I recently bought a '95 Volvo 850 GLT wagon with the Premium Sound System installed. The two rear speakers have not worked since i bought the car- the left rear one will work when plugged into another radio, which indicates that the speaker itself is not broken, rather it is a problem with the radio or the wiring. The right rear speaker is cracked and cannot be repaired. However, when i plugged the left (operational) speaker into the right speaker plugs to test it out it did not work, which leads me to believe that either the radio or the wiring to both rear speakers is broken. For some reason it's crazy expensive to replace the radio or speakers with aftermarket parts because of the Premium Sound System. Is failure of the rear speakers/radio a common problem? If so, is there an easy fix? Also, is there an inexpensive place to buy a new right rear stock speaker (1 stock speaker from Volvo dealer is about $175)? Thanks!

 

Does your car have an amp?

 

I think it does- one reason that an aftermarket system was so expensive was because they would have to "bypass the amp", and also each of the speakers has a wire going to it labeled "Amp", so it seems to have one. It's probably part of the premium sound system. There is no aftermarket power amp or anything, just the premium system radio.

 

Look on the back of the radio and see if you have the round din cable in the AMP position on the radio. The 850 is the easiest car to bypass the amp on. It will take about 5 minutes.

 

There is a round slot labeled AMP but there is no cable going to it

 

Another way to check is to look behind the radio in the dash. Look on the front of the white climate box and see if there is an amp mounted there.

 

I do not see an amp there either, however at this point i dont think i will replace the speakers anyway. It would just be easier to find the part of the wiring that is causing the speaker to flicker on and off. Could you tell me how the speaker wiring is run to the back speakers (for example under the floor and through the side pillar)?

 

I believe it is tied inthe main harness that runs underthe carpet along the floor.