Hello i was wondering if anyone can tell me about the built in amp, like how many watts & other specs....also how can i disable the ABS, is as easy as just pulling a fuse & if so which fuse is it?

 

btw i am asking about the amp because 1 of my door speakers fried & i want to get new speakers & would like to know what would best as far as peak & rms watts & also i went to crutchfield & did a what speakers fit in my car & they are tryign to say that the door speakers are 4inch & i know they are bigger than that but im not sure if they are 6.5 or 5.25...have check other sites & i get mixed results.

 

the factory amplifier is 20 year old junk. disconnect and bypass. any new CD deck has 25x4 or even 50x4 watts and will drive a set of new speakers way better than that tired old amplifier. typically, the amp ran the rear and front door speakers, and the stereo ran the dashboard speakers. The amp is to the left of the steering column under the driver side dashboard. remove the kick panel and knee brace for access.

anyways, I have the wiring of my 1992 740/940 wagon here.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...6M1zjB8io/edit

I used speakers with crossovers, ignore that part, just pay attention to the D (radio connector) and E (amp connector) pins. you can get a harness at a good car stereo store (or catalog) that will plug into those volvo connectors, and let you wire the stereo to it.

and, on speakers....
940 speaker cutouts will hold a 5.25" speaker, or a 6" if you mod the speakers a bit. the post below links to a plastic speaker mount adapter that will make the 5.25" go in way easier.

this is my speaker install on the late 740/early 940. I *think* the 93 has the same door speakers as my 92.

my 92 740 wagon came with 5.25" rear door speakers and 3 ro 4" dashboard speakers, nothing in the front doors. I replaced the rears with some good 5.25" coaxial 2-ways, and put component (seperate) 6" in the front doors. .

the component speakers had an external crossover, which I mounted under the dash where the factory amp used to be, and installed the tweeters in the dashboard mounts. I think this was a mistake, and I should have put the tweeters in the doors, next to the woofers. I've had to turn the treble way down to sound balanced

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...71/#post325719

The JL Audio C2 series speakers I used sound really nice, and are quite reasonably priced. I'm using a new low end Alpine deck, I didn't need or want the 'features' of the more expensive models (bluetooth and such).

 

Be careful, this type of exploration usually leads to, "Help, I have electrical problems!"

 

thanks for all the info pierce, but i most likely wont be removing the amp...i have a nice sounding 200watt JVC head unit in & with the after market 6x9s i put in the rear it sounds pretty good going thru the factory amp, i was just wondering how many watts it was really...i tried googling it & all i found was the owner manual & all that described was the stock radio functions nothing about the speakers or amp, no audio specs at all. & the door speakers are really 5.25? a buddy of mine was thinking they were 6.5...but regardless he said hes got an old pair 6.5s laying around & we r gonna try sizing it up & see how it fits...hows about disabling the ABS? My buddy has a 93 bronco & said he was able to disable his ABS just by pulling the fuze & im wondering if its just that easy with my 940 & or is there more to it than that?

 

I doubt you're going through that factory amp, unless you have an adapter to the DIN plug it uses, and I've never seen ANY published spec for what the signals on that DIN plug are. odds are your speakers are wired direct to the deck, bypassing the factory amp. if you ARE using the factory amp, than that 50x4 JVC output is not being used.

I suspect the factory amp on a circa 1990 car was around 7-15 watts per channel

silly question, WHY do you want to disable your ABS? Volvo ABS works remarkably well (unlike the awful stuff in many american vehicles)

 

well i do have din plug for the radio & i think we tied it into the factory amp but maybe im wrong...it sounded really good until i fried the 1 door speaker...& btw yea u were right its def not a 6.5 speaker...the magnet was too big to even get it in.

& i want to disable the ABS because they dont really work..or they do when they want to...i had to lock up the brakes on my way home tonight to avoid hitting a deer so i know they werent workin then anyway...lol...& every once in a blue moon when i hit the brakes for a stop sign or light whatever when i slow to probably about 5mph the brakes basically let go like the abs is trying to prevent from locking up even they are not even close to doing so & the car pulls to right a bit...then i have to mash the brakes to try to stop before i hit the car infront of me & it does eventually start working again but when they do usually the brakes r just about locking up at that point because im on them so hard...i have yet to really even come close to hitting any1 but in winter when that happens it gets a bit scary...i changed out the front brakes & found out both calipers were hung up...1 i couldnt even free up had to take t napa & they manged to free it up...& i thought maybe thats what was causing my brake issues but it still happens occasionally...so to make a long story a little longer...lol...i want to disable the ABS to eliminate that possibility.

 

geez, your braking system sounds really skittish. I would REPAIR it, not disable it, as I really don't think its the ABS's fault you're having these issues.

first order of business should be to fully bleed the system and change the brake fluid, and check the functionality of all 4 brake calibers. if the front calibers were 'hanging up', I'm thinking its caliber rebuild or replace time. Note that bleeding a ABS system is quite a bit more involved then bleeding conventional brakes, and this doesn't change if you disable the ABS controller. you need a pressure bleeder that puts 30-45PSI into the brake system from the top. The greenbook for 1993+ 940ABS says to only use DOT 4+ brake fluid.

the *ONLY* time the ABS engages on my 92 745T is when I really slam on the brakes for an emergency stop in wet weather and a tire hits some wet paint on the road, THEN I feel a ltitle throbbing under the brake pedal letting me know the ABS is cycling. This is my 3rd or 4th volvo with ABS, and none of them have given me ANY problems even at high mileage.

 

I wish i could right now but i am on an extremely tight budget right now & i just cant fit it in...i will put the thought of disabling the ABS on the back burner for now tho. this is my 1st volvo & there are many things about i just love & a couple i dont, like fuel economy is pretty ****ty considering the size & weight of this vehicle it should really have a 6 cylinder instead of the 4, it feels so under powered 1/2 the time (i tend to have a bit of a lead foot & i average right at if not just under 20mpg mostly highway driving, my fuel gauge isnt working so i go by the trip meter & with it having just under a 20gallon tank i usually get just under 400miles), but thats really my only complaint, i love the tight turning radius & everything else really, do u or any1 else know if all european cars have such a tight turning radius (bmw or mercedes)? anyway thanks again pierce u seem to have a plethora of volvo knowledge =)

 

RWD cars like older volvos and benzes definitely do have a great turning radius.

if your 940 is a turbo, then yeah, 20ish MPG is about the best you get, I get 18ish around town, and maybe 23mpg on long road trips. if its a non-turbo, you should be getting more like 25 or even 27 on the highway, and low 20s leadfooting it around town.

my 92 wagon, the gas tank is only like 16 gallons, so I'm heading for theg as station at about 240 miles. thats the biggest drawback.

 

its actually a non-turbo & with the ummm i believe its 19.6 gallon tank, i would think i should be able to get around 500miles per tank if not a little more, but im always filling up between 350 & 400 miles...oh yea btw i read on here that the fuel gauge stopping working is a fairly common problem & that it has something to do with its connection to the back of the ummm brain fart...lol...dash cluster whatever u want to call it...lol..& that u have to remove the "cluster" & re-solder the connection...my question is how do i get the cluster from behind the steering wheel & is it very hard?

 

actually, the common problem with the fuel gauge is the wiring back at the gas tank. on a 940 sedan, this is behind the back seat under the carpet in the trunk, on the left side, there's an access plate, and its under there.

sedans do have bigger tanks than wagons, my 92 turbo wagon is only 15.8G

when you fill up, how much gas are you putting in? the reserve light comes on when there's still a couple gallons left.

 

hmmm the wiring by the tank aye...i had to get the fuel pump replaced a couple yrs ago & told the mechanic about the fuel gauge not working & he said he checked everything down by the tank & everything looked good. so i searched the forum for people with the same problem & saw a couple people say that the wiring behind the cluster corrodes & need to be re-soldered & then its good as new. & the reserve light comes on when it wants to, i had it come on at like 150 miles which wouldnt even quite be a 1/2 tank so i have no faith in that light. but i could always look...taking the backseat out is alot eazier than taking out the cluster im sure...lol...what would i be looking for, a loose connection, corrosion...?

 

you don't have to take the back seat out, the access is from in the trunk, under the carpet.

I'd be looking for rotting wiring right where it comes out of the tank.

 

oh i misread what u said...lol...even easier then...so it should be under the spare tire...there could be some corrosion there then...i had cooler in the trunk & somehow the plug wasnt closed so as all the ice melted it drained right into the trunk =/ so that probably didnt help anything, ill check it out this weekend.

 

Fuel gauge issues are mainly due to the SENDING UNIT in the tank, attached to the fuel pump, secondarily and pretty rarely, to the gauge itself. As all things electrical, the wiring is suspect but it is an outside chance. Your symptoms indicate BAD FUEL SENDER. The plate that slides up and down the rods wears out to the point where it gives crazy readings, including setting off the LOW FUEL LIGHT.

Water in the trunk CANNOT affect your fuel gauge connections.

Gas tanks go to 19 gallons in 940 starting in 1993, both sedans and wagons.

The cracked CIRCUIT BOARD CONNECTIONS in the back of the cluster usually affect a lot more than just the gauge reading, especially the warning lights. If you are not getting weird light action, your CB is OK.

 

its not under the spare tire, its forward of it, under the carpet, there's a ~9" or so metal plate held on by a few screws, and its under there.

 

lev, the fuel gauge hasnt worked since i bought my volvo about 2yrs ago & shortly after i bought it the fuel pump went on it & when i had it replaced at a shop i had the mechanic check that & he said he put in a new fuel sending unit & there was no change with the fuel gauge or low fuel light...but what u say makes sense because every once in while my fuel gauge will move off E but its not accurate by a long shot.

& ok Pierce ill check it out when i get the chance...been a crazy weekend so far & havnt had the opportunity yet.