[deeppowder]

I have an 04 Outback that I don't have sound on the driver's side door. It has been out for a bit but every once and a while it comes back on and off while going down the road. It has been a while since it did this though.

I have zero experience playing with car audio systems so this is a new problem for me.

I am in the process of replacing the instrument cluster lights so I pulled the radio out thinking there would be a loose connection for the left hand speakers but it appears to one connector for everything.

Is there any other connector between the back of the radio and the door? I have no sound out of either the tweeter by the mirror or the speaker down lower on the door? Not sure if there are rear speakers but if there is, I don't think there is any sound there either.

Any thoughts?

Jeff

 

[plain OM]

High probability the speakers are bad. It's not at all uncommon, and there are threads here pretty much identical to yours where this was the problem in a 2000-4 Outback.

But if the radio has a "balance" control, make sure it's set to the center position, and not the right side, which would cut the audio to all the left side speakers.

 

[deeppowder]

Thanks OM. I tried doing several searches and came up with a few things to look at. Did not realize I have an amp under the passenger seat. Will look for that after dinner. Got the door pulled apart and all looks good as far as the connections go.

I am assuming that the wiring goes from the radio to the amp then in parallel to the four speakers and two tweeters?

Balance is in the middle. Go to the left and nothing. Could I take the right speaker and connect it to the left wiring to prove the speaker is bad?

Jeff

 

[plain OM]

Your car will have the additional amplifier under the passenger seat if the car came with the premium audio system (McIntosh). This depended on the exact model of Outback. See: 2004 Subaru Outback options, prices, photos, colors, all other Subarus also

The regular wiring goes from the radio to the speakers via several harnesses and connectors. There's separate pairs of wires for each door. (Front door tweeter and large speaker are on the same pair.) With the premium system, audio is carried from the radio to the amp through a DIN connector cable, and from the amplifier to the speakers the same as the regular system.

Any speaker of approximately the same size, that's rated 4 to 8 Ohms (this is usually marked on the back of the speaker frame/magnet) can be connected in place of a suspect speaker just to try out.

Don't worry about the rest of the wiring for now. If you have the trim off one of the left side doors, get hold of a known, good speaker, and connect it in place of the existing speaker.

I wouldn't suggest using the right side speaker; first, because that means taking apart that door, and any disassembly etc could lead to other issues. And second, because moving the speaker could itself cause it to fail if it's already marginal, which could be the case if the two left side ones are not working. (But if that's all you have, then I guess it can be done.)

You will probably have to take the existing, suspect, speaker out to get access to the connectors at the back, but there's no need to install the substitute speaker for the test. Just support it so that it doesn't pull down on the wires.

Give it a try; let us know what you find.

 

[deeppowder]

Thanks OM. Taking a closer look I am now thinking I don't have the amp. I don't have a speaker lying around but it sounds like I should be able to ohm the speaker out? 4-8 ohms per speaker? I am thinking I could find the pin call out for the connector at the back of the radio and meter from there? Just to ensure the integrity of the complete circuit? Should the tweeter be in the same ohm range?

Thanks for the clarification. I will report back with the findings when I get home.

Jeff

 

[plain OM]

Yes, each speaker should show 4-8 Ohms continuity; bad speakers, the type that have stopped working in other instances, will show open circuit or very high resistance.

I do doubt there's any problem in the wiring, especially because there's different pairs to each door, and it's very unlikely that both would have been damaged, unless some work was done on the car that involved where the harnesses are.

And, if the speakers are bad, you will have to pull the trim off to change them, so I would say working from the connector instead of Ohming the speakers themselves, might not save any work.

Nevertheless, if you identify which pairs of pins on the radio connector go to which door, you can measure the resistance between the two pins for each door.

Note, however, for the front doors, the reading could be misleading because the tweeter and main speaker are in parallel. So if one speaker is open, and not the other, you might still get what looks like good continuity. (This is without knowing the impedance each of the two speakers in the door.)

 

[deeppowder]

OM,

Nice work. Both speakers are open circuit. The tweeter actually does have sound but it is very faint.

I am assuming you would suggest replacing all four speakers? Any suggestions as to a site for replacements?

Rest of the dash lights should be here tomorrow. Then I can put the dash back together, find some speakers and be back on the road.

This site has been very helpful. Next project is struts and rear shocks.

Jeff

 

[plain OM]

No, I don't have any specific recommendations for speakers. I believe there's on-line sources for audio systems that might carry suitable replacements. Crutchfield comes to mind. But it will also depend on what you want to spend.

Things to consider:

Size and mounting holes. Diameter should be the same, and it would be good if the mounting holes are in the same place.

Connectors. Again, I think the originals have two spade connectors, or a dual spade connector. Be nice to have the same connectors and spacing in order to avoid having to cut and solder, or use adapter wiring, to install the replacements.

Depth. This is a concern. The back of the speaker sticks into the door interior space. In some cases, if the speaker is too deep, it might interfere with the window mechanism. I think this is mainly a concern with the front doors, where the window goes down all the way, but if you're getting matched speakers all around, it's something to consider.

Let us know how it works out.