Non-GM stereo question
Non-GM stereo question I have a 93 Ford Aerostar that I just replaced the headunit in tonight. Everything went well in terms of getting sound to all speakers, fade, balance, radio, etc, but there is one major issue: if I turn the stereo on at a very low volume, everything sounds fine, but if I turn it up at ALL, even to just a normal to semi-quiet listening volume, all of the speakers crackle HORRIBLY. When the stock head unit was in there, they sounded like crap but I could still crank them pretty loud without having them distort or crackle at all, otherwise I'd just think I need new speakers.
Thoughts? Could this be a power or ohmage issue? I'm not too great with the stereo/electronic stuff. Here's the head unit:
http://sm.crutchfield.com/p_158GT330...0.html?tp=5685
Thanks, guys.
EDIT: Uploading a video so you can hear it...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm_dwRx02vQ
Didn't come out great but you get the idea.
Thoughts? Could this be a power or ohmage issue? I'm not too great with the stereo/electronic stuff. Here's the head unit:
http://sm.crutchfield.com/p_158GT330...0.html?tp=5685
Thanks, guys.
EDIT: Uploading a video so you can hear it...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm_dwRx02vQ
Didn't come out great but you get the idea.
Last edited by PewterScreaminMach; Jan 21, 2009 at 09:04 PM.
I am not sure but I know the older windstars used whats called a common ground system. This could be your problem.
The common ground speaker wiring configuration is not common in modern vehicles. However, certain auto
makers still use common ground wiring for some of their vehicles (who knows why).
Common ground wiring configurations use individual (+) positive speaker wires to connect to each speaker but they use the
SAME (-) negative wire to connect all speakers (many older cars actually connect the (-) negative terminal of the speaker to
the metal of the car. This was acceptable for when car stereos were low powered, but as car stereos increased in power, the
need for floating ground amplifiers increased.
Basically if you do indeed have common ground you can either 1) re-wire the entire car, or 2) Order whats called a PSI2 from peripheral electronics that allows you to interface into the vehicles system without acutally re-wiring the entire vehicle.
Not sure if this is what you are dealing with but I hope this helps...
The common ground speaker wiring configuration is not common in modern vehicles. However, certain auto
makers still use common ground wiring for some of their vehicles (who knows why).
Common ground wiring configurations use individual (+) positive speaker wires to connect to each speaker but they use the
SAME (-) negative wire to connect all speakers (many older cars actually connect the (-) negative terminal of the speaker to
the metal of the car. This was acceptable for when car stereos were low powered, but as car stereos increased in power, the
need for floating ground amplifiers increased.
Basically if you do indeed have common ground you can either 1) re-wire the entire car, or 2) Order whats called a PSI2 from peripheral electronics that allows you to interface into the vehicles system without acutally re-wiring the entire vehicle.
Not sure if this is what you are dealing with but I hope this helps...
transaman98 - Thanks for the info. I'll look into this and see if this is the case. The wiring from the adapter kit for this model was pretty straightforward - even all of the colors from the kit to the headunit matched up perfectly - so I'd be surprised if something was wrong there. But nevertheless, I have two options. First, I'm going to talk to my buddy who is a Ford mechanic and see if he can find out about this common ground system and whether or not I have it in the Aerostar. Second, I have access to some decent aftermarket speakers, so I can try hooking them up and seeing if the problem persists. It's always possible the stock speakers just can't handle the headunit's power, I guess (or something along those lines).
Thanks again for the responses!
Thanks again for the responses!
