Pioneer Sound System
04-28-19, 08:30 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Pioneer Sound System
My 92 SC400 has the Pioneer sound system with the 10 disk CD changer and 6 speaker+sub. It sounds fine for a stock system to me, but its having an issue. When I turn up the volume the sub sounds terrible. The speaker is fine, I believe it to be the amp. However the sub runs off of its own separate amp that I cant find any info on. When I unplug the amp under the CD changer all the speakers cut out except the sub. Does anyone know where the sub amp is? I cant find it, called all my local Lexus dealers and they have no idea. Any advice is appreciated. Theres tons of info on the nakamichi but not too much on the pioneer. Thanks!
04-28-19, 09:42 PM
#2
1992SC,
It is possible that your Pioneer sub-amp is failing. Do you notice any high pitched, faint squealing from the rear speakers only? If so that would be the sound of the capacitors in the factory sub-amp beginning to fail. To replace it as stock you would need to buy new or find P/N 86280-24151.
To get to it you have to remove the package tray. To remove the package tray there are several layered steps involved. Partly explained in pictures, step by step in Raine's thread here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...ml#post4617489
Be careful doing the following below. You want to be as kind to many of these vintage interior plastic pieces as you can be to avoid any unnecessary cracking or breaking. They're usually fine but just note this and take care when you do it.
1) Remove the lower section of your rear seats: pop them up and out
2) Remove the upper section of your rear seats: remove the bolts holding them in, then push the upper seat cushion UP while it's still in place to dislodge it from the upper retaining clips, THEN you can remove it.
3) Remove the two plastic seat belt retaining trim bezels on the package tray
4) Remove the two rear seat belts: the socket required should be 14mm (and I believe they require no more than 43 ft-lbs to torque back in upon reassembly) and you will have to carefully remove the trim retaining bezel where the seatbelt disappears into the big interior panel. Note or be careful to keep the orientation of the seat belt so that it is not twisted weirdly when you reinstall it.
5) Remove the plastic retaining plugs that hold the big rear seat interior panels in. I think that's it unless I'm forgetting a screw or two somewhere. Then you can remove the two rear seat side panels.
6) Remove the bolt/screws that hold in the upper rear quarter glass interior trim pieces. And remove the upper rear passenger grab handles.
7) Remove or only partially remove the door surround trim pieces on the ceiling. NOT the ones on the doors themselves. The ones on the interior frame of the car itself. You will understand once you try to remove the two rear quarter glass interior trim pieces without doing this first. Mind the clips and try to minimize any breakage.
8) Remove any remaining bolt/screws holding in the rear quarter glass interior panels. Now you should be able to remove those panels.
9) NOW, unless I have forgotten something, you can properly get to the package try. It can be fragile so again... be careful with it.
10) If you have a third brake light you will need to pop this up slightly from the back and then slide it toward you. It will be hard to do but you still must be careful with this plastic housing. You will then have to unplug the third brake light connector. If you have a factory spoiler and only a flat subwoofer cover there is just this panel to pop up but it will be mostly flat with a slight curve in its middle.
11) Remove that rear speaker and/or third brake light cover.
12) Now unless a screw or two holds in that package tray... you should be able to carefully lift it out. The rear left and right speaker covers are mounted onto it.
This will finally give you access to the sub-amplifier. You disconnect it from the interior but to remove it physically the four retaining bolts are located in the trunk just over the gas tank.
To get to that, remove the lower trunk liner to expose the spare tire, then remove the few plastic retaining plugs on the rear "wall" of the trunk. Then pull at the top and its clips should pop out (note how you saw them in there before totally removing it as you will have to align each metal clip on that liner with its slot to pop the thing back into place later-- not hard but just note this). Also to make things easier, gently pull out the sections on the outer sides of the liner where the trunk struts are located. Makes it a cleaner removal.
Now remove the whole big rear trunk liner "wall".
If you look at the underside of the trunk compartment "ceiling" above the gas tank you will now see the underside of the factory subwoofer and next to it the factory Pioneer sub-amplifier. Undo those four bolts while holding the sub-amplifier with one hand to catch it from falling, and you can now remove it.
Reinstallation of everything is in the reverse order
It is possible that your Pioneer sub-amp is failing. Do you notice any high pitched, faint squealing from the rear speakers only? If so that would be the sound of the capacitors in the factory sub-amp beginning to fail. To replace it as stock you would need to buy new or find P/N 86280-24151.
To get to it you have to remove the package tray. To remove the package tray there are several layered steps involved. Partly explained in pictures, step by step in Raine's thread here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...ml#post4617489
Be careful doing the following below. You want to be as kind to many of these vintage interior plastic pieces as you can be to avoid any unnecessary cracking or breaking. They're usually fine but just note this and take care when you do it.
1) Remove the lower section of your rear seats: pop them up and out
2) Remove the upper section of your rear seats: remove the bolts holding them in, then push the upper seat cushion UP while it's still in place to dislodge it from the upper retaining clips, THEN you can remove it.
3) Remove the two plastic seat belt retaining trim bezels on the package tray
4) Remove the two rear seat belts: the socket required should be 14mm (and I believe they require no more than 43 ft-lbs to torque back in upon reassembly) and you will have to carefully remove the trim retaining bezel where the seatbelt disappears into the big interior panel. Note or be careful to keep the orientation of the seat belt so that it is not twisted weirdly when you reinstall it.
5) Remove the plastic retaining plugs that hold the big rear seat interior panels in. I think that's it unless I'm forgetting a screw or two somewhere. Then you can remove the two rear seat side panels.
6) Remove the bolt/screws that hold in the upper rear quarter glass interior trim pieces. And remove the upper rear passenger grab handles.
7) Remove or only partially remove the door surround trim pieces on the ceiling. NOT the ones on the doors themselves. The ones on the interior frame of the car itself. You will understand once you try to remove the two rear quarter glass interior trim pieces without doing this first. Mind the clips and try to minimize any breakage.
8) Remove any remaining bolt/screws holding in the rear quarter glass interior panels. Now you should be able to remove those panels.
9) NOW, unless I have forgotten something, you can properly get to the package try. It can be fragile so again... be careful with it.
10) If you have a third brake light you will need to pop this up slightly from the back and then slide it toward you. It will be hard to do but you still must be careful with this plastic housing. You will then have to unplug the third brake light connector. If you have a factory spoiler and only a flat subwoofer cover there is just this panel to pop up but it will be mostly flat with a slight curve in its middle.
11) Remove that rear speaker and/or third brake light cover.
12) Now unless a screw or two holds in that package tray... you should be able to carefully lift it out. The rear left and right speaker covers are mounted onto it.
This will finally give you access to the sub-amplifier. You disconnect it from the interior but to remove it physically the four retaining bolts are located in the trunk just over the gas tank.
To get to that, remove the lower trunk liner to expose the spare tire, then remove the few plastic retaining plugs on the rear "wall" of the trunk. Then pull at the top and its clips should pop out (note how you saw them in there before totally removing it as you will have to align each metal clip on that liner with its slot to pop the thing back into place later-- not hard but just note this). Also to make things easier, gently pull out the sections on the outer sides of the liner where the trunk struts are located. Makes it a cleaner removal.
Now remove the whole big rear trunk liner "wall".
If you look at the underside of the trunk compartment "ceiling" above the gas tank you will now see the underside of the factory subwoofer and next to it the factory Pioneer sub-amplifier. Undo those four bolts while holding the sub-amplifier with one hand to catch it from falling, and you can now remove it.
Reinstallation of everything is in the reverse order
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1992SC (04-29-19)
04-28-19, 09:45 PM
#3
^^ Incidentally, while you have done all of this it is a great time to replace the rear third brake light bulbs or to replace or re-cover your left and right and/or center speaker covers if any of them are ripped up from age and wear over time. The left and right rear speaker covers are screwed into the rear package tray from its underside and it takes all of this to get to them in the future should you need to. Same for installing any stock size aftermarket replacement speakers back there that meet the same electrical specs as stock.
The following users liked this post:
1992SC (04-29-19)
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