Radio Problem

[SteveF]

When I purchased my 84 C4 it had an aftermarket Sony AM/FM/CD player installed. While the CD was shot the radio worked fine. After a few months of owning the car the radio stopped playing. No sound out of speakers.
I recently replaced the radio & the same problem exists. Radio working but no sound, no buzzing, nothing.

Any ideas what can be wrong. Car has original Bose speakers.

Thanks in advance.

 

[vetteboy86]

It is possible that the amps are no good. Also I would check the speakers themselves. With having an aftermarket CD player in the car, the previous owner might have damaged both. Just remove the speaker, inspect the unit, and go from there. I guess you could check to see if the signal was actually getting to the speaker. But for all four not to work, might be a wiring problem. Are you sure you hooked up the amp turn on wire for all the speakers?

 

[younggun]

i'm not to good with electronics but could your wireing from the cd player/radio just be comeing undone after driving around

 

[tyrel]

Since all four speakers are out, I would suspect the Bose relay, which is tucked underneath the passenger side dash. This relay controls all four amps. It's also possible that the amps inside the speaker boxes have simply given up after twenty-one years of use. You could have them reconditioned, or buy new ones. New ones are expensive! The Bose is a finicky system, maybe you should consider an aftermarket stereo.

 

[capkarl]

When I purchased my 84 C4 it had an aftermarket Sony AM/FM/CD player installed. While the CD was shot the radio worked fine. After a few months of owning the car the radio stopped playing. No sound out of speakers.
I recently replaced the radio & the same problem exists. Radio working but no sound, no buzzing, nothing.

Any ideas what can be wrong. Car has original Bose speakers.

Thanks in advance.

Check this site out. From what I hear, the Bose system is not really compatible with aftermarket radios. I believe the speakers are very low impeadance and only work as a system with their respective amps. Try the radio with another set of speakers (no amps) if it works, take out all the Bose stuff and start from scratch.

http://www.carstereohelp.com/

 

[Brianjt1987]

The Bose speakers will not work with an aftermarket stereo without a converter http://www.crutchfield.com/S-SziSuMzDMmZ/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?i=142C4GM01If yours were hooked up without this, they are most likley toast. You can put aftermarket 6x9 speakers in the rear & 4" speakers in the doors & still use the factory bose speaker grills. You will have use the outer parts of the front & rear Bose speaker boxs to mount the a/m ones. You will also have to run new wires to the speakers.

 

[nyernga]

The Bose speakers will not work with an aftermarket stereo without a converter http://www.crutchfield.com/S-SziSuMzDMmZ/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?i=142C4GM01If yours were hooked up without this, they are most likley toast. You can put aftermarket 6x9 speakers in the rear & 4" speakers in the doors & still use the factory bose speaker grills. You will have use the outer parts of the front & rear Bose speaker boxs to mount the a/m ones. You will also have to run new wires to the speakers.

I just did this last weekend. 6 x 9's fit very nicely in the rear. The 4in round also work well with a little modification. I also used the existing wiring and it sounds great. I know there are serious audiophiles who say run new wire but I have no complaints with the sounds as is.

Len

 

[Vettefan87]

The Bose speakers will not work with an aftermarket stereo without a converter

Nope they will work, because mine are hooked up the "bad" way I guess. All you have to do is take the little pink wire I think it is, cut off the connector, and splice it into the amp wire off the head unit and it will work. My brothers car has been like this for at least 4 years, and mine has been that way for two years. I have a JVC headunit, and my brothers is a pioneer.

 

[Brianjt1987]

I think that with an aftermarket head unit you are putting a high power signal into what is a low power imput on the a Bose amp so it will (could in your case)damage the amps. The pink wires out of the radio provide power to two of the amps & the power ant relay. I belive that there is a pink & black wire that powers the other amps.

But if yours is working then I stand corrected, since "the proof is in the Pudding", so to say.

I ran new wires in mine because I installed an Infinity 4ch amp.

 

[Vettefan87]

There is a little static, on lower volume, but it is never usually low. For me it was a cheap substitute, till one they blow, and two I get the money to get all new stereo equipment.