Deck Install Problems on 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup

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12-28-2005, 11:50 PM

99Passat1.8T

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Hey Guys,

I am having some difficulty installing a deck on my Dad's 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup truck.

The deck I am installing is the Clarion DXZ545MP.

Before installing the deck, my Dad's factory radio was having a problem where the left speaker would only produce a very VERY low amount of sound. After installing the Clarion deck, the left speaker still doesn't produce any sound.

Now, my Dad said he was driving the truck today and the deck's amp went into protection load, thus stating "AMP GUARD". Could it be the the stereo is only being loaded by one speaker, and hence the impedance is too low?

Also, another question. The two stock speakers on my Dad's Ram 1500 are crap. Would it help if I stuck a 3-year-old set of Sony speakers into the doors and ran them off of the Clarion internal amp? I know Sony's suck, but my Dad doesn't want to spend money and he isn't an audiophile anyways . . . he just want music from the left and right, and the ability to play MP3s [img]smile.gif[/img]

Thanks for the help!
Bryan

12-29-2005, 02:10 AM

Newb

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Offhand guess, speaker wires to the left speaker are grounding out to the frame partially somewhere.

The sony speakers might sound a bit better, but probably won't fix the problem.

12-29-2005, 05:07 AM

99Passat1.8T

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Thanks!

I will have a local stereo shop take a look at it today. Do you think it is worthwhile to put the Sony's in? Would it be pointless if I am running off of the Clarion internal amp?

The Sony's are just regular plain-jane 5.25" comps (or I also have a set of 6x9s)

Thanks again,
Bryan

12-29-2005, 06:58 AM

Cavalier Chunk

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i would just rewire that speaker, but thats just me. my 2 cents

12-29-2005, 08:56 AM

Xiph0id

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Quote:

Originally posted by Cavalier Chunk:
i would just rewire that speaker, but thats just me. my 2 cents

Wow He's almost correct here.

First check the speaker resistance and find out if it's not blown.

Then check to see if the speaker wires are grounded at all.

My guess is speaker as the odds of the wiring be hooped is low.

X

12-29-2005, 10:12 AM

99Passat1.8T

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Thanks!

I am going to go out and see what I can do to get the window lever off and see what's going on inside the door skin. Hopefully it is a blown speaker, because I have a replacement sitting in my closet collecting dust [img]smile.gif[/img]

Thanks,
Bryan

12-29-2005, 10:33 AM

Derek Jerome

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I'd def replace the stock spkrs with the sony's , trust me ANY aftermarket spkr is better than the crap in there, you'll see what I mean when you pull it out

I had the same type of problem on my 99, the pass side door spkr sounded blown almost no volume and all distorted, I assumed blown spkr

when i threw in my cd player I put in some aftermarket spkrs and used the factory wires for a quick and dirty hookup till I had time to rewire

anyhow when I would turn it up the amp would go into protection

after some reading with an ohm meter I found the drivers side spkr wire had a 12Kohm resistance to ground as compared to the open loop to ground on the drivers side

anyhow after a rewire all was fine, factory wire was shorted somewhere

if you've never had the door off before

you need to remove the horseshoe spring clip off the window crank

pull 3 screws, two from the door handle and one from the top cornner closest to the dash

the door handle comes off with a 3/8 socket and then it's just a bunch of "christmas tree" clips all the way around

the spkr is a 6x9 but you can mount a pair of round spkrs in there with a plate

12-29-2005, 03:32 PM

99Passat1.8T

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Thanks for all the help!

That was certainly a detailed explanation for the Dodge Ram [img]smile.gif[/img] The most difficult part was getting that stupid c-clip to go back on (for the manual window roller). Other than that, it was pretty simple.

I put Sony 6x9s in place of the factory crap. I know Sony is crap, but they sound amazing compared to the stock speakers, so I am pretty happy [img]smile.gif[/img] I just stuck with the factory wiring for now.

I guess time will tell if the Clarion deck will go into "amp guard" mode now. Hopefully not! It is sounding pretty good [img]smile.gif[/img]

Thanks for the help,
Bryan