What Causes Car Speakers to Stop Working?
The best part of a car is the speakers because it makes people listen to their favorite tracks and enjoy their drive. Most people feel joy when they listen to music while driving, while some people can concentrate more on driving while listening to music.
People also install aftermarket and more powerful speakers in their car for better sound quality and productivity. But when they do that they run into many types of problems. These problems regarding their sound system annoy them so much that they stop listening to music in their car.
One of the most occurring problems that people face is that the speakers suddenly stop working while playing any audio. It is a very common problem and is very tricky to troubleshoot. Speakers are the most important part of the sound system and people spend a large amount of money on them.
Here are some of the most common reasons that may have caused your car speakers to stop working, which are as follows:
- Blown fuse
- Damaged signals wire
- One speaker working and the other is not
- Car Speakers not placed properly
- When speaker wires are pulled out
- Improper connection of wires
So, when speakers are turned off suddenly without any fault, it makes people worry about their investment. But there is no need to worry about it because we are here with some of the main reasons for the problem.
What Causes Car Speakers to Stop Working?
In this article, our editors have explained 6 of these common reasosn that can cause car speakers to stop working.
People ask too many and different types of questions when it comes to the malfunctioning of speakers. Some have the problem of less base, some complaints about the low volume, some say it creates buzzing sound, etc. But when the speakers stop, it is a real deal for the m.
They will go to electronic shops for their speakers, and they will spend too much money, even the speakers are fine, and there is only a minor problem. So, if you inspect your property for yourself before going to some thug who will charge you some bucks for that, then you can save some money.
Tools Required to Fix Car Speakers
To undergo the inspection process, you may need the following tools to operate:
- Screwdrivers
- Fuses
- Multimeter
- Screws
- Drill machine
- Work lights
Blown fuse
Starting from the possibility that no one tries to think of is a blown fuse. When everything is perfect and working fine, there is a possibility that a speaker fuse might blow due to high voltage or current. People install high-end sound systems in their cars.
When you buy anything that cost you a large amount of money, you try to protect it so that you can use it for a longer time. People do the same thing when they buy speakers. A high-quality sound system requires a large amount of money. So, to protect their investment, people install fuses at every part of the sound system that can burn the accessory.
Speakers are one of those places that can be damaged by a large quantity of current. So, people install fuses in the speaker wire that is coming from the amplifier to save their speakers from getting damaged. In this way, the speakers get a limited amount of power that they require to operate properly.
When the amplifier somehow gives more current that it should not provide to the speakers, the fuse in the speaker wire blow, and it breaks the circuit of the wire. As a result, the speakers stop working. Some people are so conscious about their speakers that they install delicate fuses in the speaker wire, which sometimes blow the fuse even with a slight elevation in power.
What you need to do is that you should install the fuses that can support up to the maximum ability of the speakers to bear power. In this way, the speaker will not stop working easily.Sometimes, people install fuses close to the terminal of speakers so that the fuses are save inside the box and do not touch the car or anything else.
They try to be as safe as possible. But when the fuse blows, people do have to open up the speaker box to replace the fuse.
How to fix blown fuse in car speakers?
So, what can you do when the fuse of the speaker is blown? There is an easy way to solve the problem. If you saw the technician installing the fuses in the speaker wire, then you must know where the fuses are located. Locate the fuse in the speaker wire, and check all the fuses if they are blown. Replace those fuses with the new and better ones so that they do not bother you again.
If the fuse is located outside the speaker box, then it will be easy for you to replace them. If the fuse is located inside the speaker box, then you will have to open the screws of the speaker with a screwdriver and take the speaker out to find the fuses. In this way, you can correct this error in the speakers.
Damaged Signal Wire
What is the purpose of a signal wire in an aftermarket or pre-installed sound system? Well, the purpose of signal wires is to get electric signals and data from the head unit to play into the speakers. Every part of the sound system is very important to get the best output from your speakers.
Damaged signal wires can be very tricky to detect in the case of speakers because when the speakers stop working, you may not know what the main problem in the system is. The speaker wires may be doing some problem, the amp is doing some problem, the head unit is doing problem, or the signal wires may have been damaged.
So, you have to check all the things are properly working or not. When all the accessories are working fine and now you are going to check the signal wires for the speakers, the signal wires are connected from the head unit to the amplifier.
You must be wondering what can suddenly happen to signal wires if the wires are not exposed to anything. Well, when the signal wires are plugged on both sides, i.e. amplifier and the head unit, sometimes the signal wire is not plugged improperly.
As a result, the wires work harder than usual to pass electric signals from the head unit to the amplifier. So, during this process, the wires keep sparking or missing signals and eventually get faulty after a while. There can be another reason for that. Sometimes, the technician puts the wire under the carpet of the footrest so that it is not visible to the people but it is exposed to the feet of the people.
So, getting rolled within the feet and pressed by the passenger feet, again and again, result in getting the wire damaged. This is not a good practice to put the wires under the carpet. Another reason for your signal wires to get faulty is that it may be subjected to the electrically charged wire. The electric field can also damage the wire if it is in working condition.
Fix damaged signal wire in car speakers
There is a suggestion for you to install the signal wires properly. Whenever you put the signal wires through your car, you must pass it from the sides of the inside of your car. You should never pass them from the footrests of your car. Because whenever the passenger sits at the front seat, he/she will roll the wire under his/her foot.
When the wires are pressed hard repeatedly, they are most likely to break and stop working. Another important thing for the signal wires is that you must always install the wires properly, which is pushing the wires inside their port properly so that they must not be left loose.
One car speaker is working, and the other is not
Everyone installs more than one speaker in their car because they want better sound quality and louder music while they are driving. So, they install two or more speakers in their car for a louder sound. The car may contain 6*9 inches of two speakers or it may contain 4-inches or 6-inches of speakers in the trunk.
When two speakers are installed in a car, the head unit gives a stereo sound in the speakers. So, if one speaker goes down, the other one cannot keep the sound quality as same as both the speakers create together so, why one of your speakers goes down while you are driving in your car.
There can be many reasons for your speaker to stop working. You may have installed two different speakers in your trunk, and one of them is of low quality. Someone from your passenger spill something on the speaker and it stopped working after that immediately. You may have an incorrect balance setting on your stereo.
Your speaker suspension and diaphragm may have ripped off by hitting something in the trunk etc. so, what to do when one of your speakers is dead or stopped working. There can be two possibilities, either the speaker is dead now, or its power is cut.
If the speaker’s power is cut then you have to identify where the trouble is. You have to find the place where the wire is disconnected. If your speaker is down and cannot be repaired, then you have to replace the speaker and install a new one with a better quality. If your speaker diaphragm is ripped due to moisture or by spilling any liquid on it, then you have to get a new suspension and diaphragm in your speaker.
You can solve all these problems with the following solution:
Fix one car speaker that is not working
To check that the speaker is fine, but the wire is cut, you have to go through some steps. Get a screwdriver and open up your speaker. If it is in the box, then open the screws of the speakers and get the speaker out. When your speaker is out, make sure that the speaker is completely disconnected from the amplifier.
You can check your speaker by using a multimeter. If your speaker is fine, then you should get the wire replaced with a new one, it will solve your problem. If your speaker is dead, then get a new speaker and install it the same way you opened it.
If the diaphragm or the suspension is ripped, then you have to go to a repair shop of the speakers where you can get a new diaphragm installed on your speaker in a few hours. If you think that your speakers are fine and there is no error in the wire, then you might have a problem in your balance configuration of audio head or a stereo.
Fix your audio head by balancing the left and right settings of the volume to the 50 or in the middle.
Improper position of car speakers can cause them to stop working
Most people face the type of problem with their speaker that they do not get the perfect sound quality or get nothing even after installing the best speakers available in town. They buy expensive speakers and install them by themselves and do not get the sound quality that they expect from it.
Placing the speakers is not very tricky, but you can face some problems if you do not place them the right way. It only requires a little bit of knowledge and some technical skills. Let us explain to you with a real-life example to make you understand the basic concept for placing the speakers.
You may have played with the magnets in your childhood. While getting the magnets close together, you may have realized that the magnets repel each other but attract the metallic items to themselves. Have you ever wondered why this happens? Let us give you a brief explanation about it.
When two magnetic items are brought close to each other, they oppose each other, and this happens because the magnet has a magnetic field around it. The magnetic field when it comes close to another magnetic field, they repel each other. The simple rule behind it is that the similar charges does not attract while the opposite charges attract each other.
So, when two or more than two magnetic fields are brought close to each other, they will oppose each other. Speakers are made of magnetic coils, diaphragm, suspension and many other parts. When the speakers are placed very close to each other, so close that the magnetic field of one speaker tries to enter the magnetic field of the other speaker, they will not work as they should.
The speakers have a mechanism with the magnetic coil that creates a powerful movement of the diaphragm, which creates bass and loud sound. But when the magnetic field is not free to process its power and is continuously opposing another field, it will not work with its full strength.
So, the speakers must be placed at least one foot away from each other to give each other their required space to operate.
Properly adjust car speakers positions
The best solution for your speakers in this situation is that you must place the speakers away from each other. Now, if you have mounted your speakers on a wooden board or cardboard behind your back seat, then you have to get a new cardboard and place your speakers away from each other.
If you have installed your speakers in a soundbox and your boxes are coming close to each other again and again, then mount those boxes away from each other. The best thing to do with them is to mount them away wherever you want.
When car speakers wires are pulled out
Some people make a common mistake while installing their speakers. When they wire their speakers to the amplifier or the audio head, they install a short length wiring in their sound system. Some people do that kind of thing mistakenly while some are miser to spend extra bucks on longer wires.
Longer wires are beneficial for your sound setup because, with this feature, you can move your sound system easily.Suppose, if you decide to place your speakers to another location and you are out of wire, then you have to add a new wire or connect another wire with it which is not a healthy option.
Also, when your speaker wire is damaged from somewhere, and you cut the damaged part from that place to attach the remaining part again, but you are short on wire. You can face many difficulties if you do not keep a good length wire.
What happens when you install short length wires for your speakers? The problem is when you install wire that, if moved only an inch from its place, pulls out from the amplifier or your soundbox. You must be wondering why you would move your wire when it is wired in place? Well, it happens a lot.
People mostly install their speakers in the trunk or behind the backseat of their car facing the roof of the car. When the speakers are installed behind the backseat, the wires are always hanging in the trunk or can be seen when we open the trunk. You must put your things in your trunk and they can pull the wire while you are putting your stuff or when they move in the trunk while you drive your car rashly.
Even if you have a speaker box laying in the trunk and you have not mounted it in the trunk, your speaker box may roll left and right due to movement of the car, which can also pull the wires out of the speaker. The wires can also be pulled out even if they are placed under the carpet and comes in the feet of the passenger.
So, you have to be very conscious about installing the wires from a proper place so that they do not get pulled by anything.
Solution:
If you have installed a shorter wire, you may have to replace the whole wire with a larger one. If not, then you may have to add an extra length of wire, which is very easy. Just break the wire from the place where it is easily visible to you and rip its insulation. Connect the new part of the wire with the older one, do this step for both wires of the speaker.
Then after insulating it with scotch tape, you have a longer wire for your speaker. If your wire is long and it is pulling out because of the stuff in the trunk, then place the wires in such a way that is attached to the inner surface of the backseat and goes through the walls of your car.
Improper connection of car speaker wires
How can the wires be improperly attached to the speakers? Well, the answer is very simple. The speakers always have a two-wire connection with the power output of the amplifier because the coil of the speaker has two-wire input. One wire is red and the other wire is black. Their color is different because they indicate serve different purposes when it comes to electrical information.
Sometimes people do not install color wires for the speakers, and that is not a very good idea. Color wires help you to recognize the specific port of the amplifier or the speaker box in which the wire has to go. If you cannot find out which wire has to go to which port, you can face problems with your speakers.
So, it is a good practice to install the wires with a specific color so that it is always easy for you to identify the specific port of the wire.
Solution:
When your speakers are not working due to improper wire connection, do not always go and buy anew wire and install it. You can also do another thing that is easy and you can do it at home. If your speakers are fine, your wires are fine, and your amplifier is fine, then you may have a problem with your connection of wires.
Try to check your speakers by swapping the two input wires of the speakers either from the amplifier or the back of the speakers if you have pin connections in your speaker box. It works most of the time.
Team – Howstereo.com