99 Dodge Ram intermittent speaker

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  What a find, lots of usefull information.

I have a 99 Dodge Ram Quad cab with the Infinity stereo system (AM/FM, cassette, EQ).  My drivers rear speaker was intermittent for awhile then went out completely.  Removing the head and seeing all those wires made no sense to me, so I am turning to all of you for help.  I'm a simple guy looking to enjoy AM radio, a cassette tape now and then and maybe a CD (if I choose to replace this unit with another OEM unit with the CD/cassette).  I have no idea how to determine if my problem is with the radio (joy stick control), the speaker or the wiring between?  Can anyone offer any assistance.  I have installed several after-market systems in past vehicles, but that seemed simple compared to the Infinity system I have.

Appreciate any help.

Sprinks

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Sprinks

Most Infinity systems use amplified speakers. The first thing to do is to take out the rear speaker with the issue. Have a look at it to see if it is blown or has toasty marks on it, that the surround is still intact etc. The next thing to do is to verify that the amp has power going to it and a good solid ground. You will need a meter to do this.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

Thank you for the reply "forbidden",

Is it the amp's at the speakers that make it an "Infinity" system, and not the radio?  If so, before removing the back door skin, could I connect another speaker to the "LR" speaker output off the radio to verify that the problem is not with the radio's joystick control (one of the problem item's eluded to on another form)?  I noticed that none of the speakers worked (in the truck) without the amp wire connected, so would my experiment work connecting to a speaker that is does not have any amplification?

Kendrick

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Sprinks

It is indeed the amps at the speakers that make it a Infinity system. Connecting a speaker behind the head in this case will not work. Yes the little joysticks controls do sometimes have issues, that being they are prone to dust and can indeed short out. A simple test here is to remove the rear speakers and swap them side for side. While they may not mount the plugs should be the same, thus you can test the suspect faulty right rear speaker in the working left rear spot. If it works then more than likely the problem is at the head unit. Replace the head unit with ......... <plug for Eclipse here>..... a Eclipse CD3424 at the least.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

Still nothing!  I removed the rear door speakers and switched them (left to right) and confirmed that the left speaker does work.  I checked the speaker wire connector for power and got nothing.  I verified the proceedure on the right side and the meter registered voltage.  I checked rear outputs of the radio and they are all showing power (eliminating the joy stick balance control as the problem).  So now I guess it comes down to tracing the wires back looking for a break in the wire.

My questions; do the speaker wires (+/-) from the back of the radio go directly to the speakers or is there a connector somewhere between them?  Do the wire colors stay constant from head to speaker?  And last, what is the path for the rear door speaker wires?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Sprinks

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Sprinks

I wouldn't be surprised if the Infinity amp on one of the speaker (or the speaker itself) are just broken. The problem with amplified systems like this is that you either have to pay a large amount of money to get factory replacements or buy an aftermarket cd player and speakers.

If you decide to go the aftermarket route you will need a cd player and a pair of speakers. If all the Infinity speakers in the car are the same size I would then move the working front speakers to the back locations. Then just pick up a set of speakers for up front in the door locations and a cd player. The factory speakers that are now in the rear would work fine with the new cd player, and you would get to have your new speakers up front instead.

If the speakers are different sizes I would take out the entire Infinity system and just put a set of new speakers up front and not have speakers in back.

These would work well and arn't too expensive:  Blaupunkt 6.5" speakers   Blaupunkt Montreal CD player If you think that looks really ugly then just browse around on the internet or at a local shop for a CD player from some one like Eclipse, Alpine, Blaupunkt and Pioneer just to name a few.

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Thank you all for your response to my intermitten speaker problem.  I solved the mystery this weekend; found broken wires in the rubber sleeve between the rear door and cab of my truck.  Went to the local salvage yard and retrived a new harness (cost me nothing), got the sound back.

Thanks again,

Sprinks

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Sprinks