The back speakers don't work at all. I can't hear anything out of them. There are speakers there. The stereo in this is aftermarket, the previous owner removed the stock stereo and replaced it with some Aiwa model.

I unhooked the connector from the rear speaker and plugged it into one of the front speakers I pulled out of one of the two front doors. The speaker worked. That means the wire and everything related to it must be working right?

That leaves only the possibility that the two speakers themselves are dead.

What's troubling is why both speakers would be completely dead and not one of them. Is it something to do with the location? Maybe the dampness of the trunk caused them to fail?

Whatever the reason, I'm interested in finding out whether these can be saved. Is there some sort of way I can revive dead speakers?

 

Check the impedance on the speakers with a DMM(digital multi meter). They should read about 4 ohms each. If so, they are still good. I think your problem is in the wiring up front behind the head unit. Check all connections on the factory harness adapter behind the head unit. I'm guessing there's a problem with that.

 

How do I check the impedance using a multimeter? I don't know which setting that is.

Also if the problem was with the wiring, why would the front speakers work on the same set of wiring?

 

Alright I managed to test for impedance. On the known working front door speakers the impedance measured 4 ohms.

On the back speakers the impedance test didn't work at all.

I took off the speaker to see why it would fail and noticed that where the positive terminal wire breaks through the cone and is soldered to a wire that goes to the center, that work is broken off of the solder joint.

When I try the impedance test using the multimeter this time touching the intact negative connector but instead of touching the positive connector I touch the positive wire that broke off, it measures 4 ohms.

This leads me to believe that if I can somehow reconnect them (possibly by resoldering), I can reestablish a connection and save these speakers.

Am I crazy?

 

Difficult task. I have done it, but it only lasts when the tinsel lead is long enough. If you shorten the lead, you lose available excursion.

You are welcome to try, can't hurt anything at this point

 

I couldn't find my soldering iron. So I used "Wire Glue" which is a carbon suspension in a paste form. I figured it might dry better on the paper cone anyway. I plan on covering the wire glue with rubber cement or some glue to better protect it.

Anyway, it appears to have had some degree of success. The speaker now outputs sound! It sounds somewhat distorted though. But I am immensely happy because it was totally dead before.

1. The foam is all disintegrated on this so I am unsure if the distortion is due to this. I plan on getting a foam surround repair kit for this.

2. The impedance is no longer just 4 ohms. It fluctuates between 500-600. Uh oh?

3. The volume of the speaker is lower than expected. Maybe this has to do with the high resistance?

Right now:
1. I'm beginning to wonder if using the wire glue over solder was a good choice because of the high resistance I think it caused?

2. If the low volume is normal or maybe if the low volume would be taken care of by repairing the foam. It may even be that the aftermarket stereo outputs a low volume?

Nevertheless I am happy that it outputs anything at all. I'm going to try on the second one now.

 

the wire glue only works if the wires are physically touching with good surface area contact. you introduce resistance which lowered volume. no surrounds are why it distorts.

no recone kit. just replace the speakers. even $10 speakers will be better than a repaired no surround speaker. Parts Express and MCMElectronics and Madisound are good places for single drivers.

 

Car Speakers, Door Speakers, Car Stereo Upgrades, 6-1/2 Inch Car Speakers, Replacement Car Stereo Speakers, Affordable Car Speakers, Upgraded Car Speakers=

Those speakers there are all interesting. I'm looking for the cheapest with decent quality.

I'm not sure what these terms mean though, 3-way/4-way and if there is some max wattage I'm supposed to match. But I'm glad you showed me these, I would rather buy these than attempt to fix the two in the rear, although I'm convinced the two in the front can be fixed by refoaming.

What should I be looking for to get the best bang for my buck? I'm going to pick up a pair of those speaker wire harnesses too. Only problem now is how to choose the best speaker based on price:quality ratio and compatibility...

Actually I just thought of something. Since these new ones are probably going to sound better than the ones I repair from the front door, what if I swap the front door speakers into the rear and put the new speakers into the front door? Would this be fine?

 

I just replaced my rear deck 6 1/2" speakers with Sony XPLOD 4way coaxials. At $47/pair from Walmart, they were affordable and sound very good. BTW, the factory speaker foam was completely gone and paper cones rotted from exposure to sunlight. I am going to replace the front door speakers with the same Sony XPLOD 6 1/2" as I did in the rear deck.

 

6 1/2" ? what year do you have? my 95 holds 6x9's

Infinity Reference 3-way 6x9s to be exact. flawless sound on stock cassette deck

ps yeah man just replace speakers bro