This thread should really be titled "wish I'd gone to Outlander first" :(

 

Short story:

- Jap spec 1990 imported 5 years ago. Car Audio bod swopped out the existing head unit for my Sony head unit and CD changer - also the front speakers for my JBLs. All worked fine. In the intervening years, changed rear speakers to Kenwood and added Pioneer active sub. All fine - all speakers worked no worries.

 

- old Sony went ...... bought new Sony. Installer installed - said it was just a plug-out / plug-in job. Front speakers OK, sub OK, 10 mins down the road, rear speakers go buzzzzzzzzzz (music still playing). Head unit error "FAILURE" on screen - RTFM says due to power amplification problem.

 

- back to shop. Installer (different one - I'm just the alarm bloke, I don't do stereos) swops head unit for new one out of stock. Same problem. Suggests to disconnect rear speakers (done) and book back in for real installer.

 

- back to shop. Installer sees problem, starts to remove rear speakers to check wiring and there's a blue fizzing arc between the metal of the speaker (not the wires - the speaker) and the metal ground of the bracketry. :eek:

 

- gets on phone, talks to mate and says this might be due to the Bose rear amp as it looks as if the OEM wires are still being used - new rears just spliced into old loom. Suggests to run new speaker leads from head unit to rears.

 

- Call Bob. He concurs. Go to Outlander ( :hyper: ) Get new independent rear speakers and - as a by-product - get the head unit properly installed physically for the first time (thanks Mark :bow: ). Still buzzes and arcs :eek: :confused: .Mark checks wiring and says there is signal on front right / left and rear left but not rear right. Disconnects speakers once more.

 

- back to shop. Yet another installer. Show sparks. First solution is insulating tape between speakers and bracket. OK until he puts back self-tappers and guess what (I did warn him this wouldn't work...) Checks head unit on bench. Works fine. Swops for new unit out of stock. Buzzing, arcing and FAILURE once more. Puts back old wiring. Still problem. Changes ISO connector. Still problem. Insulates speakers again, puts everything back and now....

 

no buzzing or failure BUT put fader onto rear only and balance to left only: sound comes out of both speakers. Balance to right only - sound out of both speakers :headvswal :headvswal

 

Give up. Throw wobbly. Now booked back in tomorrow night to have electrics looked at. Is there anything obvious I can tell him to look at?

 

Help gratefully received - TIA Gio

Hello mate,

 

Did you actaully run new rear speaker cables straight from the head unit to the speakers?

 

Are you down this way at all in the near future?

 

Vijay

Hello mate,

 

Did you actaully run new rear speaker cables straight from the head unit to the speakers?

 

Are you down this way at all in the near future?

 

Vijay

 

Yes Vijay - that's right (at least Mark did while I ran away from his dog :) and froze to death in merry Hayes). And yep - still here (at least for another 21 minutes until I head for the Hangar Lane Gyratory Jam

well I would try running everything in the car but not installed (if that makes sense) then install one bit at a time till you hit the problem. If I can help, let me know :)

 

Vijay

Thanks Vijay

 

the shop I bought it from took another look yesterday and found that the feed to the active sub has been bollixed for years. There was a strange stereo to mono to stereo adapter (made up). They removed that and just plugged in the left and right rear feeds directly and that seems to have solved the balance problem at the rear.

 

He did talk what appeared to be pure gibberish about the arcing and ran a thin cable from the battery earth to the body - but since it wasn't arcing at the time anyway, I shall probably take it off sometime.

 

Happy Christmas - Gio