Pyrotech

hey group,

well let's see. my 95 LS400 with nakamichi is starting to give me grief. the three right speakers (the front satellite speaker, the front door, and rear door) all on the passenger's side are crackily and don't give much power/volume even when set to high. the sub works fine. i checked all the wires and connections and they're all snug. i even tried turning the balance to the right side and then the fader to see if something was strange but that whole right side of the car just has strange sound. it did this to me a few months ago but i guess it still does it. it would eventually return to normal operation, only to do it again.

i ended up purchasing a new nakamichi system from ebay for cheap (the amp, head unit, and cd changer). since the speakers are all on the right side, does this sound like an amp problem? i have noticed that at night the head unit with the nice green backlight screen flickers a little on the side closest to the volume button but again, only intermittently and then returns to solid green.

if i unhook the head unit am i gonna get one of those errors and need a code to start it back up again? just wondering what i should try next. let me know.

thanks, jamie.

Leeladisky

Jamie,

Just because the connections are "snug" doesn't mean that they haven't started to oxidize. The problem with much of the cheap metals used in plugs these days is that it does, in fact, oxidize over time. My first suggestion would be to take apart all the connections (including the left side speakers as long as you have it apart) and using some fine steel wool and a good contact cleaner (available at many electronics retailers) clean all the contacts! Put everything back together and see if that clears it up...

After that you can try replacing the headunit as long as you have it around, but it will be trial and error to determine the problem if it's not the contacts...

Just my .02c for what it's worth!

Good luck!

L

Pyrotech

i was gonna try the amp first because it's the easier of the two to replace (since i have the spare amp and headunit both). i really dont wanna take everything apart unless i have to. getting that head unit out was a fiasco last time until i found the trick LOL. if i end up having to inspect the speakers themselves i will clean em. i have a guy who used to work for chrysler (i know, don't ask) for almost 30 years doing electric stuff for their cars. i'll ask him to check it out sometime this weekend. i am not gonna touch it myself. (plus he has more tools than anybody else i know and likes doing favors for people since he retired two years ago).

thanks for the help. do the headunits give errors if they're unhooked from the car?

jamie.

Leeladisky

Pyro -

As for the headunit errors - unknown to me... I'll bet you the overall problem is a connection at the headunit or between the headunit and amp - probably corrosion. Solid state circuitry doesn't usually fail "intermittantly" - it's usually a board to board connection issue or a component connection issue - both related to corrosion. When it fails altogether, then talk about replacement... ;-) Good luck!

Pyrotech

i ended up checking the connections as was suggested by a fellow member. i checked the plugs that go into the amp and they look fine. the plugs that go into the back of the head unit are fine. i tried using a different nakamichi amp but the same problem exists (the three speakers on the passenger side have little to no power. with just those 3 speakers on with the volume at full I can barely make out sound. the head unit i have does not fit the connectors on the back. so i can't really check that.

i tried to check the connections to the speakers themselves but i cannot figure out how to get to them. i got to the satellite speaker by the side view mirror. but i cannot figure out how to get to the one in each passenger door. is there a simple way to get in there?

all this hassle makes me want to drive the car into a ditch and let the insurance pick up the tab! it'd be worth it. lol. !