Thread: One crackling speaker?

Hey guys, hope this is in the right section. Haven't used many forums before.
Four days ago I bought a 2003 Grand Prix GT. It's pretty amazing, sunroof, leather heated seats, decent stock sound system, and in great condition.
Only problem? It has ONE crackling stock speaker in the front right(passenger) door. It is definitely the woofer and is VERY noticeable. I thought it might have been blown at first, but wasn't sure because the sound coming out is just as crisp and loud as the other speakers, just with a loud crackle on top of it. I know it's just that speaker because I adjusted the fade and balance and none of the others do the same thing, they all sound very good.
Any tips for troubleshooting this and/or a fix?
Also, how do you remove the door panel in a 2003 Grand Prix GT? I would appreciate a tutorial or manual or something on it because I got the switches off and removed the covers over the screws, but a normal phillips head did not fit the screws. Any ideas? Thank you for your time!

Originally Posted by EJOUIE

I just used one of those multi bit screwdrivers and kept changing bits until one worked. Once you do get the screws out, you just carefully pry/pull off the panel.

Now might be a really good time to upgrade the speakers. World of a difference if you do it right.

How To Install Replace Remove a Door Panel on a 97-03 Pontiac Grand Prix 1AAuto.com - YouTube

Any brand of speakers you'd suggest? My dad had an old pair of Sony Xplod 6x8s that I was gonna buy a mounting bracket for the back, and I was going to buy sony components for the front. He also had a sony headunit that he was going to give to me for free. The entire system(headunit, front components, and rear deck speakers) would end up costing me a total of about $80-90. Think it would be worth it or should I just get a full NEWER upgrade that costs more?

Originally Posted by slick2500

6x8's belong in fords. 5 1/4"s in the doors and i Think there is a way to mount 6 1/2"s in the rear otherwise go with 6x9's. Alpine makes very good car audio products the black car has Apline all around sounds amazing.

You're spot on actually haha They were in his first car that he modded, a Ford Mustang. The only reason I was gonna take them is because they were free so I figured why not. I'll look into some new ones then. Thanks for the help guys! Guess I'll just buy some new speakers!

Oh one last question, does anyone know what #pin connector radio the grand prix is? I found a 21 Pin connector wiring harness from JCWhitney claiming it fits my cars. Would it?

Originally Posted by slick2500

Um dont buy car audio stuff from JC Whitney. Try Crutchfield, hell Wal-Mart even sells the right one as well.

The one person who used a crutchfield wiring harness for a 2003 grand prix gave it a 5 star rating so I might get that one. Thanks.

Thanks for all the help guys, think I've got all the info I need Very good first experience, can't wait to come back to these forums int he future!

@coolone do you have xp with alpine stereos? Would you recommend them?
Sorry for being off topic.

I'm looking for a good stereo and my vote will be on the Alpine.

Now I was trying to gather as much info as possible but most review blogs are junk.
I mean they are hyping and when I've checked out some actual customer reviews the
difference is huge.

Along with my journey in review land I came across a different site. It seems to be the real deal. I mean it harshly criticizes the flaws that each brand has. This has put me on the fence.For example there's a review about Alpine ILX-w650 stereo. I was eyeing this headunit.

How bad is that slow startup? Does it take 20s to boot up? What about the value for the money?

Any insights are highly appreciated

Originally Posted by coolone

Ok, might as well get detailed, I have a few minutes...

To get to the rear speakers you have to remove the entire rear seat, lower and upper. Not too difficult but a little bit of a pain of you've never done it before. 6x9's are the fit you want. When selecting your speakers pay attention to the RMS value and DB values as they represent max power handling and clarity/noise ratio respectively... The higher of both relates to the price you'll pay. A good balance of getting the best you can afford will make your ears happy!

Then as mentioned you'll have to get the door panels off... If you go with Crutchfield or their wiring adapters it will make things a little easier but it's not necessary to do the job. If you go with components they will include cross-overs that you will have to decide where to place. I just mounted them to the door under the door panel where there's space to accommodate them. Closest is best, although some people will mount them further away for aesthetic reasons. Hot glue works with replacing and mounting the tweeter in the existing spot on the door panel, I've done this many a time with no problems. Make sure you pay attention to the polarity and connections to the cross-overs as you don't want to have to keep popping the door panels to change things.

Lastly, if you do the head unit, depending on your selection it could be easy or intensive! Lol... I'd suggest a single Din unit although there are some people who do some surgery to accommodate a double Din DVD type unit... Not a bad idea, but to me not worth the trouble! Again, if using Crutchfield, they will supply the faceplate adapter and whatnot for the installation. I don't mean to plug Crutchfield so much, but they are good and if you have problems offer support as well. I've used them for almost all my stereo installs... My suggestions would run Pioneer, Alpine or Kenwood head units as best bang for the buck! Just do research as to what you want, budget and then focus project in those constraints.

I never understand you people, I swear I don't. Why would it require "surgery" to put a double DIN head unit in a double DIN space? Why would you to want to put a single DIN unit in a double DIN space? Do you not realize how ugly and amateur that looks?

I realize you now think I'm an asshole, but I would really like an answer to this. I want to understand.