Front speaker issue

[Cargirl]

When I bought my car the guy told me it needed new speakers as the originals were still in place. Good advise. I just changed out the rear speakers to Kenwood 4 X 10 speakers and they sound terrific. Barry Manilow and Karen Carpenter never sounded better! So far so good. Next, I tackled the front drivers side. No sound was coming out so I bought a pair of Polk Audio 5 1/4 inch speakers. I just replaced the drivers side and still no sound. Apparently the problem is more that a blown speaker. I bought the correct connectors from EBAY so no cutting and splicing here. I hooked the new connector directly to the main hook-up by-passing the tweeter but still no sound. Ok, so the question is, does anyone know of a Reatta forum quick fix for this situation or do I need to pull the unit and have the radio serviced. I will replace the passengers side tomorrow and that side does have sound. I replaced the light bulbs in the drivers door too for good measure.

[handmedownreatta]

did you check the ballance and fader control?i think i replaced my module with one from a 1994 regal.they are in lots of cars.

[Cargirl]

The balance & fade control is integrated into the unit. Yes, I did attempt to put all the power to the front right speaker and nothing is coming out. I am not sure what you mean by a module? The other 3 speakers work just fine at this point.

[Barney Eaton]

There has always been a problem with the output caps ....... most people hear popping and fading sound, I guess if the capacitors fail completely then you get no sound. Do a search and there are instruction on replacing them if you have the talent.

[handmedownreatta]

i didn't realize you have a 91.never mind.

[Dashmaster]

Make a test battery like the one shown here using a D or C battery. Remove radio, unplug the speaker connectors from the back of the radio. Take the ends of the tester and touch them across the speaker wires in the plug. Speaker should make a pop/ Scratch sound. If your speaker makes noise the wiring to the speaker is good and you problem is the radio. If not you have wiring problem and would need to be traced out, or new wire run from the speaker back to the radio. You could also test radio by attaching a test speaker at the back of the radio to make sure the output is good. This battery tester was one of my most used tools when I was an Auto Sound Installer. I hope this helps.

[Ronnie]

Cargirl, If your '91 has separate tweeters you should keep them connected. They rarely go bad. I've tried it both ways and I think the sound from the front is much better with them connected.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Make a test battery like the one shown here using a D or C battery. Remove radio, unplug the speaker connectors from the back of the radio. Take the ends of the tester and touch them across the speaker wires in the plug. Speaker should make a pop/ Scratch sound. If your speaker makes noise the wiring to the speaker is good and you problem is the radio. If not you have wiring problem and would need to be traced out, or new wire run from the speaker back to the radio. You could also test radio by attaching a test speaker at the back of the radio to make sure the output is good. This battery tester was one of my most used tools when I was an Auto Sound Installer. I hope this helps.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]295390[/ATTACH]

You can byy a cheep multimeter from Homedepot or lowes for tbe same price. Also it will tell you so muche more and be usable on other projects.

[Dashmaster]

Daniel. I did have many meters to use. Simpson Analog and Digital. When you install up to 8 or more radios in a day with so many makes of cars and color codes changing, no adapter plugs for factory harnesses. The battery tester works so much faster than a meter to check wiring and if the speaker will respond. They are all good tools and have used them all. Just to give you an idea of the time line I installed aftermarket electronics in cars 1882-96. Touched just about every make and model through those years. About the only car I know I never worked on was a Lambo. Even installed security system in a Yugo once, could not believe anyone would want do do that.

[Ronnie]

Even installed security system in a Yugo once, could not believe anyone would want do do that.

It must have been to keep someone from stealing the gas while the owner had to walk for help when it left him stranded on the side of the road. The gas was probably worth more than the car.

[Cargirl]

I made up my handy dandy tester today using a D cell battery. I tried it out on a speaker in the garage and yes, it crackled. I will attempt to pull the radio tomorrow and see what happens. I am not sure I am up for soldering in new capacitors but we shall see what we shall see. Ronnie, thanks for the advise on the tweeters, I was wondering what was best!

[Cargirl]

I attempted to remove my radio today but stopped to avoid trouble. I removed the two torx screws in the HVAC ducts and the right side bezel popped off but the rest of seemed very tightly in place. Am I missing any screws or anything or should I just pry harder? I would hate to break it so I thought posting would be the better part of valor so to speak.

[farnelle]

If you have removed the two screws, take your fingers and start around the edges of the bezel. Pull the bezel straight out away from the dash working around a little at a time. There several clips around the edge of the bezel. It should come off without breaking. Once loose you may have to tilt the steering wheel down all the way for easy removal. Two screws to remove the ECC and one connector on top. Four screws to remove the radio and its bracket. On the radio there are 5 connectors on the back as well as the antenna wire. I would recommend sending it off to a good repair shop and be done with it. M & R Electronics in Saginaw, MI are reasonable and very fast turn around time.

Good luck,

Ed

[Cargirl]

Thanks for the advise Ed, I will attempt it again tomorrow. I have been toying with replacing the capacitors myself but I am so bad at soldering it's embarrassing. Probably best to get the whole thing checked out and serviced. Your Oldsmobile is very beautiful, a real 10! There's nothing like the feel of an Oldsmobile

[wws944]

As Ed says, there are several clips on the bezel. One centered above the HVAC controls, two below the stereo, and one each on either side of the steering wheel. Do NOT attempt to separate the chrome part from the black part. They are bonded together.

On the stereo: Once you remove the unit, notice that it is actually two parts screwed together. The top half is the "CDM" module which contains the radio and amplifier circuitry. The bottom half contains the cassette transport. The CDM module is removed from the rest of the unit with three hex head screws.

The capacitors mentioned above are in the CDM module. You can try obtaining and soldering in new capacitors. Or try to obtain a working unit on ebay or elsewhere. Be aware you want the '5-band equalizer' version, not the 'bass-treble' version or the Bose version. Compatible CDMs were used from 1990 to 1994 or so in a number of GM vehicles. Alternatively you could just send the stereo to a place like M&R. Especially if the tape deck needs a new belt - they could just do it all at once.

[NCReatta]

We have overhauled modules available. These are always Reatta modules with the 5 point EQ. We don't just replace the capacitors, we replace a lot of other pieces that we've found tend to go bad with time too.

All of our modules include a 2 year warranty.

http://www.eastcoastreattaparts.com/1988-1991-rebuilt-radio-modules/

[ol' yeller]

STOP! Don't pry harder. There are 4 screws holding the IPC trim in place along with the clips. There are 2 short torx screws in the trim at the top of the IPC (gauge cluster) just above the tach and speedo. You have discovered the other 2 that were in the vents. If I am not mistaken (old memeory) you may have to remove the temp controls as well to get the radio out, but it isn't hard to do.

[handmedownreatta]

im i wrong that a later gm radio with cd will bolt in just needing rewiring?

[wws944]

STOP! Don't pry harder. There are 4 screws holding the IPC trim in place along with the clips. There are 2 short torx screws in the trim at the top of the IPC (gauge cluster) just above the tach and speedo. You have discovered the other 2 that were in the vents.

Slight difference in model years. A '90 has four screws as you describe. A '91 only has the two screws in the HVAC ducts.

If I am not mistaken (old memeory) you may have to remove the temp controls as well to get the radio out' date=' but it isn't hard to do.[/quote']

Yep.

Edited February 17, 2015 by wws944 (see edit history)

[ol' yeller]

Good to know.

[Cargirl]

Update: I removed the bezel and got to the radio. I could not figure out how to remove the ECC unit wiring so it stayed on. I did remove the radio and all removed and reattached the wiring harness. I am not sure which ones were the speaker wires--the ones on the bottom? I did not do the speaker check since I was not sure which ones were the speaker wires. I did discover that the antenna wire was not connected tightly and now get lots of radio stations. The guy i bought the car from told me it did not get very good reception, now I know why. So, that's a very good thing! The system sounds so good with the two working Kenwoods and one Polk Audio on the passenger door. I did keep the tweeter hooked up and it does sound great, good advice! Maybe I should have given the module a smack with a hammer? LOL

[wws944]

To unplug the ECC/HVAC controls, simply slide a small screwdriver in the side of the connector to unhook the housing from the tang.

There are either three or four connectors going into the CDM module portion - depending on whether you have the factory CD player or not. The antenna also plugs into the CDM module. Another connector plugs into the base of the unit.

The two smaller connectors that plug into the CDM module are for the front and rear speakers. The top cover of the CDM module tells you which wires go where.

[Cargirl]

Still having trouble with the ECC/HVAC tang thingy. Any further instruction on removing the tang from the housing would be appreciated. I heard a "crack" today and stopped as i figured I was doing it wrong. It still works however.

[Dashmaster]

GM Radio plug color codes from 80's thru 90's and may still be in use just smaller or combined plugs. There are 3 plugs and one single wire connector. Front speaker plug is white with DK green/lt green wire, and tan/gray for the other speaker, the blue plug is rear speakers with DK blue /lt blue wire and yellow/brown wires. Dark colors in the rear are the positive wires out of the pairs and light colors for the front. The last multi wire plug is Black which containes 3 wires, Yellow (Switched 12 volt) , Black (Ground) and Gray ( Dash light 12 volt ). The Single Orange wire is the 12 volt constant (unswitched). Hope this helps. Did it from memory. If they different then this then the Reatta would be the only car in that time period that used a different color code for plugs and wires.