How To Remove Ford Radio With and Without Tool?(Easy Steps)

Are you suffering from having a bad radio on your Ford car? Then you’ve come to the right place, since many Ford drivers face this issue a lot, we’ve decided to end the matter here.

Removing the factory stereo assembly using tools is pretty easy. You just need a DIN radio removal tool and pry the radio assembly out using it.

As for removing it without tools, you could simply use the prongs of a thin eyeglass screwdriver and a thin drill bit to insert through two side holes and pull out the unit by each side in turns.

Well, hopefully, we’ve cleared out some of your doubts regarding the process. Keep going through to get all your doubts cleared out.

Can You Remove Ford Radio Without Tool?

To be completely honest, it’s not necessary to go and spend any money on getting the required tools needed for the removal to be successful. You could do it without tools as well!

Let’s be real for a second, nobody loves spending around $5 to $20 to get the special tools required to remove the factory radio unit on your ford.

You just might want to remove it mostly because it had gone bad or the antennas are not working as they should be and so you’d be buying a new unit to replace it anyways.

Hence, spending an unnecessary amount of money on tools that aren’t just as essential seems totally worthless. 

Thus, you could grab any thin prongs of forks, screwdrivers, hanger coats, and drill bits to check which fits in the four pull-out holes given within the front sides of the radio unit.

Then use those homemade tools you acquired to draw out the radio unit and then replace it with a newly bought unit itself.

What Tools Required To Remove Ford Radio?

Whether you’re removing the radio unit using the special removal tools or the homemade ones, it’s apparent that you can’t do it without something to grab, pull, or wheel the radio out.

And that something calls in for a  shortlist of essentials that help you save a ton of research time and make the process go in a much more streamlined manner. Here is what you need to have:

  • Removal tool pin
  • Thin screwdriver prongs
  • Drill bits of the specified circumference
  • Extension kits
  • New radio unit
  • Electronic tape connectors

How To Remove Ford Radio With Tool?

Now, we will be looking into the step-by-step guide associated with removing the Radio using a tool. This method is actually pretty straightforward.

Many Ford vehicle owners have reported positive feedback regarding this method to remove the radio units on their vehicles. So buckle up and watch how the mystery unravels.

Step 1: Clean Up The Accessories Around Your Radio

It’s a norm for most family vehicle owners to have a bunch of accessories attached to the interiors of their cars. It not only adds a personality to your car but makes it look more family-friendly.

The accessories do show your tastes in art but for now, you should get rid of them just to remove any hindrances throughout the entire process.

This step also prevents any valuable accessories from getting damaged or getting lost.

Step 2: Disconnect The Batteries Ensuring Complete Power Cut Off

You should know by now that when working on any electrical components, your safety always comes first. So be sure to wear safety gloves and disconnect the car’s battery terminals.

Ensure that the vehicle engine is completely turned off with car keys in your hands before finally disconnecting the battery. 

Step 3: Get Your Tool And Bring Out The Radio Unit

For this process, you might need to grab yourself a DIN Radio removal tool which would charge you around $5. Given that you have the luxury of sparing a few dollars feel free to take this route.

Ideally, there should be two free slots or holes on either side of the radio unit. The designated pins of the tools go into these holes, and then once they fit in, you could use the tool to pull the unit out gently.

Step 4: Unplug The Old One And Remove It

As soon as you dismount the unit and take it off, you would notice a mess of the wiring harness attached to the back. Here you should take your time to unplug each and every connector with care.

In case you break a connector, you could just fix it using the electronic tape connector mentioned above. 

Then whether you get your old radio fixed or buy a new one, take time to connect the wiring harness again to the back and slowly push the new or fixed stereo unit in place.

How To Remove Ford Radio Without Tool?

Ford radios come in different variations, some have pre-installed removing slots for specific tools, and some come screwed in as well for extra security.

Like we said earlier it’s extremely inefficient to do this without the special tools but it’s possible and hence inexpensive, thus saving a few bucks isn’t a bad idea.

Here is another enjoyable step-wise elaboration of removing the radio unit of your Ford Vehicle without any special tools. And trust us, there isn’t a catch!

Step 1: Remove the Accessories And Turn Off The Engine

Just like before you’re required to remove any unnecessary accessories connected to your radio unit before it becomes a hindrance.

Then what’s left is to turn the engine down if it was on previously, take out the keys, and put them into your pocket. Follow it up by disconnecting the negative terminals of the car battery.

This ensures that you are free of any sort of accidents caused by power outages or sparks.

Step 2: Preparing The Homemade Tool

Now, this could be a little tedious to find the right-sized plug which fits in perfectly through the removal slots of the radio. If you have a drill gun at your home then garb two drill bits.

However, if you don’t have access to the drill gun or drill bits, you can form the plugs from cut pieces of hanger coats or use prongs from screwdriver heads that fit in the holes appropriately.

Step 3: Pull Each Side Until The Radio Comes Off Entirely

Plugin the drill bits or whatever plug you’re using, into the first two slots of one side of the radio then slowly try to pry that side out using the drill bits.

Then insert the drill bits into the other side of the radio and pry that side out using a similar method. Once you’ve loosened the radio, you can easily drag it out using your hands.

Then go forth and remove the wired connectors at the rear of the unit and finally install a new radio or repaired one onto your Ford vehicle.

Conclusion

There could be multiple reasons to get your Ford radio removed, whether you just wanted an upgrade or to get the old one repaired, hopefully, this writing has cleared all the doubts in your mind.

Nowadays radios aren’t as popular as they used to be back in the 90s. But it’s still a charm to have one to this day.

That said, regardless of why you wish to remove the radio from your vehicle, it’s been wonderful to help you accomplish your task. Till next time, keep vibing with the melody!

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