E46 Speakers not Working

[JST 0]

Hi All,

About 3-4 months ago the right hand side speakers started to irregularly make a scratching sound but continued to work.  This went on for about a week or two and then they stopped working completely.  Then, a month or so later the front left speaker stopped working, but would occasionally work at start up for a brief moment or two and then stop.  So right now I’m left with only the rear right speaker working.

 

I checked a couple of threads on the e46 websites and they seemed to suggest the amp was bad so I took it out and got it checked at a local hifi repair shop.  They assure me the amp is good!  Yesterday I took the head unit out to see if there were any obvious lose wires etc – but found nothing.  However, upon putting the car back together – the front right speaker worked briefly again before stopping.

Do you have any ideas / knowledge what might be causing this?  I’m tempted to try to replace the head unit, but don’t want to do so if it’s not that …!?

 

Any advice you can offer shall be very gratefully received 😊.

Many thanks,

 Jason

[Eagle 1680]

Factory head units and amps are basically unwanted parts here that can be had for no or very little cost, its easy to swap them out one at a time and re-test. If that doesn't help you probably want to test the speakers. 

[JST 0]

Thanks 🙂

[Neal 546]

I’d double check the connector pins on the quadlock connector into the amp looking for corrosion. It wouldn’t hurt to give them a spay with silicone based electrical spray.

The other cause if you have the factory nav version is the tuner connector. It’s actually has connectors in one. The two input connectors clip into tho the main connector and can become unseated by pervious owners. Have a close look at the connector and ensure that they are seated correctly and one of the pins are bent.

It could be the same for the head unit connector if you have the basic cd version. I didn’t know either way as I haven’t had that version in an e46. 
 

One issue with e46 speakers over time is that they use foam surrounds which get brittle and start falling apart. I don’t think it’s your issue as they normally crackle on bass lines when they are break up. Surrounds can be refoamed but better to replace them at that point.

 

 

[JST 0]

Hi. thanks for taking the time to reply.  I checked all the connectors on everthiny in the trunk when i took the amp out to get it tested and couldn't see any issues. Any having also removed the head unit, I made sure everything was secure prior to putting it back.

I have no idea what the problem is and have decided to replace the head unit with an android device that offers better connectivity (CarPlay etc).  Hopefully that should solve the issue, let’s see.

Thanks again. 😊🙏