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Need to re-wire speakers

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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 03:41 PM
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Default Need to re-wire speakers

Before I start, I would like to say that I know absolutley nothing about audio systems and some of the terms and what they do.

A couple of years ago the factory Infinity speakers in the front doors went out. So, I went down to Walmart and bought 2 new Sony X-plod 6''x9'' speakers for $60. I also noticed that my tweeters didnt work, so I just removed them. When I got the old speakers out of the doors I noticed the Infinity amp? that was attached to the original speaker. Thought nothing about how it could effect the speaker so I just put the new speakers in. The new Sonys worked great for a little while....

About a year later the speakers started to cut in and out and not work at times. They will work some days and then one of them will cut out. Sometimes I have no speakers in the front!

This is really starting to **** me off and makes it annoying to listen to the radio (And I'm tired of my muffler so I cant listen to the exhaust!). I have heard that the Infinity amps in the doors are made for the stock speakers and will do the symptoms above if aftermarket speakers are installed.

I would like to eliminate the Infinity amps. How would I do this? Do I have to re-wire the whole system? If so, how would I do this and what kind of wire should I use? What kind of speakers are good? I want a sound system that has good sound quality, not loudness while not breaking the bank. I cannot stand things that are very loud.

Also, I would like to insulate the back wall of the cab and the doors. What kind of insulation should I use for that?

Thank You!
-Nathan
 
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 03:52 PM
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Purpl, are you serious???

If you are, here is some starting points...

1. Do you plan on running the stock deck?- This will hinge on the kind of speaker I tell you to look at. Since the RMS ratings on the stock decks were insanely low.

2. Yes, I would rewire the whole damn thing. It may look hard, but it really isn't. It just takes time. Trust me, it's a lot better in the long run if you run fresh wire. You don't have to rewire, but it is a complete pain in the *** to hunt and peck out the stock wiring loom.

3. 14 Guage wire is preferred. This also lets you get rid of the crap Chrysler wiring that was there before.

4. For back wall insulation, I assume you want to deaden noise? If so, then Dynamat is preferred. There are cheaper brands, but they don't perform as well.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 04:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Laramie1997
Purpl, are you serious???

If you are, here is some starting points...

1. Do you plan on running the stock deck?- This will hinge on the kind of speaker I tell you to look at. Since the RMS ratings on the stock decks were insanely low.
Yes, I am serious. I would like to run the stock stereo. Dont feel like dropping $400 for one. All I need is radio and my cassette.

Originally Posted by Laramie1997
2. Yes, I would rewire the whole damn thing. It may look hard, but it really isn't. It just takes time. Trust me, it's a lot better in the long run if you run fresh wire. You don't have to rewire, but it is a complete pain in the *** to hunt and peck out the stock wiring loom.

3. 14 Guage wire is preferred. This also lets you get rid of the crap Chrysler wiring that was there before.
Ok, which wires do I cut at the stereo and what wire (Like brand) should I use? And how should I route it?

Originally Posted by Laramie1997
4. For back wall insulation, I assume you want to deaden noise? If so, then Dynamat is preferred. There are cheaper brands, but they don't perform as well.
No, I want to keep the inside of the truck warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. I was thinking Owens-Corning....
I'll just use Dynomat. I need to measue how much I need, now.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by PurplDodge
Yes, I am serious. I would like to run the stock stereo. Dont feel like dropping $400 for one. All I need is radio and my cassette.


Ok, which wires do I cut at the stereo and what wire (Like brand) should I use? And how should I route it?
Actually a decent deck can be had for under $200 now a days.

As far as what wires to cut, I'm not sure on the color code from the factory like that. I've never wired up AF speakers to a factory deck. Just about any brand of speaker wire is good to use, but I prefer Monster wire over them all. (Just for you auggie)
 

Last edited by Laramie1997; Sep 16, 2009 at 04:38 PM.
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 04:36 PM
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do the stock decks for the premium sound system even have built in amps since they use the external ones? I doubt it so he may need to update the radio too.... and I while I do agree on everything said above the one thing thats debatable is the wire.(mentioned before in another thread)....regular 16 gauge like you would find at radioshack or pep boys is more than enough for a system with an amplifier let alone a 30 watt rms head unit at most as long as your using under 25 feet of wire for each speaker run...And its not only easier and cheaper to obtain its also a bit easier to run....factory wiring is 18 gauge I believe. 14 guage wire wont hurt anything its just pointless really...like those swirly things they sell to go in front of your throttlebody Exaggerated to make more money off young kids who want big loud systems.
If you really dont want to run new wires just isolate two wires going from the current stereo to the amps and reuse those and the speaker wires just remember to keep track of which ones are the + and the - wires and dont reverse them or it will sound bad.

lol stay away from waay overpriced monster cable one search on google will tell you they are known by all serious home and mobile audio gurus as the biggest scam artists in history....even popular mechanics said they were a scam! they charge $100 for cable that performs exactly as well as a $3 cable in any Installation
 

Last edited by Augiedoggy; Sep 16, 2009 at 04:43 PM.
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 04:39 PM
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A decent name brand bare bones cd deck can be had for like $70 new now days and you can find used top of the line cassette decks for like $25 everywhere.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 04:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Augiedoggy
do the stock decks for the premium sound system even have built in amps since they use the external ones? I doubt it so he may need to update the radio too.... and I while I do agree on everything said above the one thing thats debatable is the wire.(mentioned before in another thread)....regular 16 gauge like you would find at radioshack or pep boys is more than enough for a system with an amplifier let alone a 30 watt rms head unit at most as long as your using under 25 feet of wire for each speaker run...And its not only easier and cheaper to obtain its also a bit easier to run....factory wiring is 18 gauge I believe. 14 guage wire wont hurt anything its just pointless really...like those swirly things they sell to go in front of your throttlebody Exaggerated to make more money off young kids who want big loud systems.
If you really dont want to run new wires just isolate two wires going from the current stereo to the amps and reuse those and the speaker wires just remember to keep track of which ones are the + and the - wires and dont reverse them or it will sound bad.
This is one young kid whodoes not want a "Big loud sound system!"
There are not just 2 wires coming from the stereo. There are like 8! They go into a small amp in the door and there are 2 wires coming out of the amp to the speaker. I am trying to eliminate the amps anyway. Tell me why I need them?
 
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 04:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Augiedoggy
do the stock decks for the premium sound system even have built in amps since they use the external ones? I doubt it so he may need to update the radio too.... and I while I do agree on everything said above the one thing thats debatable is the wire.(mentioned before in another thread)....regular 16 gauge like you would find at radioshack or pep boys is more than enough for a system with an amplifier let alone a 30 watt rms head unit at most as long as your using under 25 feet of wire for each speaker run...And its not only easier and cheaper to obtain its also a bit easier to run....factory wiring is 18 gauge I believe. 14 guage wire wont hurt anything its just pointless really...like those swirly things they sell to go in front of your throttlebody Exaggerated to make more money off young kids who want big loud systems.
If you really dont want to run new wires just isolate two wires going from the current stereo to the amps and reuse those and the speaker wires just remember to keep track of which ones are the + and the - wires and dont reverse them or it will sound bad.

lol stay away from waay overpriced monster cable one search on google will tell you they are known by all serious home and mobile audio gurus as the biggest scam artists in history....even popular mechanics said they were a scam! they charge $100 for cable that performs exactly as well as a $3 cable in any Installation

These guys know what there doing.

They know you can use the factory Head Unit.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 04:46 PM
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just google "monster cable scam" Laramie....
I hope you were kidding.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 04:55 PM
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you dont need the amps at all but if you use the factory stereo it probably outputs very low power I know the bose system I had wouldnt work right with out the amps but I dont have the premium system in my ram so I wasnt sure thats why I said it.... Basically the wires are color coded and you should be able to use say the two purple wires to run directly to one speaker one will have a black line down it and the other will be solid color. The solid color one is the + and the one with the line is -.... when using a aftermarket stereo its usually easy when you buy the wiring harness and just follow the directions but since you want to cut the amps out you need to take those two wires and bypass the amps and run them direct.
 
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