I wonder if anyone can help me with a front speaker recommendation for my 1994 940 Turbo. I would like to go OEM but that is going to set me back $NZ250 ($US200) and so have been looking towards my favourite audio brand Pioneer.

My search lead me to this page All speakers for Volvo 940/960 (10-1990/12-1996) - Pioneer UK and of all those listed the TS130ci looked the most understated. I note that the existing speaker is cut off at the top to allow the speaker covers to fit over them. Wonder if anyone has any advice or thoughts in general or specifically related to the fit or compatibilty of the TS130ci.

The dealer mentioned that Volvo offered a twin cone and co-axial option. My speakers are definitely single cone but I don't even know what a co-axial speaker is?

With thanks in anticipation.

 

the front and rear doors will hold standard 5.25" speakers, but you'll need an adapter plate as the hole is too big. with minor mods you can get 6" speakers in there. the screw holes won't line up on either of these, but its pretty easy to drill new holes.

here's how I installed a pair of premium JL Audio 6" component (seperate tweeter) speakers in my 745T... the 6" woofers went in the doors after I trimmed a bit of a flat off the top of the speaker flange, using a dremel tool. if you do this trim, put the speaker in a plastic bag with blue masking tape around where you want to cut, this will keep the iron filings out of the speaker



what fancy speaker?



I also had to remove a rubber trim piece off the magnet from the back of the speaker, this was just cosmetic. I had to use a fair amount of RTV (silicone aquarium adhesive) on the door pocket and such to reduce buzzes at high volumes. I also used RTV around the speakers to seal them against the doors, this eliminates 'wheezing' from bass air pressure leaking around the speaker flange.

the titanium dome tweeters from these speakers are mounted behind the factory dashboard speaker grills, after removing the factory speaker cone and magnet, the tweeters are just glued in place with more silicone. I put the crossovers under the driver side dash about where the crappy factory amplifier was, then hooked the factory speaker wiring that originally went to the OEM amp to my crossovers (you won't have this issue if you don't use seperate component speakers), and then wired the crossovers to my alpine 50W x 4 indash CD deck.. Oh, I found the speakers fit best with the terminals at '12 o'clock', as there was more room for the wires there.

I also installed JL Audio 5.25" 2-way coaxial speakers in the rear doors, using these adapters PVC Speaker Adapters - CNC Machined - In Stock or Custom Made
sorry, no pictures. turned out the adapters worked best BEHIND the door panels, and yes, I used RTV on both the door panel to adapter and speaker to panel to seal things up nicely. the rear door speaker magnets ran into the metal on the door, so I widened the hole a bit with my dremel and a grinding wheel, just had to remove about 1/8th inch (2-3mm) for them to fit.

oh. 'coaxial' speakers have a separate tweeter mounted in the middle of the main driver. the stock speakers are just paper cone simple speakers, the 'dual cone' thing is mostly cosmetic its just a small paper cone glued to the middle of the main cone, the theory is it gives you a little better treble, but mostly its a joke.

.

 

Hi Pierce

Thanks for your thoughts. You are obviously an expert in an area which I fear to tread. In truth chopping the top of the speaker off was more of a mod than I wanted to do let alone all that silicone and hole drilling. My brother was just talking about bathroom renos and saying that you should keep the next owner in mind. I think I naturally take that approach and would therefore be reluctant to depart so far from original in terms of my own refit.

I tend to see money as time.. or my preparedness to wait until I have it. Unless I can find a speaker which directly substitutes for OEM I can see myself just waiting until I have the money to go. May even try sourcing it in the US.

Thanks for that definition of co-axial. I will look more carefully next time.

 

well, you don't need to hack the speakers to install 5.25" in the front doors, you just need something like that adapter I linked, that makes up the difference in size. the new speakers are put on the inside of the door panel, and the adapter goes behind hte panel, and the screws supplied with the adapter go through the new speakers into the pre-drilled holes in the adapter, easy as can be.

the aquarium sealant was recommended by the adapter company actually, and its a good idea, as having speakers installed airtight makes them sound better. the nice thing about aquarium sealant is, it slices and peels off rather easily, its not permanent like an epoxy, yet its really stable so it should last the life of the car or speakers.

believe me, decent aftermarket speakers sound 10X better than anything Volvo put in our 1990's vintage cars. btw, the stock speakers are riveted in, so you'll need a 'pop riveter' to install them. I drill out the old rivets to replace them. the door panel is just pressboard, really easy to drill through with a small hand drill, as you can see, my install looked totally stock when the factory covers are reinstalled (and I really do need a nicer looking set of covers, mine are kind of ratty looking).

 

One for you Pierce. VOLVO 940 INTERIOR PARTS 1991-1995 at Swedish Auto Parts Bottom of the page are new speaker covers and affordable.

Sir thanks in abundance for continuing to push your point. I am coming around to the aftermarket idea. Your adapter looks to be just the ticket and silicone isn't invasive at all. Still trying to visualise the adapter going behind the panel. My speakers are screwed not riveted and it would be a really neat fix if I could just put the adapter on the panel without attempting to pull it off leading to the inevitable atrocities committed on holding lugs. (I see they are only $1.25 in the above link).

 

actually, 740/940 door panels are really easy to remove without damaging anything.

1) unscrew and remove the **** from the lock
2) slide the speaker cover forward and remove it (yes, this holds the door panel on)
3) remove the red lens from the courtesy light in the door frame
4) quarter turn and lift out the plastic 'screw' in the door handle cup, wedge the window/mirror control module up a bit, remove the plastic trim from said door handle cup
5) remove the three white plastic clips on hte bottom of the panel by inserting a small screwdriver and prying them straigth down while keeping the bottom of the clips horizontal
6) swing bottom of door panel out, lift off window frame, unplug speakers and courtesy light wire, place panel on a clean surface.

 

HA!! I agree. Pierce does things which scare me to do. I like to read about them. Someday I'll have the guts.

 

Excellent thanks.. I will keep this for reference. :-)

 

Yes I am definitely scared too. Thoughts of fitting new air filters to my Honda Fireblade.. the very first seat screw I removed brought with it a collar which promptly disappeared behind the swingarm never to be seen again. I was feeling over-confident at the time however and so a good dose of fear is probably a healthy thing.

Once I can visualise everything I am fine. For a start I will probably stick with the smaller 5.25 inch speakers so that no dremelling is required. :-)

 

OH. all my instructions are for a 740 or early 940. the last couple years got a different design, the speaker is mounted down low, yada yada.

here's the early style,
Imageshack - 70898901wt1.jpg
note the bottom clips 6, you want to insert the small screwdriver into the middle of that clip so you can pry it straight down, not on the ends which will just spin the clip and frustrate you. if you have a non-US car with hand crank windows (AFAIK, all US 740/940's came with power windows), you also remove the window crank, I neglected to mention that as I've not seen one.

this is the newer style, that I'm personally unfamiliar with
Imageshack - 85486612xu2.jpg

 

Many thanks Pierce.. you really have gone above and beyond here. All will no doubt be revealed re the "screwdriver in clip" as will diagrams come into their own when I finally stare down the stony reality of the thing. I am presently doing what all great men do when confronted by a thorny dilemma.. procrastinating :-)

I think I will attempt removal part by part and slap it back together again if it gets scary. Mine is the later model which calls for a "weatherstrip" tool for several of the removals.. can you enlighten me as to what that is?

 

I think its like a plastic thin blade without sharp edges on a handle. you might be able to use a small putty knife in a pinch. I dunno, the weather strip on the 740 and early 940s' stays attached to the door panel when its removed.

 

I installed Polk MM521s 5.25 inch speakers in the back and db651 6.5 inch speakers in the front. They both fit with the original speaker cover over top of it, so there is no visible /obvious mod to the car door.
Going with the larger 6.5 inch makes a huge improvement to the low end. If enyone is intrerested, let me know I will add instructions/pictures for the front door instalation.

 

What a strange term for a part which goes inside the vehicule. I now realise I have the older model and so if that carpety thing is a weather strip it simply sits tight.. which is probably the best thing Seth Efrican turned English text bully :-) Kevin Pietersen could be doing round about now.

 

Hey IC53.. I for one am certainly interested in an alternative approach. (The reason I own 2 motorbikes.. they both teach me different things). Bearing in mind that these speakers are past their use by date I am sure their will be a lot of other Volvo owners who appreciate your contribution in times to come.. maybe even resident expert Pierce will take something from it :-)

 

btw, re weather strip tool, I found a tool by that name in a auto tool catalog which looked like a flat metal angled end with a notch in it on a handle, but I think this is what Volvo has in mind...

Genuine Volvo Weatherstrip "Bone" Tool - ViVA Performance

so basically any sort of plastic tool wit a thin smooth tip should suffice

 

yeah, on the 740/early 940, that carpet panel insert thats above/beside the door latch handle stays where it is, its glued to the door panel.

afaik on the new style door, the piece you're removing with the weatherstrip tool is the window sill wiper. on the older style doors, this stays attached to the door panel.

oh, and its VERY possible that this new style door is only on the 1996+ 'restyled' car (and S90/V90), as well as non-US model 940's sold in 1996+ (the 940 was discontinued in the US after the 1995 model year) as that door panel design looks very much like the one on my wife's former 1998 S90 (sold for scrap with a blown motor due to premature timing belt failure)

 

Thanks again Pierce.. I was already visualising bone but in the form of a bone-handled butter knife. Pretty close but one wonders what the pointed end is about.

 

Oops I missed this. Strange that there should be US and non-US styles. I have worried about this when buying parts from America. I know through painful experience of buying all the wrong indicator parts for my Honda CBR1000RR that US bikes are different to everyone else's.. (and not in a good way I might add.. the US indicators ain't that purty).

What a bugger to lose a perfectly good engine because of a timing belt failure. I would junk the jolly thing on principle and write filthy letters in Svaydish to anyone who would listen.. and even more so to anyone who wouldn't. (I have just been doing same in respect of my Kawasaki ZX14 after the sales manager at the out of town stealership who sold it to me played some very cheap tricks.. Bcmtaurangacowboygavinsokolichachoo!!).

I have heard it from the previous owner of my car and another local enthusiast that the company has gotten too clever for itself. Referring to the fact that the computer and electronic wizardry cannot be relied on. Another story about a locally sold late model Volvo is that the windscreen wipers would sometimes switch on off their own accord. Actually that very expensive car was so jinx ridden that the owner simply gave it back and had his money refunded.

Not sure where I got this from but I think I can afford to lose a cam belt on my 940 without fear of the pistons and valves getting into a deep and meaningful together. One or two of the other belts needed replacing recently and so I did the lot even though the timing belt wasn't due for a goodly period. Think if I owned one of the others I would change that evil belt every thousand miles.

 

fwiw, almost all new cars, if the timing belt breaks, you're replacing valves and maybe pistons. the B230 'redblock' was one of the last non-interference motors of any sort.

doing the rebuild on our S90 would have exceeded the cars bluebook value, and we were able to sell it to a mechanic for like $2500 as the body+interior were cherry, she rebuilt it for her son to take to college (one of the perks of working in a fully equipped volvo shop)