Front Door Speaker Replacement
 

Hi Everyone,

Before I tackle this replacement, I thought I would get some input from those who have already done it.

My front left speaker in the door works very seldom and from looking at the threads it's mostly likely the speaker. I'm gonna swap out both the front door speakers on both sides just so it will sound uniform. I've had the door panels off before but have never pulled the speakers out. Can someone tell me what all wires are behind there? The 6.5" speakers I have came with two wires, one for + and one for -. Is it easy to wire up or are there modifications I have to make? Not sure if it's as simple as just running the positive to the positive and negative to the negative or if there is a harness of some sort I'd have to tap into.

I've seen in other threads the colors of the + and - wires for the front speakers on each side running from the back of the radio and am wondering if these are the colors of the + and - wires in the door as well. Thanks in advance!

The hookup is not difficult, just pos-pos, neg-neg as you say. The stock wires are pluged into the speaker, so you would just snip off the plug.
From what I remember, the colors behind the radio only continue to the rubber grommet on the door jamb, after that they change. There are other wires bundled with them that go to the door switches, but the pigtail going down to the speaker is easy to locate.
The one probem is that aftermarket speakers require adapter rings to fit the oddly shaped hole in the door. Some have said the factory premium pioneer system has adapters you can re-use, while my base model did not, so I had to make my own. You dont state which factory system you have.
Also, its possible that the speakers arent the cause, it could be the wiring or the radio itself. And since the tweeters by the windsheild are wired in parallel with the door speakers, a problem there could affect the doors as well.
I have a number of pics I could post, if you need a look let me know.

plug adapters
 

It's very easy to do. you can get the wire and mount adapters from Crutchfield, if you buy the speakers from them, they give you both adapters for free. I also know that Autozone sells the wire adapters, but i'am not sure about the mounts.

Hope this helps.

Thanks guys. My driver's front door speaker hadn't worked for weeks and then last night it must have heard I was gonna switch it out as it works again. I had read from other threads that many others have had this issue and it appears it's most often the speaker, although a loose wire would certainly make sense as well. I guess I'll find out as it will stop working again shortly. My speakers are the factory ones for the 2006 LT1, not the pioneer system. The 6.5" speakers I bought have numerous mounting hole options for me so I'm hoping something will work. PROD, any pics you could share would be helpful of what I can expect. Thanks!

Ok, heres a few showing what the factory speaker setup is like. The problem is the hole in the door is not round, more of a teardrop shape. Also they are raised from the surface to seal against the interior panel. My solution was to make my own rings from MDF wood, but plastic adapters are available, try searching for them on ebay.

https://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/fil...6/IMG_2717.JPG

https://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/fil...6/IMG_2725.JPG

https://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/fil...6/DSC00459.JPG

https://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/fil...6/IMG_2732.JPG

https://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/fil...6/DSC00411.JPG

https://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/fil.../3/6/spkr1.jpg

That looks good, how much of a difference will aftermarket speakers make if I have the stock Pioneer setup?

Thanks Prod. Great idea with the MDF board. I've seen the plastic adapters on Amazon for $10 apiece but your solution seems like it would work fine too if i can't wait for the parts to arrive. Thanks!

The stock speakers are cardboard cones, and they sound like it. Lots of fuzzy midrange, and the tweeters are harsh.
IMO a quality component set or coaxials with proper crossovers will clear it up and bring out more detail.
Considering the amount of water that gets in our doors, my wood rings have held up well over the last couple years, but I may replace them with 1/2" polycarbonate.
Im thinking more mass is better, as soundproofing is based on adding mass to reduce movement of the body panels.

Did you add any dynomat or anything, I get quit a bit of rattle from my door panels.

Anyone know how many ohms are the factory speakers rated at?