I have a 1998 GS400 w the Nakamichi. My front left (driver) speaker intermittently goes out. Can anyone help with a similar problem (preferrably a fix too), circuit diagram, location of wires in the door and/or plug layout on the amp in the trunk?
Thanks in advance-

RIch

 

Try cleaning out the volume control **** with some compressed air...or better yet, some electrical contact cleaner. My guess is that if you crank the volume up a bit, the left speaker comes back into play.

The other thing is that the ASL has been engaged and is acting kinda flaky. This is pretty much normal for ASL.

Percy

 

you might simply check the wire connections on the speaker itself. I don't know how hard it is to take off the door panel but you probably have a loose connection if only one of the speakers is cutting out.

 

Percy-

Thanks for the info. What exactly is 'ASL' and why is it flaky, and is there any way to turn it off? Any other info you have (bells and whistles) specifically about the GS Nakamichi would also be appreciated.
I see how I could use air to blast around the volume ****, but to use a liquid cleaner, are you suggesting removing the **** or head unit to get inside?

Thanks-
Rich

 

ASL = Automatic Sound Leveling. The system kicks in a bit more bass and treble at moderate to highway speeds to compensate for road noise.

For the electrical contact cleaner, you'll have to strip down the head unit. That's the best way. Mine cuts out also but I haven't had any time to do this. (non nak)

Percy

 

Percy, rsganga - FYI:
There's no ASL function on the Nakamichi units. It is only present on the stock Pioneer system. On the stock Pioneer headunit I believe there is an ASL button to engage/disengage.

Jerry.

 

Jerry,

Thanks for the info! I thought the ASL was a standard feature on the Lexus systems.

Percy

 

Percy, all members-
Thanks for the info. Can you or anyone help out in the steps necessary to remove the stereo from the dash and a rating on how hard it is (easy <-> take it to dealer) -or- other ideas what might be the cause, perhaps a bad channel in the amp itself?

 

When a lawnmower won't start, it could be the spark plug, the coil, etc., or it could just be out of gas. I always try to eliminate the simplest reasons first. It's much easier to open the gas cap and see if there is enough of it v. taking the spark plug out and checking the gap or seeing if it has any cracks.

I would just re-iterate the fact that the first thing to look at would be the speaker connections and making sure they are on securely. You stated that the speaker plays intermittently. There could be a problem with the amp but if an amp does go bad, it usually cuts out completely.

Regardless, my advice would be to eliminate the simplest reasons first. I would suggest contacting a couple of car audio stores and asking their opinion. If you took it into a shop or your dealer, I bet the first thing they would do is to take the door panel off and check the speaker and the connections first.

 

What al503 said. Here's some more details.

1) Remove the door panel if you have some mechanical inclination. There is a connector into the speaker enclosure. Remove it, inspect it, and reseat it. Next unscrew speaker. Check connections at terminals.

2) At amp in trunk, remove each connector and reseat. Sometimes the connections have loosened or oxidized and are subject to vibration. Inspect the wires for integrity as they go into each connector.

3) Relative to what Percy said, if the volume control is a problem, the speaker will come back on (maybe distorted) if you rotate the **** after the speker cuts out next time. If it remains off and you hear nothing, there is not llkely a problem with the volume control.

4) If the above hasn't helped, note the characteristics of the sound just as the speker cuts out. If it is very abrupt, then likely a loose connection or bad connection inside headunit. If it pulses on-off then goes off completely, same thing. However, if sound gets muted and or distorted first, and/or gradually fades, your headunit OR amp may need repair, as the problem will likely be buried in the electronics somewhere.

 

thanks all for all the ideas. Just to clarify, this is an 'all-or-none' type problem, either I get sound or I don't, so I know it's not a rheostat or some other electronic problem associated with gradual/varrying volume or quality degredation. I'm guessing it is something to do with a physical connection; either loose, oxidized or shorted somewhere.
Can anyone help with door panel removal? Can I get at the speaker by removing just the cover? I am mechanically inclined, but would like the 411 before costing myself an azzload of $$$ at Lexus for a broken clip. But first, to the trunk! to check, clean and re-seat the connectors to the amp ...
Thx-
Rich

 

Unfortunately it is your driver's door and not pass door - driver's is a bit more complicated, as there are more things connected to it.
You cannot get the speaker grille off, it is an integral part of the door panel and is not removable. You'll need to remove the whole door panel. Most of the screws holding it on are visible across the bottom and edges. I think there's one or two in the middle that are more obscure, so look around for them. I don't remember offhand where they are. Once you get the door panel unscrewed, you have to pull it up to dislodge the top edge from the window track. What I do then with the loose door panel is rotate it 90 degrees and sit it on the ground, on a big piece of cardboard so it doesn't get scratched. Watch out for the door lock cables, etc. - don't pull out on the panel too much or they'll disconnect. If you're reasonably gentle with everything you won't have a problem. Once you get the panel off you'll be able to see speaker, enclosure, & tweeter connections.