Why not just do it the way I told you? If you don't understand ohm's law, then all your DMM readings are meaningless........and that's assuming you're even testing properly.

The method I posted for you is about as easy, reliable, and straight forward as it gets, not to mention, it's pretty much idiot proof! ( <-- Not meant to be an insult)

 

your method does not tell us anything about the integrity of the wiring, or if he has a short, or what that short is. only with a DMM will you know what/where the wiring problem is. just power speakers one-by-one is not enough information, and it's easy to damage the HU if you're not very careful.

he can gain knowledge of his wiring by probing the wires at the harness - it tests all of his connections and wiring and speakers at once. it's the first step. he doesn't need to know ohms law (link in sig) to take readings and share them with us. his readings are valid.

what we know is that he has an issue with the right rear speaker wiring, probably a slight short at the speaker terminals. start by disconnecting that speaker from the head unit harness (protect wiring not connected with tape or insulated terminals). now see if the issue still exists.

we also know that you don't have a short on the speaker wires to ground... with the harness pulled out. sometimes, a short in wiring can happen when you force those wires back behind the dash - if they are not properly routed or protected.

we all agree that twist-on wire caps are not for car audio use.


the reason you measured 5 ohms and not 3.5 ohms is due to the wire resistance - you're using small wire and you have poor connections (i.e. high resistance). the 1.8-2 ohms is probably mostly wire resistance and the resistance of the short.

 

My method would have isolated the problem directly to the wiring, and it's not unsafe at all (unless common sense was severy neglected), but I see your point. I didn't consider all the additional help he'd have on here! I was trying to simplify it for him. Great sig by the way!

 

just because i didnt do it the way you suggested (being much more time consuming for myself) doesnt mean you should assume i dont know what im doing.

yes i understand ohms law, and i spent a semester working with dmms. i know how to get an accurate dmm reading and i know what it means. physics aren't my weak point, it's knowing how they're relevant in a car audio situation that i'm still learning.

 

I disconnected the right rear speaker at the hu but the hu won't even turn on now.

 

I wasn't trying to insult you, I was trying to make it easier for you.

If you already know what you're doing, then why are you asking for help?

Good luck to you!

 

1. redo your connections with proper terminations.
2. check your fuses and use the DMM to verify voltage at the harness.

 

haha reference to the wire nuts? i got rid of all those and used splices. and voltage still seems to be the same. except for rear right (obviously)

i just cant catch a break!

 

if you have 12V at the ignition (red) and memory (yellow) it should turn on. make sure the ground is good - to the floor or metal.

 

i have 12v at the ignition and memory. ground is grounded to chassis.

the rest gets a little hazy

if i connect only the (-) ends of the right rear speaker wire, the hu will only turn on and stay on in the demo mode of the hu. if i try to switch it to a source (tuner, aux, cd, etc.) the hu will turn off, but will keep trying to turn on about every second (i know because it lights up and i hear a signal go through to the speakers).

if i connect only the (+) ends of the right rear speaker wire, the hu will work in demo mode and also if i switch it to a source. in other words, it works fine.

if i disconnect any other speaker(both + and -), the hu works fine...as long as the (+) right rear speaker wire is connected.


***my main problem still exists throughout. "fine" being a conditional term referring to power at the hu