Last Updated on: October 7, 2022
When the speaker fails, it’s usually said to have blown out. A blown speaker is characterized by a drastic and immediate reduction in sound quality. And in most cases, it’s usually caused by thermal failure, which occurs when the sound system gets more power than it needs, or mechanical failure.
But…
Before you even start thinking about getting a new speaker, you should know that this problem can be fixed; car speaker repair can be quite easy.
How Can I Tell If My Car’s Speaker Is Blown?
Generally, a blown speaker is a unit that has been catastrophically damaged, which may sound awful or not even work. When the car speakers are blown, they will not produce any sound.
When damaged, the speaker will produce nothing but an annoying buzzing noise. Therefore, when you notice these signs, you should try and troubleshoot the problem; after all, it might not even be a blown speaker.
1. Rattling Or Popping Sound
It is blown when the speaker produces a popping or rattling sound while playing your favorite song. Faulty wires can also trigger popping noises; therefore, before concluding that you have a blown unit, you should examine the speaker connection and wires. You can test this by simply switching the left for the right speaker.
Remember, thermal failures are triggered by too much power, which damages the wires inside the voice coil.
If it still produces a popping sound after switching the two speakers, then you have blown equipment, but if the swapped speaker still produces the rattling noises, then the issue may be the wires.
2. No Treble Or Bass
When the speaker doesn’t produce certain sound tones like treble or bass, it may have been blown by excess power. A lack of mid-range tones can also mean that it is partially blown. Luckily, repairing a partially blown speaker is easier than a badly blown speaker.
Car Speaker Repair: What Are The Causes Of The Problem?
As aforementioned, a blown speaker means its functioning but produces a deteriorating, poor sound quality or has stopped working thanks to either thermal or mechanical failures.
When you experience this problem, you have to replace or repair your speakers, which has forced many drivers to wonder what could be the cause.
1. Overpowering
Overpowering the speaker can result in its coil moving the cone further than it should. Generally, the cone isn’t designed to move, but when it does, it tends to stress its connection with the surroundings and suspensions, resulting in some components crashing into each other or the speaker frame.
Therefore, you can end up with some of its parts becoming loose, tearing, or breaking resulting in permanent damage.
A speaker with a damaged cone produces a distorted sound or can even stop working completely.
2. High Volume
When you play your loud music, you can end up supplying more energy to the speaker than it can handle. The huge amount of energy can result in an energy buildup that can easily soften the glue keeping everything together.
The huge amount of energy can also result in the voice coil melting or burning; when this happens, your speakers won’t produce any sound.
3. Amplifier clipping
Amp clipping can occur when the vehicle’s amplifier is driven too hard, resulting in the audio waveform’s bottoms and tops clipping off. This can occur when you force a weak amplifier to produce higher waves than it can. This can result in the tweeter getting damaged since they don’t have a high-frequency limit.
4. Physical Damage
Incorrectly installed speakers are prone to physical damage. A loosely protected grill can damage your speaker; therefore, you must replace it when it gets damaged or loose. After all, without a protective cover, your speaker’s cone can get damaged.
Pro Auto Thought: You could always do a speaker test to check if your unit needs a repair or replacement. We have an article outlining 6 ways to do this (both for newbies and pros) — How To Test Car Speakers.
Car Speaker Repair: How To Fix Blown Car Speakers?
If your speakers show any of the above signs, then you should do the following:
1. Inspect The Blown Car Speaker
The first thing you should do is examine the speakers for the above symptoms. The problem can sometimes be quite obvious; for instance, if the speaker doesn’t produce any sound, it’s not working properly.
Therefore, you should not be quick to conclude that you have a blown car speaker.
The first thing you should do is play your favorite music and listen to any kind of distortion produced by the supposedly blown car speaker. I recommend listening to your favoring music since you can easily recognize any unfamiliar noise it produces when dealing with blown speakers.
If you notice anything irregular like a shaking or rattling sound, you can increase the volume and see if it worsens. If it does, it means that the voice coil or speaker cones are loose or damaged.
2. Determine Which Car Speakers Need To Be Fixed
For this step, you must first put each speaker in the system controls if the car has this option. But if it doesn’t, you may have to get close to the speakers and listen carefully for the one producing some weird noises. After confirming which one is damaged, you can proceed to DIY repair.
Using a ratchet or screwdriver, you can open the speaker’s enclosure and then unplug all the wires linking the car to the speaker. To remove the blown speaker’s surround, you should simply stab a part of the surrounding form and remove it slowly.
Remove the speaker cone using your knife to expose the voice coil. Unplug the wires linking the voice coil to the system and remove it. After removing the coil, you can clean the speaker and access the hard-to-access places using cotton swabs.
3. Identify And Solve The Problem Affecting The Sound Quality
With everything removed, you can inspect the speaker for any damaged parts. If the cones are cut or torn, you can fix them using tape or glue, but if it’s severely damaged, you may have to remove them completely.
If the voice coil is melted, then you may have to replace it.
Replacing the coil is quite easy. All you have to do is install it where the old one was and plug in all the necessary wires, and you’re good to go.
Installing a new cone is also easy; all you have to do is apply some glue to the new one and place it where the old one was. After replacing the dented speaker cone or/and blown voice coils, you should reinstall it, connect all the necessary wires, and mount it onto your car. Finally, you can install the surround if you had removed it or it was damaged.
4. Test The Vehicle’s Speakers
Finally, you can turn on your sound system and confirm if it’s working by playing your favorite music and waiting for any weird noise it produces. If you don’t notice any distortion, you can increase the volume and continue listening to it. But if it is still not working, you should consult a professional.
If you have replaced your car’s stock sound system with an aftermarket sound system, you should ensure that the speakers, amplifier, and head unit work perfectly together.
Pro Auto Thought: There are a variety of reasons your speakers are acting up. Read our article on crackling speakers and what to do in case this happens to your units — Why Are My Car Speakers Crackling.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Repair Blown Speakers?
Yes, but this will depend on the extent of the damage, so before you think about getting new ones, you should first inspect the damaged ones. If the coil and/or cone are destroyed, you can easily replace them.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace A Blown Speaker?
Some of the largest retailers charge about a $65 service fee and the price of the new speakers. This price may vary depending on your car model, the number of speakers you’re replacing, and the type of speakers you use.
What Happens When A Vehicle’s Speakers Blow?
If one of your car’s speakers blows, then its frequency will be distorted. If your woofer is blown, then its mid-range will be non-existent or distorted. Therefore, before trying to repair it, you should understand how it works.
Conclusion
Just like any other electronic component, car speakers can also get damaged; fortunately, there is a way you can deal with this problem. So instead of getting some new speakers, you can troubleshoot the problem, find the cause, and fix it. in fact, in some cases, the problem with the speakers may just be a wiring issue.