Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 17:10:18 -0700
Reply-To: John-Reed Maffeo <rlpa80@EMAIL.SPS.MOT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John-Reed Maffeo <rlpa80@EMAIL.SPS.MOT.COM>
Subject: New Ground Wire for Rear Stereo - Part I
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
This is the first of a two part article describing the technique for
running a new ground wire for a rear mounted stereo speaker from
the dash.
This article is in two parts because I need your help to finish it.
The saga begins with the purchase of a new radio for my radio-less
vanagon. The PO had removed what ever had been there and left a nest
of wires neatly taped up.
I bought a new stero and hooked it up to the existing wires. It
sounded horrible. I tried several alternate hookup and the best sound
came from leaving the rear speakers disconnected:(
My children started bugging me to hook up the rear speakers so I
went to the list for advice. The problem is a clash between old and
new technology. Old technology rear speakers share a ground wire.
New technology speakers >require< a seperate ground. Shared ground
will burn up the amp!
The existing speaker wires run down a channel at the top of the
side wall just below the roof seam. This channel is not open from
end to end because part of it is used to distribute air through
the doors(???) and up a bulkhead and into this baffeled channel.
I first tried pulling one of the louvered vents from the cealing and
trying to fish a line up to the front and down over the door jam to
the area under the dash.
This just did not seem to work. I even tried running my fish wire up
through the existing harness, but couldn't do it. I just couldn't make
the turn from the roof down the window line.
So I tried moving over to the left side. I pulled the courtesy light
from over the drivers seat and tried to run my fish wire down the
channel to the under dash. It worked on the first try!!!
However, when I tried to run it to the back I failed. I can't seen
to run a wire through the existing harness or around it.
I have had one suggestion to run the wire on the floor and I will do
that if I have to, but I would like to either:
1. Run the wire along side the existing speaker wires through the
channel to the rear.
2. Run one on the other side.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
John-Reed Maffeo '86 Syncro - Glacie
Mesa, AZ