I'm going on a long drive soon and I'd like to listen to the cricket coverage on the radio. So I finally got motivated and decided to find a space in my otherwise cramped dash for my factory (i.e. not Patrick's) tuner module. Eventually I found a space down lower in the dash and in the end it was quite easy.

The problem I'm having is that AM reception is quite poor and that's the main reason I install the tuner - for AM. There is a lot of background noise.

1) FM reception is quite good although the RDS has issues (not worried about RDS). I generally get full signal strength all the time.

2) AM reception is basically unusable. There is a constant noise/hash that overpowers any audio. It sounds sort of like it's not tuned to any station (just some blank space in the spectrum). But you can hear the station every now and again barely.

3) On AM, the signal strength is full or 1 bar below full.

4) I am using the factory extension cable. I'm quite sure I checked it when I installed the module in my first car and it was fine.

5) There is a very very very faint alternator whine in tuner mode in FM. I can't hear it in AM because of all the noise. MP3 mode is silent as far as I can hear. I can live with it since it is so quiet.

6) I'm using the stock components for everything except the head unit. The antenna is on glass in the rear demister and does have some kind of pre-amp. I know it is on though since the line that controls the factory amplifier which I'm using also turns on the antenna pre-amp. I am not using the antenna line from the tuner. On my old car I only used that for the power up/down function of the aerial.

7) AM reception in my old car was good - not perfect but much better than this. If anything, FM reception is better in the new car than the old one.

Any ideas? Are any E36 owners having success with the tuner? I know Bruno/hybrid8 said he wasn't using a tuner.

Thanks guys.

I also have no tuner in my E36 M3... sorry

In typical form I solve the problem once I post. I managed to find the antenna amplifier in the C pillar. Once I took the trim off, I tried the radio and of course it started working perfectly. I eventually found it was merely a loose connection on the amplifier.

Since coming in from 35 odd C weather fixing it, I also just found a service bulletin in the BMW TIS referring to the E46 stating the coax connector from the antennad amp to the head unit can come loose. Obviously it applies to E36 also since that's exactly what had happened to mine.

I'm happy as I can now listen to my cricket and I assume I'll get better FM (i.e. better RDS - not that much exists)

The alternator whine is still just there, but I don't think I'll bother fixing that since it's pretty quiet and I don't listen to the radio that much. See how it goes.