1997 Jimmy Audio problem

[carguy0633]

I recently purcchased a 1997 4 door Jimmy and its been so good so far, however the sound from the speakers on the passanger side seems to come and go, sometimes the whole side will be dead, other times just the front passanger door speaker will work but the back passsanger one will not work. The truck currently has the standard ac delco CD player which i like alot, but this is a pretty annoying problem, so i need to know what i need to replace the speakers, the stereo, both or just take it to the dealer and let them figure it out. Thanks

[BlazerLT]

Sounds like the connection to the right bank is bad.

Remove the Radio and check the rear connection for play and make sure it is tightened in right.

Make sure you follow the proper instructions or the radio could Delco lock on you.

[gadawgsr1]

I have the very same problem with my 97 Jimmy except the RT front stopped playing a long time ago and the RT rear comes and goes. The left side plays great. I was hoping it was the factory stereo so I replaced it with an aftermarket. This did not alleviate my problem. So I sent the aftermarket stereo back because I liked the factory look anyway. Back to square one. I have already checked the RT rear speaker connection--it was fine. I am getting ready to tear into the RT front door and check that speaker connection. Since I have checked connections at both ends and all appears to be fine, I am going to try and follow the speaker wires to look for a short. It the only option left at this point. If the speakers play from time to time, they must still work; therefore, there has to be a raw wire somewhere. Right?

[carguy0633]

My thoughts exactly. The way i see it if worse comes to worse ill run new wires straight from the head unit to the doors. The only other thing that i was told was that sometimes when speakers blow out, they become so bad to the point where they dont play, after checking all my connections again, i think i will look into replacing the speakers with some aftermarkets, i really dont care all too much about sound quality, i just want some sound period. Another possible problem i was told of was the connector face being bad or some BS like that. Tell me, did your aftermarket radio still cause the one speaker to come and go?

[Rockyrider]

I've had a few problems with speakers and power windows/locks over time with various vehicles. As you say, if it comes and goes it's usually a wire that has an intermittant open or short. Shorts usually blow fuses, but an open does nothing.
I've found on a few occasions that the culprit is in the door hinge where the cables run through a rubber hose (?). Anyone know what that thing is called ?
Anyway, the constant flexing of the cables inside that sleeve as you open and close the door can sometimes lead to cracking if the wires, and an open circuit. It's relatively easy to loosen off one end and kind of pull the sleeve to the side and look at the wires. If you're planning on running new wires, you'll have to do that anyway.
If you have a dvm (volt meter), you could always pop out the radio and pop out the speaker and check the continuuity of the line.

Good luck!

[gadawgsr1]

Originally Posted by carguy0633

My thoughts exactly. The way i see it if worse comes to worse ill run new wires straight from the head unit to the doors. The only other thing that i was told was that sometimes when speakers blow out, they become so bad to the point where they dont play, after checking all my connections again, i think i will look into replacing the speakers with some aftermarkets, i really dont care all too much about sound quality, i just want some sound period. Another possible problem i was told of was the connector face being bad or some BS like that. Tell me, did your aftermarket radio still cause the one speaker to come and go?

Yes, actually it did. When I plugged in the aftermarket, I must say I was somewhat disappointed when the Rt side did not start playing. I rode to work the next day with the aftermarket still installed and absolutely nothing changed (the rt front never played and the rt rear played from time to time. That night, the aftermarket was ripped back out and boxed back up. By the way, Crutchfield.com is the way to go when looking for electronics. They are a great company with which to deal.

[carguy0633]

Well after some consideration and listening to everyones posts, ive pretty much decided that the problem is due to an open circut somewhere, in fact last night when cleaning the truck out, i got really pissed off and slammed the door (due to the radio speaker not working) and miraculously it started to work for a while...makes one wonder. Anyways Ive decided against replacing the factory radio (I actually like this radio alot) and i will tear into the truck this weekend and try to figure out what wire is open, and replace the wires that seem to have an issue, i am also going to replace the speakers with some new ones I got of ebay for 15 bucks just so i dont have to tear it all appart again in the near future. My only real concern is the Delco lock on the stereo, i think i have the code for it but ya never know, Thanks for everyones help and i will let ya know what the problem is when im done.