speaker wire polarity

does anyone know how to check which wire is + and which is - using a battery. I cant remember if the speaker goes outward, then the wire touching the - is -, and the wire touching + is +, or if theyre switched. can anybody help me out here???

the speaker will "push" (move outward) when positive is to positive and negative is to negative and will "pull" when switched.

hey thanks, that just what i wanted to know :)

regal75@juno.com is coming out with a polarity tester

I just replaced the factory stock speakers my van came with. Even their speakers don't indicate anywhere the plus (+) or minus (-) symbols. Not even a spec of red color (like some do). So I hooked up the new speakers by just following their symbols in the way they were position behind the speaker (I am hoping this placement is a good reference?)

But after I replaced the dash in stereo, that is when I was able to check whether or not I had the wires correct, by seeing if they had the same colored speaker wire to be able to tell the correct polarity.

Is there an easier way than what I had to do above? I have done the push/pull test, but it's not so easy to be 100% if that is working the way it should.

Here are the pictures of the old stock speakers (6x9s).

http://danceusapro.com/images/1997_Plymouth_Voyager/stereo/6x9.jpg

http://danceusapro.com/images/1997_Plymouth_Voyager/stereo/6x9_2.jpg

just use a small AAA battery across the terminals ..... when the speaker moves up, the wire touching the + sided of the battery is the + terminal

Thanks for the reply.

Trouble with my case, is that the new speakers do have the + and - symbols, the only trouble is that the car's audio wiring or the old speakers didn't indicate which was the correct polarity.

So I guess in order to figure this out, I'd have to conduct the sound test like mentioned above. Or go directly behind the radio unit and check which side is correct (but if you keep the factory stereo)--that still won't help.

I even looked at the Haynes Auto Repair Manual for the Radio electrical wiring diagram, but it doesnt show which wires are the + and - symbols. Weird huh?

Thanks for the response. I do appreciate the help.

general rule hookup your leads for the speakers then match dark to dark and light to light with the stock wiring

generally, the solid wire is + and the striped wire is - . For the manufacturer, no need to mark them since I am sure th plug only goes on one way. They don't care about aftermarket stuff.

u could look up your eletrical info that should tell u