. The DTC's easter egg doesn't even report the AUD at all, and nothing about the ICM or Electronics Module.

5. Checked Fuses (I'm sure there would not be any red pulses coming out of a/some modules if this was the problem.

Bottom line, I'm not really sure what to check next or what could be the issue. I don't have any information about how or when this problem started happening, all I know is that my radio has never worked and has had this problem since I bought the car last year.

Another possible hint, maybe this may ring a bell for someone. When I hook up the amplifier, listening very closely, I can hear a tiny/very subtle "popping" sound that is intermittent every 1-5 seconds. Unplugging the Amplifier and going to position II again, you hear nothing at all from the speakers.

Any assistance with what may be causing this issue would be most appreciated, I'd like to actually use the built in AUX that came from my car for once :P

Thank you all for taking the time to read this! :)

Same Problem
 

Hi Viva I have the exact same problem with my 2007 XC90 - i get the "High Performance Sound" image for a few seconds when I hit the power button, then it disappears. Climate control works and i can play with the bass/treble/etc but no radio. did you ever resolve this?

I can tell you how mine started...i disconnected and reconnected my battery after doing some work on it, per instructions from a youtube mechanic, and that's when my issue began. i'm guessing your battery was disconnected at some point prior to you buying it. Please let me know if you ever got this fixed and how you did it!