Hi Guys

I just joined the Forum and I purchased my 1984 XJ6 LHD last week. She is a beautiful car and was very well maintained, I just have a couple quirks to sort out. One of those is the Stereo.
From what I can tell it is all original and I don't think it has been removed before. It works, but only on the rear right speaker. The balance seems to work in that it works on the rear right, but nothing rear left. The Fader does not seem to work as the Rear right will work on both extremes of the Fader. But no sound/static out of any of the remaining 3 speakers. I have not done anything yet as far as removing anything.

I do not want to replace the original stereo with a modern one as I need to keep it original to get Collector Plates here in Vancouver British Columbia. So if I can't fix it, I would be looking to buy an original head unit to replace it with.

Thanks in advance for the advice!
Mark

 

One way or another the head units needs to come out to test / replace. It seems unlikely that 3 speakers would go out together but until you have a look you never know what surprises wait behind the dashboard and doorcards. If you pull the head unit you will have access to the radio harness and be able to test the speakers and associated wiring. For a simple go / no go test, and to quickly identify left/right/front/rear I use an AA battery and just repeatedly touch the speaker leads to the battery, then listen for what speaker is making noise.

 

If a speaker does not work, it is not unknown for the push-on connectors to the actual speaker to come off or fail. So if a speaker does not respond to the test, remove the door cards and see what is happening that end.

 

Hi,
you can access each speaker and their wires by removing each armrest. I doubt the speakers are bad, those are excellent quality speakera and if they are the originals, I doubt they are blown.

the unit you have is model AJ-8600 fitted from 1985-on, and it is known to have issues.
I have 4 of those units each with a different problem. The earlier 1984 radio is different and it is a higher fidelity radio with better sound. I like it so much that I fitted it to my 1965 S type, where it sounds awesome. Then I fitted a unit like yours to my 1984 XJ6 and I have had nothing but troubles with it.

Removal of the radio is a delicate procedure. Not a job for someone in a hurry. I would not hand over my car to anyone for radio removal, I do it myself very carefully. If you are handy with basic tools, do it yourself, it will augment your respect for the way these cars were assembled.

the Rear of the radio has two wiring Plugs, one for the speaker wires, one for power wires. These plugs mate with factory plugs for the same wiring. I have a suspicion that your output amplifier has gone kaput in the head itself as the plugs cannot separate accidentally, they lock when they mate.





​​​​​​

 

Thanks Jose

So it sounds like you think my stereo was replaced already with an '85+ unit? Since my car is an '84. Is it worth removing the head unit and getting it repaired by a local electronics guy or should I try and find a 1984 replacement? Do you have a pic of the '84 Head unit?
Thanks
Mark

 

Hi Mark,
it depends on when your car was built, if it was built near 1985 then it could be the original unit, or maybe not, and has been replaced.

If you find someone who can fix your unit, that would be great.

The unit used in 1982 through 1984 cars was Model JCI-106010.
It is a more substantial unit with more power and better frequency specs. Here's a picture:

 

Got it, thanks! I'll try and repair my current unit, but if all else fails, I'll look for a replacement. I have one speaker working so not a huge rush!
hahaha

 

To check that we are right and that there is simply no power going from the head unit to the 3 speakers, I think if I remove one of the non functioning and test the wires, that should support the idea of a dead head unit.

But....looking at the pictures I posted above of my door panel, how exactly do I remove it to gain access to the speaker?

 

start by removing the armrests.

look for screws under the armrests.

then pull the armrest up to release it from a pinhole.

 

Before I removed the door panels to check the speaker and connections, I might be inclined to remove the radio first and do the test with a AAA battery on the speaker wires in the harness at the back of the radio. Removing the radio will take a little time but you can test all 3 non-working speakers while back there. If you get static on all 3 then it probably confirms it's a head unit issue rather than speaker wiring issue. There's a radio wiring diagram available if you need it.

I've removed door panels on a Vanden Plas a few times and it can be tricky the first time and getting it back in and properly seated takes some finesse. If you go with removing one more or the panels, then on your Vanden Plas model there should be a plastic fixing/screw underneath the front of the armrest, pointed vertically up into the armrest. Sometimes they are missing. Once that is removed, the top half of the armrest needs to be 'bumped' forward to release it from two pins holding it in place. It can be stubborn to move if it hasn't been removed before. Once it's bumped forward it will lift out of the way revealing 3 other screws to undo it from the door.

Also you will need to remove the red light cover at the bottom rear of the armrest. There is one screw on the bottom. Remove that and the red light cover should slide backwards. That reveals 2 other screws that have to be removed to release the arm rest from the door. Finally, there will be 1 or possibly 2 small back screws along the bottom of the armrest pocket, where the pocket meets the panel. From that point the panel is held in by plastic push in fasteners that will release by pulling the panel away from the door. Use a flat door panel tool or similar to pry the door panel loose along it's perimeter. The panel has to be lifted up to remove it, as there is a metal tongue that slides into the inner door panel. I would avoid removing the driver's door panel as your first attempt as you've got the extra wiring for the electric door mirrors to deal with. I recommend taking photos along the way.

 

Thank you Noah

I have found someone in Canada (Calgary) that can repair my original head unit and add bluetooth all while keeping it completely stock looking.

My plan is to remove the head unit this weekend and test the speakers wires as you suggest with an AA battery (I'm guessing just jumper wires to Pos and Neg of both the speaker and the battery) to confirm that the internal Amp channels are in fact the problem. If that is the case, I will ship off for repairs.

If I get a "Sound" using the AA battery method, then I might try hooking up an old speaker using jumper wire and see if that works thereby ruling out blown Amp channels in the Head unit and then it becomes a Speaker/Lead Wire issue to the 3 speakers, which I highly doubt.

Thanks for the step by step on removing the door panel. I thought maybe there might be screws behend the wood trim at the top near the glass, but I guess not.

 

Curious... who did you find that will give your stock radio BT? I'd be tempted to send mind to him for that.