Hi, I've read the stickies, but it doesn't seem to help, maybe I'm just daft.

I recently installed a new head unit in my 2004 base Cavalier, a Kenwood KDC-BT365U. I used a Metra wiring harness and an Axxess chime interface. Everything looks good, the chimes work and the radio works, however I quickly noticed that the rear speakers are just dead (on all sources). The two front door speakers work great.

I think I did my research and the Cavalier did not have any amplifier, so I did not connect the blue/white amplifier wire on the Metra harness. However now that I'm digging around due to this issue I'm reading conflicting information whether or not only the rear speakers are powered by a factory amplifier? If there is, it's in the trunk under the carpet? I would hate to rip up the carpet for an amp that may not exist.

Is there anything I can look at for this issue? Like, has anyone experienced this and I'm just being a space cadet missing something super simple? The rear speakers worked with the factory radio ( which was just the base AM/FM CD player). I'm dreading removing the dash again to connect the blue/white amplifier wire as the plastic has deteriorated badly. (Again, especially since it might not even help if there's no amp?)

I put together the harness myself and installed it myself. Everything is soldered and isolated with heatshrink. I know I did not cross any colors (especially not twice!).

Thanks for any help, anything would be super appreciated.

Might be a dumb response but did u check the vol level to the rear speakers on ur deck? Also i kno if u check ur deck there should be an option to select diff modes such as phase and even frequency cut off ponits. On my kenwood deck u can only acess certain menus when the deck is off.


ReD RaiN

T!M8!T wrote:Might be a dumb response but did u check the vol level to the rear speakers on ur deck? Also i kno if u check ur deck there should be an option to select diff modes such as phase and even frequency cut off ponits. On my kenwood deck u can only acess certain menus when the deck is off.

Yes, I checked the fader and I can confirm that when I shift it completely to the rear nothing comes out from any speaker. I also set the speaker sizes 4x6 for the front and 6x9 for the rear hoping that would make a difference, to no avail.

I'll try the frequency cut off points tomorrow, thank you for that tip, it's appreciated!

Mo Jo,

Wow, the Head Unit allows you to set the speaker size? Geesh. That's nice!

I would say you have an amplifier in the rear for sure. No power is being sent to the Rear Audio system. In my 2001 that I had, the Rear Deck was installed from GM as: "Subwoofer=6x9 and the other side is the Midrange", basically my Monsoon was installed to my Stock Rear Speakers in my 2001 Cavalier at Dual 4ohm speakers with each side being as I mentioned from GM according to some old research I did years ago.

I would think in theory that if your Rear Audio is dead right now, the Amplifier is hidden in the Left or Rear wall of your 2004's trunk behind the carpeting. Mine was located directly under my Rear Deck in my 2001 Cavalier.

Good luck.

-Infamous Ob

Mo Jo,

READ THIS:

Cory Wilson wrote:I have the so-called premium audio system. There's an amp between the rear speakers located behind the left side of the carpet in the trunk. It also acts as a crossover providing separate channels for the woofer and tweeter on the factory 6x9's meaning their are 4 wires. Anyways I figured it out and I just cut the harness off the amp. The 4 wires going in were the same wire's coming off the head unit with dark blue/light blue being the right speaker, and the yellow/brown being the left speaker so I soldered those wires to their corresponding colors coming out of the amp. Then that just left 2 dead wires on each side and I just used the appropriate colors and soldered the leads that came with the pioneer speakers and plugged them in and it worked. Not all j-bodies have the amp, pretty much just sunfire GT and Cavalier z-24/ls sport

-Infamous Ob

I just want to thank everyone for their help and to add some final resolution to all of this.

I ended up buying a pair of 6x9 mids off eBay on somewhat of a hail mary shot. I replaced the factory mids and sure enough there's sound coming from the back now.

So in the end it tuns out that both of the original rears just died at some point and it was never really noticed until the new radio was in.

Thanks again, and happy new year!

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Clean install. Nice. Happy New Year to you as well.