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 Post subject: Replacing speakers in a KJ with the factory Infinity system
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 6:46 am 
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I'm writing this partly as future reference for how I replaced the front and rear speakers in our 2005 KJ CRD with the factory Infinity sound system, but also partly as a one-stop-shop for anyone else looking to do the same. All of this info is out there in other places, but as I never found it all in one location it seemed like it would be worth gathering in one thread.

Apologies up front for the lack of photos; I generally don't think to take them when I'm working on stuff. As a result, I'll do my best to keep the descriptions of what's involved accurate. Also, please read completely through the instructions before starting in on this; it'll help with planning the amount of time you'll need to do the job.

There are a few things worth understanding before you begin:

  • The factory Infinity system places an amplifier directly on each of the front speakers. This amp also feeds the rear speaker on the same side as the front speaker. If the amp is dead or disconnected, there will be no sound from the rear speakers.
  • The speakers used by the Infinity system are 2-ohm speakers. Most aftermarket automotive speakers will be 4-ohm speakers. This difference does not pose a problem and can safely be ignored.
  • To replace the front speakers, two holes will need to be drilled in each of the front door frames. Additionally, the wiring coming from the amps to the front speakers will need to be modified. If you're not comfortable with doing that, stop here and take it to a shop to have the work done.
  • Clearance between the interior door panel speaker aperture and door frame is generous. Unless you're using some ludicrously-massive speakers, there likely won't be issues with either fitment or window operation if you use the recommended parts.
  • This does not address replacing the tweeters in the dash. However, those will continue to work as per usual after replacing the speakers in the doors.

Tools needed:

  • Philips screwdriver(s)
  • Flathead screwdriver (fairly broad)
  • T20 Torx driver or equivalent
  • 1/4"-drive ratchet with an 8mm deep-well socket bit
  • Electric drill
  • Optional: soldering iron, solder, crimper, splice connectors, electrical tape, heat-shrink tubing.

Parts required:

  • Replacement speakers (your choice; 6.5" recommended front and rear)
  • 2 packs of Metra 82-6600 speaker adapter rings (if replacing only one pair of speakers, order just 1 pack)
  • 1 pack of Metra 72-6514 speaker harness adapters (only required if replacing rear speakers)
  • Approximately 2 feet of 16-gauge speaker wire (only required for front speakers; recommend getting this from your local car stereo installers)
  • Appropriate connectors to attach to your speakers' terminals (only required for front speakers; recommend getting this from your local car stereo installers)
  • 4 M5x0.8 pan-head screws, 40mm length (only required for front speakers; check your local hardware store)
  • 4 nylock nuts to fit above screws (only required for front speakers; check your local hardware store)

Hint: Best Buy carries the speaker adapter rings and speaker harness adapter. They'll price-match Amazon provided that the items are sold by amazon.com. If you need to get them on the day of installation, this might be an option for you.

Set aside an afternoon to do this. It's not a difficult job, but depending on how and what you decide to tackle it can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a good chunk of a day.

Interior door panel removal:

The procedure is essentially the same for each door so you may as well get all of the ones you need to remove out of the way up front.

Begin by opening the door fully and rolling the window completely down; it'll make things more convenient later on.

There are two Philips-head screws that need to come out: one is in the bottom of the door pull moulded into top of the armrest; the other is under a small plastic panel located behind the interior door handle. The small plastic panel can be popped out with a flathead screwdriver.

Starting at the bottom, gently prise up a corner of the door panel until you can get your fingers under it (gloves may make things more comfortable). Working towards the top, pull the door panel out all the way around its perimeter until all of the plastic fasteners are free. Be careful to not pull too hard; you don't want to damage either the rods or wiring located behind the panel, or bend or tear the panel itself. The door locks can be pushed down through the panel to free them once the panel is off.

Unplug any electrical connectors from the door, and unclip the door rods from the door handle. If you don't unclip the door rods, you're likely to find out later on just how brittle the clip's plastic is, and you'll be left without a working interior door handle until you can find a replacement as a result. Ask me how I know this.

Roll the window back up completely.

With the panels removed, you can now start swapping out the speakers. We'll begin with the ones at the front since they're going to most determine how you spend your time.

Front speaker replacement:

Remove the three Philips-head screws holding the speaker to the door frame and save them. Pull the speaker slightly upwards while tilting it towards you; the amplifier is attached to the bottom of the speaker and will have to be wrangled through the speaker opening. Unplug the connector at the bottom of the amp going to the vehicle's wiring harness.

There should be a black and a red wire coming from the amp to the speaker. Cut the terminals off of the wires as close to the terminals as possible; you can disconnect them from the speaker first if it makes things easier. Next, using the T20 Torx driver, remove the two Torx screws holding the speaker to the amp and separate them. Keep the Torx screws and amp; discard the speaker.

At this point, you'll need to extend the wiring from the amp to the speaker by approximately 1 foot. There are two options:

1) Take the amps to your local car stereo shop and have them do it for you. Frankly, if you need to go to them anyway to pick up 16-gauge speaker wire and terminals for your new speakers, it's just easier to let them handle it. It's a simple job, so turnaround should be fairly quick and they probably won't charge much to do it.

2) DIY. Solder or crimp one end of the extension wiring to the amp (cover the join with electrical tape or heat-shrink tubing if soldering); solder or crimp the new speaker terminals to the other end. Done.

Note: if your speakers came with new wiring and you're thinking of using it, check it very carefully against the wiring already coming out of the amp. Chances are it's smaller-gauge than what you'll find at the amp; if this is the case, do NOT use it. Replace with the correct-gauge wiring and terminals as specified.

Assuming that your amplifiers have been suitably-modified, it's time to drill the door. You're going to do this in order to be able to permanently-mount the amps to the door. I do not recommend skipping this step in favour of leaving them rattling around loose in the bottom of the door; water collects in there and will ruin them if they get wet. Ditto using Velcro or other adhesives to hold them in place: if they fall off, you'll have the same problem.

If you haven't already, ROLL THE WINDOW UP COMPLETELY. You'll need the space it drops into to work in, and you don't want to risk putting a drill bit through the glass.

Take a look at the amp. There are two holes going straight through it where the factory speaker had previously been mounted to it; you're going to use them as a template for drilling.

Hold the amp up against the door directly below the speaker opening with its electrical connector facing straight towards the ground. No part of it should be intruding on the speaker opening, but the top of it should be as close to the speaker opening as you can manage. Using the two aforementioned holes going through the amp, mark off your drilling points.

Next, using a drill bit slightly smaller in diameter than the M5x0.8 40mm screws, drill the mounting holes. Once that's done, use the T20 Torx screws that were removed from the factory speaker to tap the holes; the T20 Torx screws can be removed and discarded after this point.

Take two of the M5x0.8 screws and thread them about an inch into the holes you just drilled. Reconnect the amp to the wiring harness, and place it inside the door (the flat all-plastic side should be against the door frame) such that the M5x0.8 screws can start working through the holes on the amp. Continue screwing in the M5x0.8 screws until slightly after you can feel them starting to come through the back of the amp.

This is where it gets fiddly for a bit. Thread the nylock nuts onto the screws now protruding out of the back of the amp enough that they'll hold themselves in place. Putting the 1/4-inch drive ratchet with the 8mm deep-well socket onto them, continue threading the M5x0.8 screws from the front until the screws can go no further. Use the ratchet to finish tightening down the nylock nuts.

The worst of it is now over. Don't worry; the rear speakers are much easier to replace. On the plus side, your front speakers also will be from this point forward if one ever dies.

Grab a speaker adapter ring and look at the tabs coming off of it. If you purchased the Metra kit, you'll notice that there are two sets of tabs: one set is long, one set is short. One of the longer tabs is squarer in shape at its end. Using the screws saved from removing the factory speaker from the door frame, mount the squarer long tab on the adapter ring to the mounting hole at the 12 o'clock position; two of the shorter tabs should line up with the other two factory speaker mounting holes at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions and can be screwed down into them.

Now look at the speaker ring again. You should see a number of grooves cut into the face of it: these are what your new speaker will mount to. Connect the extended speaker wires from the amp to the speaker, align the mounting holes in the speaker to the grooves, and screw the speaker down to the adapter ring using the screws supplied with the speakers.

If your speakers came with grilles you may be able to use them depending on fit, but given that they'll be protected behind the interior door panel there isn't really much point in doing so. They also introduce the potential for rattles and clearance issues, so are probably best left out.

Check that the speaker is functional. If it is, great; if not, go back and check your electrical connections. Once it has a clean bill of health, roll the window down completely and check that it's not interfering with the amp, speaker or wiring. It shouldn't, but better to find out now than after you've put the interior door panel back on.

Speaking of the interior door panel, if everything checks out you can reinstall it. In the infamous words of the Haynes manual, reinstallation is the reverse of removal.

Rear speaker replacement:

This is much easier than replacing the front speakers. We'll start by assuming that you've already removed the interior door panel.

Unscrew the three Philips-head screws holding the factory speaker to the door frame and save them. Remove the speaker from the door, unplugging the factory wiring connector on the back of the speaker. Connect the speaker wiring adapter to the factory wiring connector. Discard the speaker.

Now grab a speaker adapter ring and look at the tabs coming off of it. If you purchased the Metra kit, you'll notice that there are two sets of tabs: one set is long, one set is short. One of the longer tabs is squarer in shape at its end. Using the screws saved from removing the factory speaker from the door frame, mount the squarer long tab on the adapter ring to the mounting hole at the 12 o'clock position; two of the shorter tabs should line up with the other two factory speaker mounting holes at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions and can be screwed down into them.

Now look at the speaker ring again. You should see a number of grooves cut into the face of it: these are what your new speaker will mount to. Connect the wires from the speaker wiring adapter to the speaker, align the mounting holes in the speaker to the grooves, and screw the speaker down to the adapter ring using the screws supplied with the speakers.

Similar to the front speakers, if your speakers came with grilles you may be able to use them depending on fit, but given that they'll be protected behind the interior door panel there isn't really much point in doing so. They also introduce the potential for rattles and clearance issues, so are probably best left out.

Check that the speaker is functional. If it is, great; if not, go back and check your electrical connections and that the front amps are connected and working. Once it has a clean bill of health, roll the window down completely and check that it's not interfering with the speaker or wiring. It shouldn't, but better to find out now than after you've put the interior door panel back on.

Speaking of the interior door panel, if everything checks out you can reinstall it. In the still-infamous words of the Haynes manual, reinstallation is the reverse of removal.

And that's about it. Have a beer to celebrate and enjoy the improvement!

_________________
2005 KJ CRD Limited 4x4:
245/75R16 BFG TA KO2s
OME / Clevis 2.5" Lift
JBA Lifted A-Arms
IRO WJ Short Rear UCA/WWDiesel mount
Skid Row Skidplates
HDS Model 001 Thermostat (190°F)
Suncoast TC
Full Weeks Kit
Bosch 5V glow plugs
Hayden 2986 fan clutch / GM 11-blade fan
Samco / Sasquatch Intake Hoses
Carter in-tank pump
Provent 200
V6 Airbox


Last edited by casm on Wed Feb 14, 2018 9:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Replacing speakers in a KJ with the factory Infinity sys
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:41 pm 
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Very good detailed and informative writeup! :wink:
Exactly what I did several years ago when I replaced the front Infinity speakers with new aftermarket speakers and they are still going strong with no issues! :D
Mounted the Infinity amps to the inner door frames....

:SOMBRERO:

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 Post subject: Re: Replacing speakers in a KJ with the factory Infinity sys
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:59 pm 
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WWDiesel wrote:
Very good detailed and informative writeup! :wink:


Thanks - the compliment is definitely appreciated!

Quote:
Exactly what I did several years ago when I replaced the front Infinity speakers with new aftermarket speakers and they are still going strong with no issues! :D
Mounted the Infinity amps to the inner door frames....


It was a surprise to me when I opened up the front door a few weeks ago and found the amp connected directly to the speaker; I'd never seen that before :D Fortunately, it's pretty easy to work around, if a little time-consuming.

This is the third Jeep I've had (the other two were XJs) with a factory Infinity system, and it's interesting that the one thing they've all had in common is how cheap and mediocre-sounding the factory Infinity speakers as specified by Chrysler are. Compared to vehicles where I've installed even lower-end aftermarket Infinity speakers, it's kind of disappointing.

Having said that, the factory Infinity head unit and amps sound pretty decent with even a moderately-priced set of aftermarket speakers installed. In this case I went all-Pioneer with TS-A1676R 3-ways in the front and TS-G1645R 2-ways in the rear. At some point I may roll the rear speakers over into one of our other vehicles and replace them with 3-ways matched to the front, but for now they're fine.

One thing re: the near-100% failure of the front Infinity speakers in these vehicles: my theory is that it's down to the design of how the speakers mount to the amps.

The part of the amp that the speakers are directly mounted to is the heatsink. This causes heat to be conducted up into the frame of the speaker, which probably accelerates the eventual breakdown of the foam bonding the speaker cone to the speaker frame. Given that both front speakers were more rotten at their lower half (where the most heat would be concentrated), this seems to be a likely explanation as there was no visible water or other damage. By comparison, the rears (no amps attached) had held up perfectly well, but I decided to replace them anyway while I was in there.

_________________
2005 KJ CRD Limited 4x4:
245/75R16 BFG TA KO2s
OME / Clevis 2.5" Lift
JBA Lifted A-Arms
IRO WJ Short Rear UCA/WWDiesel mount
Skid Row Skidplates
HDS Model 001 Thermostat (190°F)
Suncoast TC
Full Weeks Kit
Bosch 5V glow plugs
Hayden 2986 fan clutch / GM 11-blade fan
Samco / Sasquatch Intake Hoses
Carter in-tank pump
Provent 200
V6 Airbox


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 Post subject: Re: Replacing speakers in a KJ with the factory Infinity sys
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:13 pm 
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casm wrote:
It was a surprise to me when I opened up the front door a few weeks ago and found the amp connected directly to the speaker; I'd never seen that before :D Fortunately, it's pretty easy to work around, if a little time-consuming.
This is the third Jeep I've had (the other two were XJs) with a factory Infinity system, and it's interesting that the one thing they've all had in common is how cheap and mediocre-sounding the factory Infinity speakers as specified by Chrysler are. Compared to vehicles where I've installed even lower-end aftermarket Infinity speakers, it's kind of disappointing.
Having said that, the factory Infinity head unit and amps sound pretty decent with even a moderately-priced set of aftermarket speakers installed. In this case I went all-Pioneer with TS-A1676R 3-ways in the front and TS-G1645R 2-ways in the rear. At some point I may roll the rear speakers over into one of our other vehicles and replace them with 3-ways matched to the front, but for now they're fine.
One thing re: the near-100% failure of the front Infinity speakers in these vehicles: my theory is that it's down to the design of how the speakers mount to the amps.
The part of the amp that the speakers are directly mounted to is the heatsink. This causes heat to be conducted up into the frame of the speaker, which probably accelerates the eventual breakdown of the foam bonding the speaker cone to the speaker frame. Given that both front speakers were more rotten at their lower half (where the most heat would be concentrated), this seems to be a likely explanation as there was no visible water or other damage. By comparison, the rears (no amps attached) had held up perfectly well, but I decided to replace them anyway while I was in there.

My OEM Infinity front speakers where coming apart at the foam edges and starting to rattle real bad! Rears were still OK, so you may be on to something about the heat sink transfer into the speakers. I replaced all speakers with Alpines' or JBL's, cannot remember for sure the brand, but they were some top of the line units highly recommended by the local World HiFi shop who installs stereo systems in vehicles every day! They also sold me some sound deadening self stick foil type padded insulation material to use around the speaker openings which they claimed helps the sound a bunch in door installations...they further claimed they use it on every install. :roll:

_________________
Supporting Vendor and Moderator of LOST
05 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited :JEEPIN:
Ironman Springs/Bilstein/Shocks
Yeti StgIV Hot Tune
Week's BatteryTray
No FCV/EGR
Samcos/ProVent
SunCoast/Transgo
Carter Intank-pmp
2mic.Sec.Fuel Filter
Flowmaster/NO CAT
V6Airbox/noVH
GM11 Bld.fan/HDClutch
IronrockArms/wwdieselMount

98 Dodge Cummins 24 Valve


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