Hi All,

2006 XJ8 VDP

Got in to car, switched on Radio and the only speakers emitting any sound are the two on the dash up against the windshield. All sound systems are working but with only two speakers. Phone doing same thing. Checked all fuses that might be in this circuit but no help.
Anyone have any ideas ? Am hoping to hear from someone before getting at the amplifier that seems to be sending an output to all the speakers.

Thanks

Peter.

 

I have a similar problem with my 2000 XJR. I have tweeters and sub-woofer but no mids (door speakers). I have replaced both the stereo head and the trunk amplifier but the problem persists???? Wiring connections appear to be fine. Does anyone have any suggestions where else to look? Thanks

 

The driver side door speaker just started doing the same thing on mine yesterday. Any quick way to determine what the issue is? Speakers rarely fail especially if they've been working for as long as they have unless they've blown a coil which is yet again rare.

Are there seperate amps for each driver or does each channel share one amp?

 

Depends on which system you have, Standard, Premium or Portfolio.
Wiring diagrams for the X350 Standard & Premium Audio System HERE
There is a different system in the Portfolio (with a 2nd amp for the midbass in the front doors) but I don't have a wiring diagram.
I have heard of the factory Alpine speakers losing thier magnet (it falls off!) but until I see a picture of it, it's hard to believe.

arick1, sorry but I'm not up to speed with the X308 system, but sounds like a wiring problem...

 

Actually it turns out driver's front and rear lower door speakers are non functional, tweeters & midrange are okay as well as all passenger side speakers which leads me to believe it is a wiring issue. Or???

 

Dealer thinks it is the amp that is not working for those speakers, but when I look at the wiring diagram, it looks like the rear tweeter, which is working, is wired parallel to the base speaker which is not working (the front speakers are wired differently).

Anyone know if it could be the amp?

 

If the tweeter in your rear doors are working, but the midbass speaker isn't, then there is no way that it's the amp. Yes they both run off the same channel in the amp.

99% it's the speakers. Only way to be sure is get the door panels off & test the speakers. Or possibly a dry joint or break in the wires.

 

I again pointed this out to the dealer and they said, oh, duh....so back to square one...

 

Day 2 dealer is insisting it is the amp.

 

Maybe you should take it to a car audio specialist, because it can't be the amp if you've got sound from the tweeter in the rear door.

Just saw in your signature that your XJ Super V8 has an Alcantara headliner, so it's a Portfolio then? You've also got a pair of speakers on the rear parcel shelf? (not the subs, two extra mids?)

 

I just went through this on mine. All the connections where the voice coils were soldered on the speaker were corroded and needed to be cut back and re-soldered. I suspect that they used acid core solder and it is now causing trouble. I wrote about this in the audio forum.

After re-soldering all eight connections, I have working speakers again.

 

Dealer said speaker and amp were bad so I decided to perform the repairs myself. After using my assortment of test equipment I determined the amp and speakers were just fine.

The problem was the glue they used to hold the coil wires to the plastic standoff had corroded. I bought new Polk audio speakers and also re-wired the old ones. Amazingly enough the factory speakers sounded better even though the build quality on the Alpine premium audiophile speakers leaves a LOT to be desired. Anyhow all is well now.

 

Glad to hear that you got them fixed. I think we will be hearing about more of these speaker failures as time goes by. I thought the glue may be the cause, but mine were corroded worse at the solder joint than the glue point. At least it is a fairly simple fix when you know where to look. Alot cheaper than a new amp too

 

Hello All,

OK I now know to start by checking the solder joints and the glue of my non functioning speakers. Before I start and do damage, could you give me a little guidance on door panel removal as well as gaining access to the front dash and rear shelf speakers. So far have done no interior maintenance on the car. I love the car....

Peter 2006 XJ8 VDP, 1989 XJ6 VDP

 

Drifter,

Did you ever resolve your speaker issue? If so what was the solution?

 

I had the same problem on my '04 XJR with the Alpine speakers. To test, just use a jumper wire from the speaker harness connector to the wires going to the voice coil. If the speaker works, you have a bad connection.

 

John, have not dug in to it yet. Am planning all day Saturday as I have two other minor....I hope...issues I need to take care of also................. gmcgann, Thanks for the info, will certainly try it. I plan to update this site once I have it solved. Peter

 

Here's a picture of one of my door speakers. The bad connection is the black one on the speaker basket. The white and black wires are the ones I added to bypass the faulty connections. I wrapped the ends around the wires going to the voice coil and soldered them, and soldered the other ends to the silver terminals from the harness connector. Tip: tilt the speaker so that any drops of solder DO NOT fall on the speaker cone.

 

Drifter,

My car is doing the exact same thing as yours. I have a 2006 VDP and unless I put the fade almost all the way to the back, all I can hear are the very front speakers. There is no way this is from corroded wires all at the same time. Mine happened after my wife left the lt ft window down about 2 inches and it rained very hard over night. The door panel was soaked (along with the carpet) and it hasn't played right since. Let me know what you come up with.

Chris

 

Chris, I thought mine all failed at the same time too. It took a while to figure out that they must have been failing one at a time but from the drivers seat you just don't notice. When mine failed, I was driving down the road and the sound changed instantly. I was sure they were all working but I guess the system works well enough to mask the loss of the first three speakers. I would have never believed that the sound could fool me, but it did.

Repair the voice coils and all should be fine. It is an easy repair. All you need is a soldering iron and some jumper wire. Good luck, report back on your progress.

Kurt