Over the last year, the power to the radio in my 1996 Chevy Silverado had been cutting out intermittently. Sometimes road vibrations would alternately result in loss or restoration of ...

Over the last year, the power to the radio in my 1996 Chevy Silverado had been cutting out intermittently. Sometimes road vibrations would alternately result in loss or restoration of power). More recently noted that release of handbrake oftebn triggered it to come back on. After making this observation, started used brake release lever to restore power when lost. Sometimes just pulling on the lever worked, even with brake not engaged. Also could get similar result by reaching up in area behind release lever and moving wires. Thisweek this "remedy" has stopped working and I don't know what to try next. (The radio appears to be the only device effected.) Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot andf remedy?

Check the wires you shake by the parking handle, probably looking for the red wire you can trace back to the radio. If you locate that wire your looking for where the connection is loose or where the pin is busted in one of the harness connectors.

Was trying to look up a wiring diagram for your truck but i suck at finding that info online.

Thanks for your input. I did check the wires in the vicinity of the parking release. There are a TON of wires under the dash but few that pass near the release. I'll go back and check for a red one...especially one that appears to end in avisible connector. The possibility of a broken connector pin didn't occur to me, but seems logical. But it's not all clear to me how connectors are setup; didn't want to just start pulling on wires. I hate going to a dealership...'gainst my religion... and the one closest sucks especially. But I'm thinking a dealer might be the resource best equipped to go right to the problem's location.

True about being better equipped but if you can find a diagram or aftermarket radio install help it should tell you right where that wire is and then it's just and issue of tracing down that wire for the problem . . . time consuming and somewhat annoying (i just did alot of under the dash wiring through my firewall) but it might be worth it to not pay the dealer $ per hour for a simple wire splice, I just wish i could of pointed you toward the diagram you need, still cant find it, i thought the internet had all the answers

Is it the stock radio?

The problem started with the stock radio. I just replaced it with a JVC CD player. Probably should have isolated the wiring fault before replacing the radio because the replacement just tends to muddy the water. (I also just had the AC system repaired, but that work should have been isolated to under the hood components.)

Other option is to find the 12V power line that is after the Ignition and run your own power to the radio.

Do you lose station programming and clock also? If so, you may be looking for a yellow wire, too. Indy shops may have good electrical guys, dealers usually want to replace harnesses.