Want to replace speakers, but wire is cracked/shorted
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Want to replace speakers, but wire is cracked/shorted
Ive come to the sad conclusion that only ONE speaker works in my 1999 Jeep Cherokee. The two front door speakers, and the back left speaker, are not producing any audio. I know for a FACT that the two door speakers are suffering from the typical cherokee door of doom that cracks the speaker wire from repeated opening and closing. The problem is I have no idea how to fix them, and no idea what guage wires to get, let alone what type. I also have no clue why the back left one isn't working. I'm really stumped at the moment.
On a similar note, I heard that plenty of people put 6.5" speakers in the front 5.24" openings. Is that easy to do? I need the 6.5" quality.
On a similar note, I heard that plenty of people put 6.5" speakers in the front 5.24" openings. Is that easy to do? I need the 6.5" quality.
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Ive come to the sad conclusion that only ONE speaker works in my 1999 Jeep Cherokee. The two front door speakers, and the back left speaker, are not producing any audio. I know for a FACT that the two door speakers are suffering from the typical cherokee door of doom that cracks the speaker wire from repeated opening and closing. The problem is I have no idea how to fix them, and no idea what guage wires to get, let alone what type. I also have no clue why the back left one isn't working. I'm really stumped at the moment.
On a similar note, I heard that plenty of people put 6.5" speakers in the front 5.24" openings. Is that easy to do? I need the 6.5" quality.
On a similar note, I heard that plenty of people put 6.5" speakers in the front 5.24" openings. Is that easy to do? I need the 6.5" quality.
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Its kind of a pain actually but you have to get a stereo wiring diagram and re route the wires through the door and back to the stereo head. I have used cat5 in a pinch as well. Although I would recommend a heavier gauge wire like 14 or something.
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Diddo on the 14 gauge wire. for the rear one that's not working, your probably gonna have to drop the headliner a bit and follow that speakers wire and see if it's kinked or anything. I'd start at the connection to the radio first, then work my way to the speaker. I had some wiring problems with my rear hatch light not working. When I pulled the headliner down the wires for the hatch light were burned and melted!! Kinda scary. So you never know with wiring on these things. Good luck.
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Diddo on the 14 gauge wire. for the rear one that's not working, your probably gonna have to drop the headliner a bit and follow that speakers wire and see if it's kinked or anything. I'd start at the connection to the radio first, then work my way to the speaker. I had some wiring problems with my rear hatch light not working. When I pulled the headliner down the wires for the hatch light were burned and melted!! Kinda scary. So you never know with wiring on these things. Good luck.
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Year: 1999
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Unplug the bad speaker and check the wires with a wire tester. If your getting power to the speaker, bad speaker. No power to the speaker, bad wire/connection somewhere.
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No prob, this is a great forum with lots of great info. I'm sure more guys, with a lot more electrical knowledge will jump in and give you more advice.
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And if anyone would expand upon exactly how to reroute new wires, that would be great.
The question still stands too, could I fit 6 1/2" in my 1999 doors? I heard of 2000 up not having a problem. 6 is a big jump over 5 in sound quality, I would really prefer this.
EDIT: I just found this post by "nohau" on cherokeetalk.com Maybe it will help with the rewiring issue. Let's hope so.
The question still stands too, could I fit 6 1/2" in my 1999 doors? I heard of 2000 up not having a problem. 6 is a big jump over 5 in sound quality, I would really prefer this.
EDIT: I just found this post by "nohau" on cherokeetalk.com Maybe it will help with the rewiring issue. Let's hope so.
"I couldn't find a broken wire visibly, and really there was no need to do so. The speaker wasn't working and there are only 2 wires connecting it. Simply re-run the 2 wires as this is a notorious issue on the XJ. The first step is to locate the wires that are affected and note their color. If you are only replacing a few of the wires, there really is no need to remove the old wire. Sometimes (as was the case for me here) the old wire is stuck or brittle enough that it continues to break if you try to pull it through. The easiest was to run the new wire was to use something to fish the wire. In my case an old metal coat hanger was available. Be sure to bend the end back to make a blunt point. I doubled it over and crimped it tightly together with pliers. Next, it seemed logically to me to push from the inside (cabin area) out due to the door boot design of the harness. Also note that there was a wire-tie on the inside boot to keep it tight. I cut this off while running the new wires and you can replace it after. Push the coat hanger down the center of the wire bundle and feed it through the harness into the door frame. Now, create an eye by doubling the other end of the coat hanger over with pliers. Loop the new wire around (think inter-locking index fingers of opposite hands). Try to get everthing as small as possible to help pulling through. You want to minimize bulk. Also use electrical tape to cover this joint of wire and coat hanger. One more thing that will help is to use a soapy water solution. Just a small amount will work wonders. Caveat emptor as you may be working on power wires that have cracked insulation, but know that auto plants use similar techniques on the assembly line when running some of the harnesses. Now you should be able to pull the hanger through and the wire will follow. use butt-splices to repair the suspect wires and you should be all set.
Notes:
-You may need to perform the procedure more than once, depending on the number of wires you are replacing. In my case, I pulled 4 in one shot without issue.
-If the inter-door boot or the cabin boot become dislodged, you can easily re-seat them in the sheet metal. The soapy water solution will help here, too.
-Be sure to use appropriate grade wire for the repair... and definitely use something more flexible than the OE design and its poorly engineered (was it even tested) fatigue life in this area.
Good luck!"
Notes:
-You may need to perform the procedure more than once, depending on the number of wires you are replacing. In my case, I pulled 4 in one shot without issue.
-If the inter-door boot or the cabin boot become dislodged, you can easily re-seat them in the sheet metal. The soapy water solution will help here, too.
-Be sure to use appropriate grade wire for the repair... and definitely use something more flexible than the OE design and its poorly engineered (was it even tested) fatigue life in this area.
Good luck!"
Last edited by stillmatic07; 05-14-2010 at 04:15 PM.
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