93 TC Radio/Amp Problem

[smith]

Hi Folks!
My radio speakers went out and I need your help. I heard a small 'pop' followed by a larger 'pop' and the speakers went dead, no sound but the radio searches and stops and lights...everything except sound. If I turn the volume up all the way I do get a lil sound like in a tunnel and some static as I turn the volume up and stop and increase it. Do you think it is the radio or amp or something else? No fuse under the hood or dash is blown that I can see. And, I don't see a sub in this car. I'm not sure of the type of system, I don't see JBL on any of the speakers and the amp in the trunk doesn't have any label on it.

I bought a used amp and radio on Ebay from different sellers. When this used amp is hooked up, I don't get any sound at any volume. I replaced the radio with the one I bought but no change...I don't know if these were working or not since the sellers only say they thought they worked. The wires on the old amp and new amp are the same.

I should add that two of the windows stopped going up and down within three weeks of each other and I had them repaired at a shop (not a dealer) but they ran the battery down, recharged it a little and didn't tell me so two days later the battery was completely dead but recharged to full condition and works well...that was about a month before the speakers went out...I don't know if the problems are related or just my bad luck.

Any ideas of the problem, I would like to fix it myself...sorry for such a long post and would you please send any info to my email address at bobsmith102@comcast.net

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me on this problem.

[rj]

The head units for these years have a history of developing bad capacitors that make them fail. Most likely this is the problem. I would buy or borrow a known good "single din" head unit (Alpine's are good) and buy an adapter cable to allow a direct plug in to the factory harness. Typically the speaker level outputs are fine to drive the existing amp in the trunk which means no fancy preamp output head unit is needed. The factory amp does have an amp enable which must be energized for the amp to work. The aftermarket's power antenna output will usually work. You will probably end up with a better head unit with a CD player built in.

[RJ Sclafani]

I agree with RJ (nice name man), those stock radios are junk, mine did the same exact thing a while back.

[AceFrehley03]

So in other words, time for an aftermarket system. :D