2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Stock Infinity Radio/Speaker Problem Knowledge Base

[Hollywud]

Hello all!



Driving home from work today, I realized that ALL left speakers are not operating (right speakers work fine). The last time the left speakers worked was on my drive into work... which was also the last time I drove the truck. So far all I've check are the fuses (long shot but, always the first step during troubleshooting electrical woes).



Before I begin to diagnose my problem, I was wondering if any other owners have had the same symptoms and what fixed the problem.



Here are the specifics of my stock sound system:

Radio - AM/FM Cassette/CD/Equalizer

Speaker System - Infinity



TIA!

 

[JoshPeters]

I have run into problems with my Infinity system. They put amplifiers at the 6x9 speakers in the front doors. I do not know if the left speakers are hooked together. You may have had the left side amp go bad. Just a guess, but it's worth a shot.

 

[Bigramguy]

The front and rear speakers are separatly driven. The fronts are amped at the speaker,and the rears pwered off the deck. If you have no left sides,it's most likely a problem in the head unit itself.



Check the little joystick thingy for balance\fader control. They were known for going bad,and one side will drop out. Push\pull and wiggle the little joystick around and sometimes it will make contact again. Mine has done it off and on just two days after the basic warranty expired.

 

[Hollywud]

Thanks guys!!!



I haven't yet done any trouble shooting but, I can say that I played with the fade/balance joystick a bunch. I haven't tried pushing or pulling but, I pretty much made use of it like it was a game controller.



I'll go give the push-pull trick a try right now...

 

[Hollywud]

No Dice

The push-pull trick didn't work.

 

[Bigramguy]

It's probably the head unit itself. Yank it and drop it into a place that gives free estimates on repairs. If it's a cheap fix,repair it. If not,maybe look at upgrading to an aftermarket head unit,or try to find another stock unit.

 

[Hollywud]

Thanks!

Before I go that route, I was thinking of comparing the output voltage from the head unit's right channels to that of the left channels. If there's no voltage output on the left channels then I've found the culprit... if voltage is present on all channels then the problem must be somewhere else.



At this point, I know it sounds like the head unit is defective but, could a defective front left speaker cause the same symptoms? I'm not familiar with the amped front speaker/non-amped rear speaker set-up so, forgive me if that's a stupid question. I was just looking at the Dodge Body Diagnostics Procedures manual and it sounded like a shorted front left speaker could be the more likely culprit than the head unit (my interpretation of the trouble shooting tree).

 

[Bigramguy]

It could be a shorted speaker,but it shouldn't really affect the other speaker on the left side. I guess you could measure the output of the head unit just to check it. Most of the ones I have seen,it's the head unit that's faulty. It doesn't cost anything to double check it though.

 

[Ian]

Speakers

Just a thought, can you switch the wires to make the right side from the radio drive the left speakers then you will know for sure if the speakers are OK or not.

Good luck.

 

[Boondocker]

door

I'm guessing you use the left door a lot more than the right. Check for broken wires between door and cab.

 

[Hollywud]

Switching the left and right speaker connectors at the head unit is definitely a good idea... . just not sure if it's possible because the connectors may be uniquely keyed.



Yes, I do use the left door almost exclusively. I've tried using the right door but it looks kind of silly when the driver slides in from the right side:-laf Seriously, my passenger door does hardly get used in comparison to the drivers door. One of the first things I did was perform a visual on the rubber conduit that the wires pass thru from the cab to the door (check both the main and quad cab door). The rubber didn't show any signs of being pinched or cut so, I ruled that theory out... ... . not completely but, from the standpoint that I didn't find a smoking gun.



I'm hoping to dig into this problem today, if my schedule permits. If not, I'll start diagnosing sometime next week. I really appreciate all the responses thus far..... I just found it really odd for both left channels to go out at the same time and thought that this might be one of those common problems that some have...



... beginning to think that I have an isolated problem that other TDR owner's haven't experienced.



I'll keep yawl posted

 

[rholcom2]

My truck is suffering from this problem as well. I pulled the door pannel, which by the way is a pain in the... rear, to say the least. And checked the voltage, I dont know if I dont know how to get voltage or what, but I get none. I dont know what the problem is, but the speaker in the suicide door works, so I really dont worry about it. I just roll the windows down and hammer it a little more. But, I would be curious as to what you find.

 

[stumphumper]

I would think it would be tough to swap the wires at the head unit being a plug in connectors. Just swap left to right speakers and if the problem travel to the right side then it's your speaker. If the problem stays, start back tracking. good luck.

 

[Ian]

Silent Speaker

I also have a silent speaker, the one in the passenger's door. All the rest work fine.

Took the liner off today, a long file wrapped with tape makes quite a good pry bar.

Found one of the thin wires from the speaker terminal block to the speaker diaphragm was not making contact. Had to get the protective cover off the speaker to get at the connection. Tried a fix with a glue gun, worked until I had the liner refitted!

Question. Are these special speakers that have the amp. attached to them (and if so, where do you buy them) or will any speaker of the size work and just attach the amp.

Thanks in advance.

Ian.



Y2K D2500 Laramie auto long box. Weburn stabilizer

 

[FishDoc]

Similar problems. See my long post under engines. Found the fix in the shop manual. Pull one of the fuses in with the black additional cover in the inside fuse panel and re-insert it. Fixes mine every time. Question is, what is causing this.

 

[Archive]

Having a simialar problem. . but just my left tweeter doesn't work on the post. . connections are good under the pillar. . but havn't pulled the panel yet... I know the sound is getting to the left side becauset the lower speaker is working... I guess that means the crossover/amp is getting power. . (mounted on the back of the lower speaker)??? One of these days... .

Bryan



Fishdoc... any idea which fuse... aa... the radio fues????? (havn't looked to see what is there... )

 

[Crowhurst]

Ian, when I had the same problem I just bought a 9 x 6 speaker without an amplifier and installed that. I removed the Infinity amp from the old speaker and bolted it to the door, inside the cavity towards the hinge. The Infinity amp fits on a neat little bracket on the Infinity speaker, and this can be re-used. After removing the amp, I laid the speaker on a log, and split off the glued bracket with a 3 inch wide chisel and a very large hammer. One whack and it came apart. It's a low cost fix, and it's worked for a year with no problem. Good luck. Nick.