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How can you tell if a speaker is dead or not?

albano12

albano12

New member
I just recently bought a 1999 Grand Prix GT and it still has the factory stereo, which is actually not that bad imo. But for some strange reason, only one of the rear speakers does not work. Since I haven't even owned the car for a week yet, I'm not sure if its dead or not. I checked out the wire harness and everything via the trunk and could not find any clear problems with it. I compared it to the other working speaker and it was all relatively the exact same thing. One of the wires going to the cones of the speaker was hanging off slightly and it didn't look like it was soldered fully to the harness, but wouldn't that mean the speaker never worked? Is there a way I can tell if the speaker is dead or its just the wiring? Tomorrow, I am going to ask my neighbor, who owns an electrical company, for a continuity tester to see if the wires are connected fully without any breaks and to see if the wires are working. But is there any way to tell is the speaker is dead?
 


continuity would tell you if the connection is good.

the other main test is push down on the cone with even pressure and see if it rubs/makes scraping noise. Since that ones a PITA, I suggest the continuity tester first.

A DMM set to resistance would lead you to the same conclusion though.
 
OK, so I checked it with he continuity tester and the wiring is all good. The hard part about the 1999 Grand Prix is that (I'm not sure if this is the same in all sixth generation grand prixs) the only way you can access/remove the actual speaker is to remove the seats and the rear dashboard, which I didn't feel like doing. What I did find out is that after removing the wire harness and putting it back in, it temporarily worked. And then I noticed that if I place pressure on the underside of the speaker (from the trunk and pushing up on the cone) it plays like normal, as if by pushing up in that spot its reforming a connection. It only works when its being pushed upward, sometimes it stays on but it eventually goes off again. It's basically dead right? It only works if its being pushed upward. I tried to rig up a temporary fix but it doesn't seem to be working as I thought. Do you think I should remove the seat and rear dashboard to get access to the top part of the speaker, or just wait and purchase new ones? Is there a simple fix to this problem?
 
Sounds like the speaker has a short in it. I'd wait until you purchase new ones and remove them both at the same time. You will need to remove the rear seat and upper deck cover to access them, but its not that difficult.
 


the only tricky part is removing the rear screws of the speakers because of the slope of the rear windshield.
 
Yeah, im now hearing pops and rattles from the front two when its supposed to be playing the bass, so obviously those are torn also. Should i replace the rear speakers or the front door speakers first? And do you guys have any recommended brands?
 
I would do them all at one time...but if i had to choose i would do the rears first
Rockford Fosgates are my preferred brand
 


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