speakers cutting out

Systems
Systems Posts: 14,873
edited February 2003 in Car Audio & Electronics
hey my stock 6x8 speakers in my 98 mustang lx seem to be cutting out lately. sometimes they sound the same as the other speakers, but then the volume will go down a lot. it's not that they sound bad so i dont think they're blown, especially since im only sending 50 watts to each of them, but i was wondering if it could be a bad connection? the guys that installed everything at best buy didnt really seem to know what they were doing, so should i pull out the head unit and check all the wires? or are the speakers just blown?
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited January 2003
    The guys at best buy can barely tie their shoes without a diagram to walk them through it (what i think of best buy guys -->:supermad: ) , so I don't doube there may be a problem due to human error.

    The fading in and out that you described would be indicative of one of two things I think...

    1- a short somewhere: you may have the positive and negative wires of that speaker's line touching somewhere (maybe the wire is pinched somewhere on a piece of sheetmetal or under some plastic which could cause the insulation to tear and the wires being exposed to each other... or maybe when they put the car back together they put a screw inadvertantly through one of the wires, thus grounding it out).

    2- a bad connection as you said: bad connections can range from a bad connection of the wire to the speaker, a bad connection from the head unit harness to the other adaptor harness bedhind the dash, a crimped wire that (by being bent sharply) will result in the metal inside the wire being separated without the jacket actually being cut (like old headphones that you jiggle the wire one way and they work, jiggle itthe other and they cut out).

    I'd pull the deck out first check every connection and any that might be suspect should be SOLDERED... retail stores who install will usually use butt connectors, wire nuts, or other crimping devices to hold wires together.... this is usually "ok" but sometimes that connection goes faulty, and the other way to fix it is to solder the two wires together and then either wrap them in electrical tape or use some heatshrink tubing to insulate the connection.

    If the deck checks out and you've fixed anything that you think is funky and the speakers STILL fade out... then you might want to find like a 5 dollar cheapo speaker from a junkyard or a buddy or whoever and hook it up to one of your rear leads... drive with it for a day and see if it makes the fading sound as well... if it does, then you know there is still a problem with the line (or maybe even the deck, but probably the line)... in which case you should just run a new speaker wire on your own from the head through the dash, under the carpet, to the back deck for those speakers. if it doesn't fade out with the cheapo test speaker, then you've determined your problem is the speakers (which is unlikely but you never know).

    hope that helps.
    good luck dude.:)
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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  • Kenny W
    Kenny W Posts: 8
    edited February 2003
    hey thanks for the advice sorry about my long time to respond, i had forgotten i made that post. but i went to the pioneer website and downloaded the installation manual and figured out how to pull the head unit, and i re-twisted all the wires (this was 1:00 AM so i didnt feel like soldering) and hopefully they wont cut out anymore. they were all on when i finished. either way i forgot to hook up the antenna wire so if it does or doesnt work im still gonna have to pull the unit again. lol
    What's that nasty rattle? Oh, its a Civic.
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited February 2003
    lol... antenna -- i've done that um... 10 times at least...lol...

    far as soldering at 1 am -- butt connectors -- the lazy man's friend. :)
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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  • Kenny W
    Kenny W Posts: 8
    edited February 2003
    i repulled the head and hooked up the antenna, i put back in the rest of my speakers, and my rear speaker wasnt cutting it out anymore since i tightened it, but the front left still was so i put a new connector on it (and theres barely any wire left now) and yet it still cuts out, so i might have to resort to soldering, bc i dont think i have enough wire left in there to use another butt connector.
    What's that nasty rattle? Oh, its a Civic.
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited February 2003
    also might have a short / bad connection AT the speaker it self.. pull the door panel off (or dash or whatever is in front of hte cutting out speaker) and check that IF the soldering of the dash connector does not work.
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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