Small Problem Installing

[MattPFN]

I have gotten the front door panel off, gotten the stock speaker off. You know how after u take the speaker off, there is that flat square that goes into the speaker. Well, there isn't anywhere on the new speaker for it to go into. So I am kind of frustrated right now and have my door panel just hanging. Im sure that there is a simple explanation that's probably very obvious.

Can anyone tell me how I should be connecting the new speaker?

Thanks!!

 

[JTang]

This is Ford's easy way of having plastic snap in connections for stock speakers. You can either go to Crutchfield.com and order some adapters, or just cut that thing off and wire them in yourself. You'll just have to know which wire is + and -.

 

[MattPFN]

How can u tell which is + and which is -

 

[a504boi]

red is positive. black is negative! =) i think!!

 

[Stephen S]

The stock speaker wires are all kinds of crazy colors. You'll need to find a stereo wiring diagram in a Hayne's or Chilton's manual to be sure which stock wire is positive and negative. Then you have to cut the stock connector off, skin the wire, and crimp on new connectors that will fit the new speakers. But if you ever want to sell the truck and put the stock system back in, then you'll have to splice the stock connectors back on. The easiest, simplest, and most sure thing to do is to order the adapters from Crutchfield and use those. I wish I had when I replaced mine!!

 

[MattPFN]

Now that I think about it, I should have ordered the adapters, but too late I just cut the connector off!!

 

[rock883]

You could have just gone to your local car stereo place, or best buy, circut city, whatever you have there, they would of had them there. This way you wouldn't have to worry about the connection coming loose.

 

[Brian's98XLT]

There is a simple way to check this out.
Take a D cell battery and two 6" piece of wire, connect one to the + and one to the - terminal of the battery.
Know take the positive lead from the battery to one of the speaker terminal and the - lead from the battery to the other speaker terminal.
Watch the speaker cone as it will move forward or backward, when the speaker cone moves forward then the terminal that the + from the battery is on is the + speaker lead and the negative is the other.
If you do this to all your speakers they will all be in phase.
This is the chapest polarity tester I know of.

 

[MattPFN]

Have I screwed it up?
I actually cut the connection thing off on the driver side so now all I have is two wires coming out.
At this point, I think Im just gonna go ahead and pay to have them installed before I mess it up even more

 

[Stephen S]

You didn't mess anything up by cutting off the stock connector. It's just easier to use the connector adapters to hook up the new speakers instead of cutting the wires and figuring out + and -. All you need to do is find a wiring diagram of the stock stereo system and it will tell you which of the stock wires is positive and negative. Once you figure out the polarity of each stock wire, just crimp on some female spade connectors and connect up the new speakers. That's the same thing I did...easy as cake.

 

[newbz]

Ok you cut off the adapter for the stock speakers, you got 2 wires, split the wires up and splice the tips and buy connectors for the + and - on your new speakers (the little things that slide on them) or you can twist the wire and wrap it around the terminals on the speaker.....it's pretty easy for figuring out which is + & - post the colors on the wires and i'll tell you which is which or you can IM me at CyrizDaMac and i'll help you go through it definitley don't waste money paying someone to install it :-D