Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2017 14:10:26 -0400
Reply-To: Larry Alofs <lalofs@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Larry Alofs <lalofs@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Stereo weirdness, electrical gremlins...
In-Reply-To: <CAEwp_cRV0c2q-BoqtkXzUZnaQ-XsjBm4Ed11q0M1Vgv+ATM5XQ@mail.gmail.com>
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Marc,
My '91 GL developed radio static when the brake pedal was pushed. I
cured it by replacing one of the brakelite switches.
Does your Westy have two separate pairs of wires going to the rear
speakers, or the older setup where the "ground" wire was shared between the
two speakers? The latter arrangement is incompatable with many modern
radios.
Larry A.
On Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 11:39 PM, Marc Perdue <mcperdue@gmail.com> wrote:
> First, I haven't done any electrical testing; I just wanted to put these
> symptoms out here and see if it rang any bells with anybody. I will be
> testing this soon.
>
> Some time ago, I reported here that I had gotten some Blauplunkt Blue Magic
> 4" speakers for the front of my '87 auto Westy. I installed them, and some
> extended window cranks, and they sounded GREAT. Then I had engine trouble
> and my van wound up in a shop for an extended period while they built me a
> new engine.
>
> Fast forward to post engine replacement. After I got the van back, the
> front right speaker no longer worked. Before I got a chance to troubleshoot
> that speaker, I noticed some other weirdness and set about identifying some
> symptoms. Herewith:
> 1) When I press the brake pedal, there is static on the radio. I'm thinking
> this is when the pedal engages the brake light switch?
> 2) With my 5-year-old son, who's proven to have a good ear and be quite the
> diagnostician, I tested fade and balance, because it seemed that something
> would change in the sound field periodically. When faded all the way to the
> rear, we discovered that balance has no effect on the rear speakers.
> 3) When faded all the way front, balance works and there is no sound from
> the right speaker.
> 4) The subwoofer, I think it's a 6" Bazooka, sounds better than it's ever
> sounded; i.e., the cross-over electronics appear to be working perfectly.
> 5) My son has reported, while driving, that the sound drops out of the rear
> speakers periodically, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as
> to why.
>
> On an additional but unrelated note, the last time I had it in to
> Crutchfield to try to get it working the way I want it, and to stop a
> battery drain issue I was experiencing, they moved the power so that the
> head unit is only on when the engine is running or the key is turned past
> the Accessory setting. I'd rather have it work on the Accessory setting as
> well as when the engine is on, so I'm going to move the power input to the
> stereo when I work on it.
>
> I continue to be impressed with how efficient the original speakers are, as
> tiny as they are, and with paper cones. Had my front ones not given up the
> ghost, I probably would have kept them. Having said that, these Blue Magic
> speakers are a killer replacement!
>
> Now, to just get everything working right...
>
> One thing after another...
> Marc Perdue
>
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