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More stereo issues
#1

Folks,



I recently tried hooking up a Kenwood stereo in my 94 cab and, while the head unit powered up, no sound. I had some wires that I didn't know what to do with and I know there is a small amp under the passenger seat, so I took the car by an audio shop this afternoon (with the 94 wiring schematic) to hopefully have them sort through it. After 2 hours, the guy said he couldn't figure it out and didn't know what was going on. He said the amp had power in and out, but it didn't seem like there were enough wires coming out of it to power the speakers. he also said it seemed like there was a connection somewhere that wasn't hooked up, but he couldn't find it.



I searched and saw a post where someone said early 94s had 2 amps (one under each seat), but I don't see an amp under the driver seat. Is this something I would be able to tell by the VIN (and if so, does anyone know what VIN it should be)?



Also, on the passenger side under the dash there is a brown connector and this is the connector that the tech said he couldn't find the mate to.



When I got the car, there was no radio in it so nothing there to work from. Also, the doors have a midrange and a tweeter installed in the door cards, but the passenger side had the 3 speaker setup and the wiring harness connected to it (premium sound) under the door handle, but the driver side didn't have either the 3 speaker box or the wiring connection that I can see. The option codes sticker in the trunk has the 490 hi fi system on it which I think is the 3 speaker box I found on the passenger side. If these connections are not made, will the system just not work because the circuit is not complete? Also, wondering where the wires came from that are in the door card speakers because they are hooked up.



Can someone help me id what wiring I have in the car and where to look for the connections? If needed I can wire the speakers directly to the radio, but since the amp is working I would rather have it be "correct". I can provide wire color descriptions if that will help, I am just at a loss and can't pay $65/hour to "educate" an audio firm on what to do.



Thanks in advance!
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#2

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare but with some determination you will prevail!

What are you after? Good sound quality or returning the vehicle to stock?

If its good sound quality you are far better off starting again. The 20 year old speakers will be past their best and to be honest a well installed, fresh set of good components run off the headunit will probably sound better than than reinstating whats there. Of course you need a budget for new speakers and maybe an amp, wiring etc but shouldnt be too much depending on what you are after.

If returning to stock, you need time and patience. I dont think you should need both doors wired up for the other one to work. If the installer said that there was power out of the amp then get a multimeter and check if you have a circuit with the wires going into the speaker.

If theres no stereo in the car as you got it, and mismatching speaker setups in the doors chances are a previous owner may have butchered the electrics to fit something aftermarket.

I would suggest its better to start again.
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#3

Thank you for the response - I am trying to get some basic sound in the car as my intent is to sell the vehicle. As everybody here already knows with Porsches, I am already waaaayyy over budget on everything I have done with the car. I got a "deal" on the car and have an S2 in the family as well. One needs to go and my better half wants to keep the S2 because we have kids and she frequently needs the back seat.



The tech said that the amp is powered up but that he doesn't know where the power is going (not sure if it is hooked to anything). He seemed to feel that there weren't enough wires coming out of the amp for things to be correct, but that doesn't make sense to me either as I don't think there are any output jacks that aren't filled. I had hoped it would be a relatively quick thing to hook up but now I believe it is a false hope and I don't want to spend any more than I have to in order to get a functioning radio. My hope with this post was that someone recently might have been in their wiring and could tell me where to look for connections and what some of the wires go to.



I think at this point I am going to try and wire directly to the 2 front speakers in the door cards and go from there. I know the sound will stink, but need to get the hole in the dash filled and the sound functioning somewhat.



Thanks again!
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#4

i think i would bypass the amp. it's very low power, and most decks today put out more anyway.



the wiring diagram is in the workshop manual. there is a link on this site to download it.
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94 Midnight Metallic Blue Cab Porsche 968 w/deviating cashmere/black interior and WAY too many mods to list - thanks to eric for creating www.968forums.com



"It isn't nearly as expensive to do it right as it is to do it wrong."
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#5

So I bypassed the amp and got the door speakers working by and then tried to hook up the rear speakers but they did not come on. The positive feed for the left rear is black/white and for the right rear is black green and brown is the what is showing as the ground (looks on the schematic like both speakers share this wire). Let me know if this is wrong. Then I also noticed on the schematic for the 490 sound system there there is a red and green wire shared by both rear speakers that shows on the schematic as "S". Does anybody know what this is and if something needs to be done with it?



Thanks again in advance,



Ken
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#6

Im not too familiar with the 490 sound package and its wiring, but you should bypass the factory amp again for the rears.
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#7

the package differed from year to year.



amps are located under the seat but also under the carpet, so you cannot see them. you have to remove the seat to get to them. some years had 1 amp. some had 2.



as for sharing a wire, they did not do that. each speaker has its own color hot and ground with stripe wire.
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94 Midnight Metallic Blue Cab Porsche 968 w/deviating cashmere/black interior and WAY too many mods to list - thanks to eric for creating www.968forums.com



"It isn't nearly as expensive to do it right as it is to do it wrong."
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#8

Flash are the OEM rear speakers in cabs with the hi-fi option self-amplified like in the coupes?
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#9

It may be more bad schematic reading abilities, but the diagram seems to show one rear speaker as connected to the amp and the other isn't. Also, I tested the ground wire and the "S" wire with a meter and they are sharing the same wire (but doesn't mean I have the right speaker wire). I am not sure what the best way is to find the right wire on the speaker. Does anybody know what pins are the positive and negative speaker wires so I can hook everything up directly?



Thanks as always in advance!
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#10

bomb - in at least one version, yes.
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94 Midnight Metallic Blue Cab Porsche 968 w/deviating cashmere/black interior and WAY too many mods to list - thanks to eric for creating www.968forums.com



"It isn't nearly as expensive to do it right as it is to do it wrong."
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#11

Also, as a sanity check - I mentioned in the first post that there were connectors and wires I didn't know what to do with. In looking at the schematic there are connectors that seem to go with the straight "CS" stereo system and connectors that go with the 490 premium sound system. Is it true that they put the same wire harness in every car which accommodated all the systems and therefore these plugs just remain unconnected (that is what I feel the case is with the "brown" plug I found behind the stereo).



Thanks!
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