First off, hello there everyone. So i bought my Z without a radio a few months back and now i finally got around to putting one one, so i bought a delco unit off a 91 and when i hooked the damn thing up there was only sound on one speaker(sounded pretty good too). I checked all the wiring and speakers and must i say that the owner before me did not take the cheap route on the system he had in this car, so the car has pioneer four way speaker all around(yes it does). So im sitting at work today thinking that the radio is bad, which in effect led me to buying two more but both of them are also doing the same thing in my car. So right now my car is sitting in my driveway with three radios inside, could it be that i was just so unlucky as to pick out three bad radios, or do they not have enough juice to power the speakers?

 

Typically speaking, even higher end aftermarket speakers will respond to the wattage put out by a factory deck. But, a few questions with explanations.

Did the PO have an aftermarket head unit installed? Chances are good that if the answer is yes, the head unit was adapted into the factory wiring for the speakers. Typically 18ga won't "burn out" with only 45-60 watts put through it, but we are considering that this car is around 20 years old. Even great wiring deteriorates over time.

Are you willing to try an aftermarket head unit? I say this for one simple reason. Aftermarket head units are probably going to give a better sound than a factory deck. Now I know people love to keep the stock look of a factory deck. If you are one of these people, you may want to wire your speakers back to the factory deck with new wire.

In all honesty, the voicecoils of the aftermarket speakers could be fried without there being obvious signs. If you can, find a friend with aftermarket speakers and test your speakers. Jump the wires from his/her speakers and run it to each of your speakers.

Are the speakers hooked up correctly? Yes, if you reverse wire the speakers, they will put out sound for a while. However, this causes the voicecoils to overheat and burn out. The PO could have screwwed this up easily and reversed polarity to the speakers.

Just a few things to consider. You may find this helpful, you may not. If you need any more help, let me know. I will do all I can to give you a hand.

 

thank you shark, i actually went out and got another radio but this time off a 01 pontiac(with equalizer) and it didn't have the same problems as the ones before. I was looking for a factory unit that allowed me to listen to my cd's yet not tempt anyone into breaking in, as far as aftermarket goes; i actually get amazing deals on them often even just pay wholesale price for them but my exhaust system is pretty loud to allow for sound quality to be audible while driving. i now have a cd unit that although may not produce the best audio quality it does look a whole lot better than that god awful empty slot in the dash, and at a price tag of $15 dollars its not a bad deal.

 

Well, at the very least, atleast you found out your speakers aren't blown. LOL I find it odd that three Delcos would have the same problem back to back. But, you're right, $15 is a good deal.