Help! Rear speaker death

by **roblectric** » Thu Apr 24, 2003 8:45 pm

I have a confusing problem with the left rear speaker in my 2000 SLE. I am not sure how to track down the source of the problem. I have disconnected both rears and jumpered a wire from the known working speaker to the non working bum on the other side with no luck. I have compared resistance across both speakers with 2.2 ohms on the working speaker, and 7.7 ohms on the bum.DC Voltage is proportionally higher on the bad side.I was hoping to just put a new matching set in the rears but the jumper test lead me to believe that would be a waste of time and money.All other speakers work fine and the system still sounds great but I hate to miss out. }8) Any suggestions will be appreciated...

by **nkx1** » Thu Apr 24, 2003 9:38 pm

Why would getting new speakers be a waste of time? Based on what you said, the "bum" speaker had a significantly higher resistance than the working speaker (which will happen if a speaker is blown). But did you measure the voltage on each rear set of wires without them being connected to the speakers? More than likely, the voltage/resistance will be the same, in which case you could just replace the speakers and solve the problem. If the voltage is different, then there may be a short (wire touching metal on the car) or there may be a problem with the amp. If the amp is the source of the problem, the best thing to do is probably just replace the head unit with a nice aftermarket one (pretty easy to do).

Good luck!

by **Guest** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 4:57 am

Voltage was proportionaly higher on the bad side.
Working side VDC=.014
Bad side VDC=.061
You think this indicates a blown channel or resistor in the amp?
If I replaced the head unit with a 40watt alpine, would speaker performance on the remaining stock speakers suffer without the amp?
Maybe I should test the questionable speakers wire for a ground fault before I invest in new equipment?
Thanks for your help.

by **sliver 2** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 4:57 am

is ur car still under warranty? U can get one for free at ur local dealer if it is

by **Guest** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 6:28 am

It should be with only 20,000 miles but the date of first use was 12-99 so it was just out of warranty when I bought it. Carfax said first title was issued in April of 2000 so I thought I would give it the complete inspection and get repairs done if needed.Lo and behold the dealership came up with this "date of first use" as the start date for the warranty.Pissed me off! Oh well, its still a great car that should last a long time.

by **nkx1** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 8:45 am

Replacing the head unit woud not probably not adversely affect the sound of your speakers, given that the stock system is probably only around 15-20w rms anyway. It would probably be an upgrade as long as you get a decent unit. If you really want good sound, you should probably buy a new head unit and a 4-ch amp (and a sub if possible).

What you might want to try to eliminate a short is to disconnect the wire harness from the stock amp and also disconnect the wires from the rear speakers. Then take a reading on the wires without them being connected to anything. If both channels are consistent with each other, then you can be pretty sure the amp is the problem (and you can get a new head unit- woohoo!)

by **Guest** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 1:01 pm

Already have my eye on a nice Alpine unit.

by **Yanks0114** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 4:17 pm

Be sure to double check the alpine headunit. What is the model number. I don't think they have anything that 40watts x 4 peak, that would be too low. You want a 50 x 4 or 60 x 4 peak. Look at the RMS though and shoot for atleast a 23 x 4 RMS. The speakers just sound like they are blown, not a big deal, just order replacements.

by **Guest** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 6:53 pm

All of these model numbers are possible depending on price.
CDA-9807 CDA9815 CDA-9805 CDA-9813
CDA7892 CDA-9811 CDA-7897
Thanks for providing the specs to look for.

by **Guest** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 7:27 pm

Looks Like its narrowed down to CDA9807 and CDA-9805.Dont need a whole lot of bells and whistles, just good clean powerful sound.Both are 23W RMS, 50W X 4 Peak, and 105db S/N ratio. Thanks again for your help.
I changed the head unit in my Ford Ranger to a 40W X 4 and that rascal rocks.Had premiun sound package when I bought it. I connected the Alpine thru the factory amp. Are you saying I should bypass the factory amp in the Solara?

by **Guest** » Thu May 01, 2003 3:09 pm

Ok,,whats the trick to the removal of the existing head unit?What will I find when I remove it as far as wiring harnesses connected to the exisiting amp?I have read that the amp is behind the glovebox. I am hoping this will be a straight forward project with nothing but color to color wire splicing.Any help from someone that has replaced the head unit and *?!#canned the stock amp would be appreciated. :lol:

by **roblectric** » Tue May 13, 2003 2:27 pm

Found out that the problem was just a blown speaker. Replaced both rears with a pair of Polk GXR69's. Sounds great. Thanks for all the help.

Help! Rear speaker death

Help! Rear speaker death

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