[todzilla]

I recently acquired my '94 968 with the deluxe/premuim sound system with.......8? - speakers.

When I brought her home, I noticed the p/o had the aftermarket Pioneer radio/cd/navigation double din stereo set to have only the rear seat speakers operating, resulting in pretty quiet and lifeless sound! So I fiddled around and set the fader to all 8 and at first, it was night and day, with the tweeters in the doors and 4 (total) door speakers recreating fairly decent sound....for about 15 minutes!?

After this amount of time with all speakers on 'go', the right side (door only) began to crackle and make that sound like there was a hole in a speaker or sound like one had been blown - it was pretty bad and I had to set the fader back to just the rear 2 til I got in there to investigate.

At first, it sounded like only the forward speaker was crapping out (by the footwell) So once I got all the screws out and did some looking around, it seems both the doors speakers were in fine condition and the coil material (?? - the part that vibrates) was fully intact and not dried out or anything? So I set the fader back to all 8 speakers and for a while, everything was again tip top - volume up a fair bit and everything. So now I'm like, wtf!!? Then they cut out and snap, crackle, popped again!! *(&^%*&%

Is it possible that once the speakers 'warm up' they can start to fail? Would this be related to my head unit, or do the speakers run off the supplied (?) amp under the passenger seat...if this is true? How does one troubleshoot stereos and be certain without tearing everything out?

ANY advice or help is greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

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[DaveN]

I think if you have the premium sound system you'll find 10 drivers in your car - 3 in each door and 2 on each quarter panel.
I have had speaker that operate fine for a whileand then go crappy and it was fine grit between the voice coil and the magnet. But it sounds to me like a final driver problem possibly. Let your amp cool and then put it to the suspect side and turn it up and watch the clock. Then let the amp cool and try it again. See if there is a pattern with this method, if there is then switch left with right wiring after localizing the problem and see if the same thing happens on the opposite side of the car. If so it's the amp finals - new amp time. If it doesn't move from side to side then it's a speaker issue.

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[JWahlsten]

I had a similar issue in my 93 with the premium sound package. While the two packages are a bit different, it could be the same issue. My car had something get under the seats in the car and cause corrosion in the amp. It didn't start causing the blown speaker sound until the system warmed up then got worse. I replaced the amp with a known good used one, and have had zero issues since. I took the old amp apart and it was pretty obvious what the issue was. I think the corrosion was causing the components inside to over heat and clip...

Your car should only have one amp under the passenger side seat and powered rear speakers. If it's an early 94 it could have the two amps under each of the front seats, and no amps in the rear. If there is one constant in these cars, it's change.

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[flash]

since you have a pioneer, and you're in there monkeying around, verify the wiring - stripe is NEGATIVE on the speakers - most people wire them backwards

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[JWahlsten]

I guess I should have asked if they used the original amps or the internal amp in the deck.

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[flash]

doh!

yeah, i should have asked the same thing

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[todzilla]

Thanx for all the advice guys.

I didn't install any of the equipment myself and have very limited knowledge on wiring and diagnosing/removing any aftermarket or factory decks/amps. I'm ok with dealing with speakers but honestly, that's pretty much it.

I will try to take out the front seats to see if there are 2 amps (one for each) or just a passenger side......it sounds like an amp issue more than the (newish) Pioneer head unit. Can you just take an aftermarket amp (Nakamishi/Kenwood, etc........) and essentially replace the one (hopefully) existing amp? I'm thinking I may bite the bullet and go to a shop......as much as I hate dumping $100 + just to tell me what's up!

I'll keep you posted.

~T~
ps - I'll assume the wiring was all done right as a shop did it all.

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[JWahlsten]

Todzilla,

I doubt you'll find an aftermarket amp to fit under the seats as the originals are SMALL! You can always rewire to go around the factory amps if they are the issue. This of course assumes you have enough power in the amp within the deck or another external amp.

I know Flash had a 94 amp in the classifieds.

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[flash]

i'm not sure where that went - i think t-bone was going to try to make it work in his car, but then he sold the car - not sure if he still has the amp or not

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[JWahlsten]

If you have the two amp setup, I might be convinced to part with my spare I just bought. Let us know what you need.

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[rxter]

Second Flash's recommendation. Good shop or not the speakers in this car are opposite and almost no one knows this. I just fixed a 'professional' install by reversing the wiring - car sounds 300% better. It sounded tinny and almost dead with the wires backwards.

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[todzilla]

Hmmmm......food for thought. I think I might just dig up the po's records to track down the installer and see if that is an issue. I did kind of notice that the 'punch' just isn't there when all 8 are working. Probably won't be a warranty thing but would be good to pick their brain and ensure they knew about this wiring issue!

Much thanx!......and I'll let you know on that amp.

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