20 replies to this topic

[kempy]

OK so my mini has 2 speakers on the parcel shelf that were put there by the last owner but only the one on the passenger side works. When I took them out for closer inspection I noticed that both speakers worked with the wiring going to the passenger side, therefore it wasn't a problem with the speakers.

When I tried the drivers side speaker BY ITSELF it worked! As soon as the other one was plugged in all the sound went to it and none came from the drivers side speaker???

Is this something to do with the wiring to the speakers??? and has anyone got an idea how it can be fixed!

[Ouster]

Best way is to trace the wires back to the HU (or amp if they're wired to that). The HU will have a sticker on the back which will tell you how the wires should be.

[jwb_moto]

for a standaard ISO wiring harness the stereo wiring should look like this



For reference the negative side on each speaker should have a trace (normally in black)

[kempy]

for a standaard ISO wiring harness the stereo wiring should look like this



For reference the negative side on each speaker should have a trace (normally in black)

cheers for that... i will have a look in the morning! it is an old head unit though and from what i remembered it looked a bit different from that

[kempy]

ok so i couldn't wait till the morning and have just had another look tonight after work.

there isn't an ISO connector on the headunit and when I opened it up it looked a bit complicated, however nothing stands out as being wrong with the wiring...

Anyway suddenly an idea came to me! The headunit is a retro Harvard F980A and on the top it says:

Max output power - 2 x 6w
Impendance - 4ohms

Then I had a look at the speakers that had been put in and they were Goodmans CX12 with 12W RMS.

Therefore both speakers have a power of 24W but the headunit can only manage 12W


Is this the reason why the speaker works when plugged in by itself but as soon as the other is connected the first stops working?

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[Ouster]

Wouldn't have thought so...you should still be able to hear something from both speakers.

[jwb_moto]

Kempy,

I see your a fan of the Posh. Im from just outside Peterborough (little village called Maxey near Market deeping) if you get stuck you can pop round and il have a look for ya.

Are you in the Posh Mini Owners Club?

[merlinsteve]

going in a different direction here but are your speakers wired together? if so then the power may not be enough to power both speakers, i would check this out. I often think it is just easier to run new wires so that you know they are sound and not shorting anywhere.
also take note of the wire size. the bigger you can run the better as alot of power can be wasted running too small.
Hope you get it going easily
Steve

[kempy]

going in a different direction here but are your speakers wired together? if so then the power may not be enough to power both speakers, i would check this out. I often think it is just easier to run new wires so that you know they are sound and not shorting anywhere.
also take note of the wire size. the bigger you can run the better as alot of power can be wasted running too small.
Hope you get it going easily
Steve

yer well I am thinking of getting new headunit and speakers soon and by fixing it now I could just replace it with existing wires, but it now seems as if it will be easier just to get new speaker wires and starting again from scratch Anyway I need to build a new parcel shelf and fit speaker board before then.

[merlinsteve]

I have done a bit of car stereo install and have just posted some tips in this forum it the topic ice help. if you are doing a new system then it may be worth a read.
if you have any questions then feel free to ask
Regards
Steve

[kempy]

ok so if i wanted to replace head unit, speaker wires, and speakers I would remove the red power cable and aerial then connect these some how to a new headunit and speakers???

[jwb_moto]

When your ready il come and show you what to do. From the sounds of it i think you will have to start from scratch again.

You'll need the following bits to fit a Head unit aswel as the stereo and a pair of speakers.

Universal ISO wiring harness harness

Speaker cable (if your new speakers dont come with them)cable

Speaker terminal for above (again if your speakers dont come with any)crimp terminals

some heat shrink(this will be used to cover all the soldered joints)heat shrink

And for neatness and to make it look proffessional i always spray the crimp terminals with some satin black paint.

You'll also need to some basic hand tools to take the seats etc out so you an get under the carpet, a drill( to drill a hole in the rear seat backplate to pass the speaker cables through, thats if you mount them in the sae place)

I can sort out the crimping tool, soldering iron, electrical testers etc if you dont have any bits like this.


Things to consider;

where do you want to fit your speakers?

do you just want to renew the system and keep t simple?

or is it something you may want to expand on in the future?

Planning is the key

[kempy]

Things to consider;

where do you want to fit your speakers?

do you just want to renew the system and keep t simple?

or is it something you may want to expand on in the future?

Planning is the key

I'm going to have 2 new speakers under the rear seat connected to a new headunit.

So to start It is just renewing the old system and moving where the speakers are, however I may want to make it a more powerful system in the future.

[jwb_moto]

When your ready give me a shout.

[kempy]

ok I had a fiddle and have managed to get both of the old speakers working again with the old headunit.

This is what it looks like behind the headunit



will i need to buy a standard ISO harness and re wire it in to make it compatible with a new headunit?