I've got a low mileage (45k) 2009 Focus 1.6 Zetec. Recently the sound of the stereo has changed - it seems to have lost all the lower frequencies and sounds like a tiny 1970s transistor radio. It's the same whether I'm using the radio or CD player. The problem was intermittent for a couple of weeks then became permanent. As it affects all the speakers I thought it must be the unit itself, so I bought an old one from ebay and changed it over. Same problem! 

The wires into the back of the unit are obviously all clustered together, so it's not as though one wire can come loose, but if it isn't the unit itself, then I'm not sure where else to look. Any ideas or info gratefully received. 

Just double check that the head unit 'balance' is set to 0, and that 'fade' is also set to 0. This should narrow out faulty rear speakers which are a common fault. Sounds like you only have the front tweeters working if no substantial sound from anywhere else. Unlikely to be 4 simultaneous speaker faults, so I would definitely look at the wiring to the speakers.

Someone may be able to post a wiring schematic of them, unfortunately I don't have it...

I've had a look in my archives of schematics but unfortunately nothing for the model 😧

Further to what Stephen has suggested, also try moving the fader and balance 100% fully to each speaker one at a time. You may find that 3 of the speakers work when checked one at a time, and one speaker will be totally dead which will indicate that it or the wiring to that speaker has become short-circuit.

On 12/3/2022 at 1:54 PM, StephenFord said:

Just double check that the head unit 'balance' is set to 0, and that 'fade' is also set to 0. This should narrow out faulty rear speakers which are a common fault. Sounds like you only have the front tweeters working if no substantial sound from anywhere else. Unlikely to be 4 simultaneous speaker faults, so I would definitely look at the wiring to the speakers.

Someone may be able to post a wiring schematic of them, unfortunately I don't have it...

Thanks for the reply. You are right - changing the balance and fade (not something I normally bother with) shows that the front speakers are both working but the rear speakers are not. I know the problem is not the head unit itself, because I swapped it and there's no difference, so it must be a wiring issue between the head unit and rear speakers. 

I've found this post: 

which is a similar problem and has a lot of useful general info on it. I'll need to read all the detail and decide what to do next. Thanks again for your help.  

Let us know when/if you get them fixed, we all like a happy ending!

On 12/4/2022 at 3:48 PM, Phil_W said:

Thanks for the reply. You are right - changing the balance and fade (not something I normally bother with) shows that the front speakers are both working but the rear speakers are not. I know the problem is not the head unit itself, because I swapped it and there's no difference, so it must be a wiring issue between the head unit and rear speakers. 

I've found this post: 

which is a similar problem and has a lot of useful general info on it. I'll need to read all the detail and decide what to do next. Thanks again for your help.  

both her rears died

easy to do BUT a pain to drill out the pop rivets as they spin - when you get them out you'll find the frame on the back is silver - the gold frame ones don't pop !!!!! designed to fail - ebay second hand 20 quid 2 hrs to fit

the sony head unit puts out three times the grunt and brings the sound up from nasty to quite acceptable

not the issue here - they were built to die on their own...  but its low power amps that fry speakers - big amps are you mate

1 hour ago, Botus said:

designed to fail

It's a wonder there are any cars left on the road, isn't it, as all components are deliberately designed to fail.  Presumably so that Ford can make millions by selling stuff on ebay at £20 a time. 

On 12/4/2022 at 4:27 PM, StephenFord said:

Let us know when/if you get them fixed, we all like a happy ending!

Well good news for you Stephen, I've finally sorted it out! 

After a couple of weeks when it was far too cold to sit outside investigating speakers, the weather warmed up and I took the doors apart to see what was going on. Both rear speakers weren't working, but connecting a regular hi-fi speaker to each in turn showed that the wiring was fine and it was just the speakers that were the problem. How they both fail at the same time I don't know, but they had. 

So some googling and you-tubing later I found that I could buy a set of Pioneer speakers for £25 (model TS-G1710F), rip out the centre of the old speakers WITHOUT having to drill the speaker mounts out, and just screw the new speakers into the existing mounts. 

The speakers turned up a few days ago and are now installed and working. Doors are reassembled (a couple of clips snapped on one of them but I screwed those back together too) so job done! 

I'm not a hi-fi connoisseur and I'm sure more expensive speakers would be better, but I can listen to music again in the car without it sounding like a 1970s transistor, so good enough for me. 

Thanks to those who provided advice. 

When we only had Radio Caroline to enjoy.....

Great result, well done. I have since discovered a built in 'speaker test' should anyone in future dip into this thread.

 

42 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Great result, well done. I have since discovered a built in 'speaker test' should anyone in future dip into this thread.

 

Ooh, that would have been useful. Luckily (sort of) both speakers were dead anyway, but I'd have been p1ssed off if I'd taken the doors apart then found the problem was somewhere else! 

4 minutes ago, Phil_W said:

Ooh, that would have been useful. Luckily (sort of) both speakers were dead anyway, but I'd have been p1ssed off if I'd taken the doors apart then found the problem was somewhere else! 

There is an irony though that when I researched your thread, and discovered that test, both my rear door speakers are dead LOL I only ever listen to 'talk' radio, so the quality doesn't really bother me.

6 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I only ever listen to 'talk' radio,

Therapy is available, and after only a dozen sessions you could be ready for radio 4 🤣

19 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

There is an irony though that when I researched your thread, and discovered that test, both my rear door speakers are dead LOL I only ever listen to 'talk' radio, so the quality doesn't really bother me.

Ha ha, that's brilliant! We're all learning so much here. 

Do you know, just seeing that picture ..... I can FEEL the plastic tuning thumb wheel. I can HEAR the on/off click of the volume wheel and the thunk of the selector buttons on the top And I think I can even SMELL the plastic of the casing.

Or else I'm getting old and delusional - but I don't think I am!

20 hours ago, Phil_W said:

Both rear speakers weren't working, but connecting a regular hi-fi speaker to each in turn showed that the wiring was fine and it was just the speakers that were the problem.

 

I'm not a hi-fi connoisseur and I'm sure more expensive speakers would be better, but I can listen to music again in the car without it sounding like a 1970s transistor, so good enough for me. 

 

no need to check the wiring its always the silver framed budget speaker's self destruct (*to time)

better speakers USUALLY sound worse.. many are harder to drive (aka designed to work with much more powerful amps), feed with a weak feeble stock amp and the speakers sound awful - great amps and OK speakers will always sound much much better than the best speakers in the world driven by an average amp

its ALL about the power and quality of the Amp - this is its exactly why the Sony DAB headunit, with the same rusty Ariel, the same wiring, into the same speakers in all four doors mounted in same nasty door panels buzzing about, suddenly transforms the car's audio system into something that sounds three times better and twice as loud

Dont suppose " OP" you put some dynamat or similar while you had the panels off, imroves the sound and stops body panel bounce no end

 

On 1/3/2023 at 10:17 AM, Botus said:

no need to check the wiring its always the silver framed budget speaker's self destruct (*to time)

better speakers USUALLY sound worse.. many are harder to drive (aka designed to work with much more powerful amps), feed with a weak feeble stock amp and the speakers sound awful - great amps and OK speakers will always sound much much better than the best speakers in the world driven by an average amp

its ALL about the power and quality of the Amp - this is its exactly why the Sony DAB headunit, with the same rusty Ariel, the same wiring, into the same speakers in all four doors mounted in same nasty door panels buzzing about, suddenly transforms the car's audio system into something that sounds three times better and twice as loud

I still find it weird that both speakers managed to stop working at almost exactly the same time after 13 years. Anyway, as it happened the second hand head unit I bought is the Sony, and with the new speakers as well the quality when playing anything loud is definitely an improvement - no distortion at high volume. 

On 1/3/2023 at 11:12 AM, Jimpster said:

Dont suppose " OP" you put some dynamat or similar while you had the panels off, imroves the sound and stops body panel bounce no end

 

I didn't. Like I say, I'm not much of a hi-fi connoisseur, so it's acceptable for me as it is. Just glad to have fixed something myself!