[mbardeen]

While my car sits waiting for parts, I've been trying to tackle some of the smaller stuff on my very long to-do list.



One of those items is that the aftermarket stereo that was installed only plays music from the rear speakers. This is an option 490 car, so I'm assuming there are still amps underneath the seats (haven't taken them out yet, mainly because I don't have the correct hex head socket).



I pulled the head unit out to check the wiring, and lo and behold, front speakers aren't connected. So I connected them up but still no joy.



My idea (based on previous searches) is the amps are dead, but I've checked the wiring diagram, and for the 490 system, it seems that all speakers are powered through those amps. So how is it the rears are working and the fronts are not?

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[flash]

there were 2 options for amps. one of them only had one amp and only powered one pair. the other speakers came from the deck. it sounds like they didn't want to cut into the factory harness.



i think you're going to have to trace the harness wires and see which ones go where. you can use a 9V battery to make the speakers "pop" as you touch the leads, telling you which is where.



when wiring it up, remember that stripe is NEGATIVE on this car

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[mbardeen]

Mystery solved -- the reason I don't have any sound from the front speakers is because I have no front speakers. Pulled the door grills and nothing there. Heaven only knows the reason for that...



I don't see any obvious way to mount speakers there, either. Is there a picture of how it should look floating around?

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[flash]

lol - well, that will do it



there is supposed to be a plastic shell that lives under the armrest onto which the speakers mount (except the tweeters which are up top in the door panel).

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[mbardeen]

The rear speakers look to be some pretty crappy 4inchers.



So I guess along with those plastic shells, new speakers all around are in order... My to-buy list keeps growing. Hopefully parts will start arriving soon so I can start moving some of this stuff to my done list.

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[flash]

you'd really be better off from an audio standpoint of installing all new aftermarket stuff, and ditching the factory stuff altogether. if you already had it, i could tell you how to optimize it. but, since it's all different, there are a LOT of better things to do, and a LOT less cost

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[mbardeen]

At this point, the audio setup is down near the bottom of the list. I want to do it right, with the limitation of keeping it looking stock, so I'll wait until I have the cash. When I'm ready I'm sure I'll contact you for advice.

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