passenger-side speaks suddenly went dead
 

'99 XJ with a year-old Kenwood receiver, new wires and new 6.5 Kicker speakers. The passenger-side front and rear suddenly and simultaneously speakers went dead while driving last week (no bumps, smooth road). I checked the connections and wires and everything was good (no cuts or kinks). I called Crutchfield and they said it could be the receiver. So I bought a new Kenwood receiver (the updated version of the one I had) and installed it yesterday but the pass-side speakers still don't work. I chatted with a Crutchfield rep today and he was stumped. Just FYI, the wires are heavy gauge and run directly from the unit to the speakers (no grounding points or splits). Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

sub in a new spk

Yup. Swap suspected bad for known good, even if it's just a crap spkr you or a buddy have laying around. If sound comes out it's the speaks... no sound and you gonna want to do a continuity test from the speaker connection to the head unit... make sure you have no breaks.

Strange that a Crutchfield tech would automatically suspect the head unit verus wiring.

"(no cuts or kinks)" doesn't equal good.
Did you properly cut, splice, solder and insulate the harness or is it one-o-these rodent nest installs?
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...2972af552b.jpg

Speakers and associated wiring can be individually tested using a 1.5V battery.

Yes, super-clean install. I'll pull the door panel off tomorrow and test everything as suggested.

I use Posi-Products connectors (available for about $7 from Crutchfield) to make my electrical connections... this ensures for a secure connection. Tape can sometimes come loose over time. Rarely is it ever a wiring issue, though, so connect an old speaker you took out of your XJ when you upgraded the speakers and see if it works. I had an issue with the front driver's door speaker in my WJ GC dying suddenly and since the front left dashboard tweeter was still working (they're both connected together on each side like a component speaker set), I knew it was just that the speaker in the door died.

+1 for Posi products. Been using them for years now.

im having the same problem with my 00, just drivers side and original wires. but not sure why the rear is out too. any solution with this?