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1990 Volvo 760 Radio Problems

Volvo4Life

Volvo4Life

New member
Joined
Nov 25, 2002
Location
Midwest - Ohio
okay, ive read about a million threads in relation to the addon AMP bundled with the 760 Premium upgrade that powers the 4 speakers, my problem being i have no power to them :( my two dash speakers work but i believe they're wired through the radio ? correct me if im wrong, now the speakers do kick on every once in a while, "this is very rare, and only for about 3 seconds" this leads me to believe it may be a loose ground on the amp ? but im not really sure, i've tried removing the amp by unscrewing the two mounting screws but their isn't much room underneath the steering colum and can't really figure out how to pull it out, is their anyway i can bypass the amp say if i was going to install an aftermarket stereo ? thanks for your input, any is appreciated, hopefully i can have good sound soon :)
 
I have a similar problem. My four speakers cut-out intermittently. When the four speakers quit it takes exactly 10 seconds for them to start working again. I can create the same speaker cut-out by unpluging the multi-pin connector in the back of the radio (the cable going to the amp) and then pluging it back in, it takes 10 seconds before the speakers start working. If any body has any answers I am very interested in fixing this annoying problem
 
Alright if they are kicking on for like 3 seconds then going off that means theirs a faulty ground on the amp. Volvos with the upper dash mounted stereo also had a stock amplifier lower in the dash in front of the gearshift behind the heating and ac controls, you can get to the wiring by dismanterling the side panel next to were yer right leg sits while driving. Basibly find a 12 gauge black wire comming off of a large matealic box with some heat sink fins on it. make sure that wire has good ground back the the chassis that should fix it. i had the same problem with my '93 240 and that fixed it. Though in the end i just opted to bypass the amp and put in a new stereo. hope that helps
 
yeah its very easy to get an aftermarket put in, though they dont make an aftermarket wiring kit for it so it has to be hard wired, this is one thing i would not suggest doing yourself, i used to be a professional car audio installer and it took me almot 2 and a half hours to bypass it due to the fact that you have to solder up a new harness. my solution take it to circuit city or best by, it will cost 40 bucks to have a new stereo put in but its worth not having the headach, but if you really wanna have a go at it i have a wiring diagram that will show you how that id be happy to email you
 
I have the amp business, and when I turn on the radio I hear a loud scratch sound mostly on the right side of the car. When I turn up the volume there is a slight fuzzy sound, could the volume knob just be bad? The stereo is otherwise clear as a bell.
 
could be corroding wire between the speaker and the amp, i've read all about this in old brickboard posts and would post a link but im lazy.. i thought that was my problem at first but the radio is clear when it cuts in for me
 
Finally went under the dash and pulled the amp to check it out. Nothing seemed amiss so opened it up for a look. When reinstalling I unplugged and plugged the connectors about ten times to renew the contacts and the thing has worked absolutely flawlessly for two days now. I guess 14 years of oxidization was causing less that perfect contacts.

Maybe if I unplug and plug the connector for my ECU I can find that extra free 20 hp I've been looking for.

On a more serious note, we talk about checking all ground connections and frequently change parts to try to fix intermittent problems. I would suggest that it might be worth the time taken to check all connectors related to components that we suspect may be causing an intermittent problem
 
have a similar problem

Hi 1st post here, just joined.

I have just purchased a 1990 760gle. I want to install an aftermarket (JVC) am/fm CD player. I have been told i MUST bypass the amp and as there are only wires for 4 speakers in the cd player i need to do something with capacitors to split the front speakers if i want to have both front door and dash speakers work. Can any one help?? can i get a harness to bypass the amp??
 
760 radio

DUGBRU said:
Hi 1st post here, just joined.

I have just purchased a 1990 760gle. I want to install an aftermarket (JVC) am/fm CD player. I have been told i MUST bypass the amp and as there are only wires for 4 speakers in the cd player i need to do something with capacitors to split the front speakers if i want to have both front door and dash speakers work. Can any one help?? can i get a harness to bypass the amp??
Click to expand...


I just got a used 760 radio for one that was ripped out of our dash. Cut all wires. Now I need a wiring diagram to put the mess back together again. Any help out there???
Papasparr
cpi@sdccu.net
 
radio wiring

i just finished wiring my 960 about a week or two ago. all you have to do is cut the wires at the amp connection. run about two to three feet of extension from those so you can get them to where the cd player is. you also have to cut the two dash speakers, the power and the ground and the ign. wires to run to the aftermarket cd player. to get the dash speakers to work all you have to do is run your RF and R dash to the RF output on the cd player. same on the left side. thats what i did and it works great. this web site helped me with figuring out what speakers were for what doors even though they didnt have my specific application http://www.installdr.com/ good luck ;-)
 
If you are thinking that you are going to use an aftermarket stereo anyway, just do that. The install is not that difficult. Just get those little crimp caps and do the install yourself. It's not as bad as some make it out to be. There is no reason to waste your time diagnosing the intermittent speaker problem if you are changing over to an aftermarket head unit in the future anyway.

Eamon
 
240sleeper said:
i just finished wiring my 960 about a week or two ago. all you have to do is cut the wires at the amp connection. run about two to three feet of extension from those so you can get them to where the cd player is. you also have to cut the two dash speakers, the power and the ground and the ign. wires to run to the aftermarket cd player. to get the dash speakers to work all you have to do is run your RF and R dash to the RF output on the cd player. same on the left side. thats what i did and it works great. http://www.installdr.com/ good luck ;-)
Click to expand...
i second this install process i installed everything imaginable in cars for about 7 yrs and thats what i would have done.
 
Jagman_1 said:
yeah its very easy to get an aftermarket put in, though they dont make an aftermarket wiring kit for it so it has to be hard wired, this is one thing i would not suggest doing yourself, i used to be a professional car audio installer and it took me almot 2 and a half hours to bypass it due to the fact that you have to solder up a new harness. my solution take it to circuit city or best by, it will cost 40 bucks to have a new stereo put in but its worth not having the headach, but if you really wanna have a go at it i have a wiring diagram that will show you how that id be happy to email you
Click to expand...

Please man could send me the wiring diagram in oder to install a new cdplayer in my 1990 volvo gle estate. I am having problems to understand the wiring system. Would be great if you could send by email for me. glaucotulio71@hotmail.com
Thanks
Glauco
 
Hand_Grenade.jpg



trust me, it's easier.
 
The 760/960 amp is under the dash kinda behind the headlight switch. If you want better and/or louder sound, what I would do is keep the stock 760 radio (has a much nicer tuner than the SC-810/811 IMO) and just get a new AMP. If you want a CD player, go for one of the CD equipped SC radios (altho the SC-810/811 can control a spendy Alpine/Volvo CD changer).
 
FYI I had odd speaker cutting out issues with the same setup, ended up being cold solder joints in the amp itself...after a very close inspection and an attack with the soldering iron the problems went away. Then shortly after I used the grenade effect, and ripped it all out for 2 amps, new head unit, 12" sub, 4 new speaks and all new wiring.
Mark
 
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