I just bought a 2003 LE. Before previous owner traded in at dealership, the aftermarket stereo was removed. No problem, I have a Sony head unit sitting around so i put that in. Previous wiring job has the aftermarket wiring harness wired to the factory connectors, properly (and professionally, it appears) done. I connect it to my Sony, powers up and works, EXCEPT the rear speakers. Fronts sound great. Disconnect factory harness and verify that rear speaker output from Sony is working (using meter on rear speaker wires).
So... look in back cargo area, driver's side panel where I've learned that the rear amp should be. There's a wide wiring harness back there, but no amp. I'm thinking this is my issue, and if I just buy another factory Bose amp that should take care of it, but I'm not sure.
For one, Nissan has two wiring harnesses at the head unit and one holds the four wires for the rear speakers, plus a blue wire for power antenna and a black wire for ground. Now, if I disconnect this factory connector (and keep in mind this is all wired correctly) the Sony still has power but no sound from either the front or rear speakers. Connect it back and I get the front speakers working again. This is a mystery to me...
Thoughts? Experiences? Should I just buy the amp and hope that is the missing link?
2003 Path LE - no amp, no rear speaker output?
Moderator: volvite
Yeah I'm looking at some on eBay for around 50 bucks.
I have a theory about the missing amp. The carpet in the rear cargo area is missing, and under the little storage bin in the floor it appears they didn't clean or detail and I found a ton of oily, sticky residue. I'm guessing at one time there was an oil spill in the back that contaminated the carpet so they just tossed it out. I would guess that maybe the amp got contaminated too and was removed? Either that or the previous owner had a custom stereo and decided to remove the amp along with it.
I'll update after I buy an amp, but I was really hoping someone had information about the rear speaker/front speaker mystery.
I have a theory about the missing amp. The carpet in the rear cargo area is missing, and under the little storage bin in the floor it appears they didn't clean or detail and I found a ton of oily, sticky residue. I'm guessing at one time there was an oil spill in the back that contaminated the carpet so they just tossed it out. I would guess that maybe the amp got contaminated too and was removed? Either that or the previous owner had a custom stereo and decided to remove the amp along with it.
I'll update after I buy an amp, but I was really hoping someone had information about the rear speaker/front speaker mystery.
Well, if the rear amp is missing, and assuming they didn't bypass the wiring for their custom setup, it would make sense that you don't have any rear speaker output as the power to the rear speakers would end at the open harness connector for the rear amp. The power would then go through the amp and on to the rear speakers. You could get a wiring diagram and connect the speaker wires at the connectors to complete the circuits for the speakers and get rear speaker output, but it would not be amplified. For $50, I would just get a used amp.
I agree with your second guess, that the previous owner likely had a rear subwoofer installed and removed the amp. Since it's an LE, can we assume that the original system was a Bose unit? If so, it would make sense that they removed the rear amp, as Bose systems use 1-ohm impedance speakers and amps and most aftermarket systems and non-Bose factory systems use 4-ohm impedance speakers and amps. If your original system was a Bose system and you are going to install a Sony deck, then there is no sense getting a factory amp for a Bose system, because you will be wasting your money. You'd be better off either bypassing the amp and connecting the appropriate wires at the harness connector or installing an aftermarket amp. I would also take a look at the door speakers; if the replaced the Bose deck with an aftermarket, they likely replaced the door speakers with 4-ohm type speakers. You might want to do some more investigating!
I agree with your second guess, that the previous owner likely had a rear subwoofer installed and removed the amp. Since it's an LE, can we assume that the original system was a Bose unit? If so, it would make sense that they removed the rear amp, as Bose systems use 1-ohm impedance speakers and amps and most aftermarket systems and non-Bose factory systems use 4-ohm impedance speakers and amps. If your original system was a Bose system and you are going to install a Sony deck, then there is no sense getting a factory amp for a Bose system, because you will be wasting your money. You'd be better off either bypassing the amp and connecting the appropriate wires at the harness connector or installing an aftermarket amp. I would also take a look at the door speakers; if the replaced the Bose deck with an aftermarket, they likely replaced the door speakers with 4-ohm type speakers. You might want to do some more investigating!
Hey thanks those are some great suggestions. I'm going on the assumption that it was originally a Bose system too. The front speakers sound like they are amplified - the put out far too much rich bass for only being amplified by the Sony head unit. But I disagree with you about the Bose amp for the rear. IF the system speakers in the rear are stock Bose units, the Bose amp would be best to replace since that amp will work best with those speakers. I plan to add a subwoofer (I have one left over from a previous installation); it's already in the back and the Sony amp is already mounted. I just have to run the wires for power, ground, and remote, and the RCA cables from the output of the Sony head unit. But this will be just for the sub only, I will still want the rear speakers to work from the factory wiring so I don't have to string speaker wires all through the PF for this. Oh, and I would try to test the wiring at the back where I think the Bose amp should be but I don't have a wiring diagram for that connector, but maybe I can figure it out based on the wiring at the head unit.
So I bit the bullet and spent $38 in the hopes that the Bose amp on eBay would be the fix. I plugged the connector into the amp and presto - working rear speakers. What was not so obvious was how the amp was supposed to be mounted. After trying various screw holes that didn't line up I simply just pushed it down into the fender well and called it good.
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