Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Pub Talk). This thread is read-only.
Has anyone ever upgraded there car speakers to aftermarket ones, i installed some 50 watt pioneers, but something is going on with the wiring, they sound great but the second i slam a door or go over a bump they go out, but then eventually fade back in, i also installed a new head unit, any ideas whats going on?
Loose connection possibly.
Yup. Recheck your connections.
Bad crimp somewhere. Or your shorting to ground. Check your crimps, and be sure there are no exposed wires/terminals. The metal in your car is ground, (not audio ground) but will still short your system
Maybe you shouldn’t drive over bumps, or slam your doors…should fix your problem right there. [External image (i15.photobucket.com), not copied]
Use solder and heat shrink wire wrap next time.
Kato wrote:
Maybe you shouldn’t drive over bumps, or slam your doors…should fix your problem right there. [External image (i15.photobucket.com), not copied]
I drive an older truck, slamming the doors is a must!!
I have checked everything with my head unit and its fine, i will pull the panel off again tomorrow and check the speaker again. tighten everything up.
RedSionnach wrote:
Use solder and heat shrink wire wrap next time.
Yeah i should, i used butt connectors.
http://www.amazon.com/Solderless-Wire-Quick-Splice-Connector/dp/B0041PF5QY
These work well. I’m willing to bet you have a bad crimp in your butt. …
If you want the best wire connections, tin the wire tips with solder, then crimp them.
Use a flux core solder and apply your soldering iron to the wire, then touch the solder to the wire, (do not touch solder to iron)
The flux in the solder will remove any oxidation on the wire and the solder will flow. It’s okay to tin the tip of your soldering iron before you begin, but if you apply the solder to your iron when trying to solder a wire, you bur all the flux up before it has a chance to work its magic.
After tinning the wire, crimp it. Be carful to use the right size crimpers and also note, there are different crimpers for insulated and non insulated crimps. Using crimpers ment for non insulated crimps on an insulated crimp will damage the crimp.
Solder alone is not a good solution for automotive applications. Vibrations will break your solder joints and I’m guessing your a rookie solder’er.. So your most likely going to create a few ‘cold joints’ anyway. I would recommend tinning and crimping. Heatshrink is always a good addition.
Listen to the boys Chase. Take the time and solder your connections.
Like I always say, do it right, or do it again.
If you’ve never soldered watch a couple video on YouTube. It isn’t hard to do and will last longer than the truck will.
Thanks guys, i think i am going crazy here, tomorrow i am going to go through all the wires behind the radio and then speakers, possibly try solder, or those things eet suggested, its definitely a loose connection somewhere because i can bang on the dash and it gos in and out, or roll the window up and same thing happens…
Check your inline fuse too. You can jump it to test it. Also does it happen when you roll either window, or just one?