How to Fix Car Stereo Speakers

If a rattling, popping or hissing noise is coming from your car speakers, or if one of your speakers is dead, it may be time for repair or replacement. To fix the speakers in your car, you will first have to gain access to them. You can then perform a few minor repairs or replace the speaker entirely.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Screwdriver
• Car owner’s manual
• Replacement speakers
• Glue
• 9-volt battery

1. Begin by accessing your dashboard, door mounted or rear deck speakers. Check your car’s manual if you don’t know where to begin.

2. Examine the grills covering the speaker to determine if they can be removed. If there are screws holding the grill in place, remove them with a screw driver. If no screws are present, try prying the grill off with a butter knife or flat-head screwdriver.

3. Consult your car owner’s manual to learn how to remove your dash board pads or door panel if you can’t remove the grills. Remove the dash pads or door panel carefully and set aside all of the screws or clips you remove.

4. Remove the screws holding the speaker in place. Detach the speaker from the harness attaching the speaker to the dashboard or door.

5. Check whether your speakers are top-mounted or bottom-mounted. If your speakers are top-mounted, you will gain access to the speaker from the inside of your car. If they are bottom-mounted, you will have to climb into your trunk.

6. See if you can remove the grill covering the speaker. Remove the screws mounting the speaker to your car and then detach the speaker from the harness.

7. Try tightening the butt connectors on your speakers, and then test to see if they are working properly.

8. Check your speaker for short behavior. Disconnect your speaker from your car and connect it to the leads of a 9-volt battery. If you here a “pop” or “thump,” then your speaker is probably working properly.

9. Examine the cone for any cracks or warping. “Gorilla Glue” and “Shoe Goo” are good adhesive products for repairing cracks because they are light and durable. Severe warping typically means that it's time to replace your speaker.

10. Check the voice coil and the magnet for damage. If nothing is wrong with the cone and your speaker is still not working properly, then the voice coil or magnet is probably damaged. If this is the case, you will have to replace your speaker.

11. Take a look at speaker wiring for signs of short circuit. Test for a short circuit by wiring a speaker you know to be functional. If no sound can be heard from the new speaker then you will need to replace the wiring.

12. Check all the fuses associated with your car speakers if your speakers, voice coil and wiring all seem to be in order. You may be able to solve your problem by replacing a fuse. Consult your manual for a complete list of fuses.

Tips & Warnings

• If you aren’t sure which speaker is the problem, turn on your radio and use the fader and balance controls to identify the source of the problem.
• Make sure your replacement speakers are the right size and power level for your car.
• Be careful when removing door panels or speaker grills.
• Make sure that the ground wires are not connected to your car battery when doing electrical work on your car.