Intermittent Speaker Problem

[bjohnson]

Over the past few years I've had an intermittent speaker problem in the left rear of my 97 explorer. The left rear speaker would cut out or be very low volume sometimes (normally after hitting some bumps).

I took it to the dealer several times while still under warranty and they could never reproduce the problem. They checked the head unit connections and speaker connections. So now it's out of warranty and there is no way I'll pay for them to fish for a problem

Recently, I replaced the head unit and noticed that the problem still exists, so it's not that.

Is there an amp hidden somewhere that I could try replacing? What else should I be looking at?

x) replaced head unit
2) replace amp
3) check connections to speakers

 

[jimbo74]

there is a factory amp in the rear right panel of your truck... you might want to look into getting a bypass harness. that would allow the speakers t obe directly run off the headunits power. this will also make the sound a whole lot clearer as the stock amp is not rated for very high power output and also puts out a lot of distortion

 

[hotrodjim]

You have a wire grounding somewhere in the connection going to the speaker. It may have a cut in the wire insulation and is touching the body and grounding out. Best thing to do is follow the wire and see where it is hitting. Good place to look is in door areas, or seat areas where the seats move. The wire maybe pinched.

 

[bjohnson]

I should have mentioned that the head unit I put in was actually another stock unit (the original had developed another problem). So doing a bypass on the amp would probably not be a great idea. I should take a look at the connections though. I take it I need to pull off the side panel to get to it huh?


As far as the wiring being shorted, that would pretty much be my worst nightmare... I can take a look in the easy access spots, but I would never be able to check the entire harness.... Does anyone know the route the wires take from point A to B?? That would make it a lot easier to try to track down.

 

[Ak LTD Xplorer]

you just need to pull off this part to get to the HU

 

[bjohnson]

I've determined the head unit is not the problem since I've replaced it and the problem persists... I also made sure the connections to the back were good.

In the previous post, I was referring to checking the connections at the amp and speakers and then trying to determine if there was a wire short somewhere....

 

[Ak LTD Xplorer]

aww..mis-read sorry..hope you find it

 

[bjohnson]

Ok, while this problem used to happen very rarely (once in 2-3 months), I was able to reproduce it today quite easily and at will. Here is what I did:

1) Turn the radio fader/balance to rear left, so it was clear when I was having a problem
2) Hit a small bump

What would happen is the volume would drop... not necessarily distorted (hard to tell at that volume).

After this happened, I could increase the volume to about 75-80% and it would sound distorted for a second, then the volume would come back full force - all back to normal.

When I stopped (during the problem), I got out and smacked the door panel around the speaker some to see if I could rattle something it did no good.... But check it out... I gave the right quarter panel (near where I *think* the amp is located) a quick smack, and it went back to normal!

I'm thinking it's definately in the amplifier region now... Either:

1) An intermittent short in the wires near the amplifier
2) A loose connection in the wires near the amplifier
3) A bad amplifier

When I get a chance, I'll pull off the panel so I can get to it. Hopefully, I can reproduce the problem easily again.

Any takers on what the problem is now?

 

[cmatinker]

I too have a '97 explorer with the exact same problem. Ford replaced the speakers under warranty but the problem came back just after warranty expired.

I have replaced my HU with an aftermarket unit and the problem became even worse.

Gonna bypass the amp real soon.

 

[bjohnson]

Please post the results of your trial so I'll have a better idea of what I should try.... I probably wan't have a chance to bust into mine until mid-April because of travel.

 

[jimbo74]

sounds liek a bad factory amp or wiring... i would try the amp bypass, but if you have a stock hu in htere, it wont work at all as the hu doesnt push its own power through the speakers.... it relies o nthe amp... look on ebay for an amp.....