6.5" Speaker DIY Install

Tools Needed:
Philips Screw Driver
Flat Head screw driver
Wire slicer/butt connectors/solder (your choice on how to connect the wires)

Info:
I installed some new 6.5" Memphis component speakers in my XJ this morning and since I haven't found a how to on it yet, here goes.
My XJ's info:
1998 2 door (longer doors) No power windows or locks. Many of you have power windows and locks, those switches are easily removed from the tabs on the back of the door panel.

Steps:
1) Remove your door panel by un-bolting the three philips screws shown here in red. Then GENTLY remove trim ring from the inside ring using a flat head screw driver.

2a) Next is the manual window crank. Skip to step if equiped with power windows. Gently pry the handle out and look in to see the snap ring holding the handle on the to window crank shaft.

2b) The snap ring is to be removed by pushing the tabbed end away from the channel it sits in. CAUTION: that little @#$%^&!* flies fast so keep a hand below it to catch it or else your window cranks are going to be falling off all the time. arg.

3a) Remove the plastic retaining pieces on the door handle assembly. They snap on the door latch and lock rods. Then pull down and pull up on the rods to remove them from the holes. Shown here are my lock and latch in the white and black pieces.

3b) Gently remove the door panel from the door using the flat head screw driver. There are a ton of little plastic screws that snap the door panel to the door and they are all on the outside rim of the inner door panel. Example:

4) Remove the 2 screws from the speaker. Once you have the speaker removed, disconnect the wiring.

5)Here is an example of wire butting. If you're using aftermarket speakers then you'll have to cut and butt the old wires to the new speakers wiring. Soldering works well to. Butt connectors were just easy for me.

6) Place your new speaker in the hole with the window down and make sure it fits. Then mark where the new holes are to be drilled and remove the speaker and drill the new holes. Install and Enjoy!


QUESTION: is the darker color on the wires always ground?! I assumed so and now I think my tweeter and mid on drivers side are acting funny. the colors were green wiring, one had a brown stripe and the other had a purple, I think. I also think I used the brown as the ground wire... Was I right?

The box should have given you all the wiring info about whats the ground and what isnt.
The dark wire isnt always ground. My Hella's had black and blue wires, and the blue was the ground.

im glad ive got a 95 without all the power options. literally took took me 15 mins to change out speakers

Starboard M said:

The box should have given you all the wiring info about whats the ground and what isnt.
The dark wire isnt always ground. My Hella's had black and blue wires, and the blue was the ground.

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I was talking about the XJ's wiring info, not the aftermarket speakers info... and everwhere i look on the net no one talks about the wiring at the speaker! I have a multimeter I am gonna hook it up with when I do my amp next week.

turn the base up... and play something bassy... when the bass hits- if the cone pulses inward then you have the polarity backwards, if it pulses outwards toward you then they are correct. (You can't really do that with a tweeter so just make sure you hook the tweeter to the speaker since pos and negative are given in the packing materials) The same thing works with the speaker, if you use a 9volt battery and solder some wires on the terminals... touch the wires to the speaker terminals MOMENTARILY! The speaker will 'pop'. watch the cone... if it pulses out then which ever wire was positive on the battery is positive on the speaker. You can also use that niffty trick to test speaker wires at the radio to see which wires are which speaker.

lowrange2 said:

turn the base up... and play something bassy... when the bass hits- if the cone pulses inward then you have the polarity backwards, if it pulses outwards toward you then they are correct. (You can't really do that with a tweeter so just make sure you hook the tweeter to the speaker since pos and negative are given in the packing materials) The same thing works with the speaker, if you use a 9volt battery and solder some wires on the terminals... touch the wires to the speaker terminals MOMENTARILY! The speaker will 'pop'. watch the cone... if it pulses out then which ever wire was positive on the battery is positive on the speaker. You can also use that niffty trick to test speaker wires at the radio to see which wires are which speaker.

Click to expand...

How about using a AA battery or a 9v depending on sensitivity of your speaker and touch the positive wire to the positive end of the batttery and the same with the negative end. When you give it current you can make the cone either move in or out depending on polarity. Turning up a system like you described just risks damaging your speakers. Volume doesn't hurt speakers, distortion and out of phase or reverse polarity does and is even worse when you are sending it lots of current.

no no no... that whole batter thing works when you're trying to figure out what wires go where for the headunit, i'm not doing a headunit, i'm past that and now at the speakers in the doors. the only way to figure it out here is to use the fluke or multimeter...

Sounds like your speakers are out of phase. That means one is pumping in and one is pumping out on the bass frequencies. And no, the black or darker wires are NOT always ground. If you really want I'll post up a diagram of the wires/colors.

selarep said:

no no no... that whole batter thing works when you're trying to figure out what wires go where for the headunit, i'm not doing a headunit, i'm past that and now at the speakers in the doors. the only way to figure it out here is to use the fluke or multimeter...

Click to expand...

no, it works for finding polarity of a speaker too. Using the battery will tell you which wire should be used as positive and which is to be used as negative. Then you hook the appropriate wires (should be a diagram or schematic) from the head unit to the right connections on the speakers. You are right though, probably a multimeter is the best.

Anything I should do differently for a '96 without power door locks or power windows? I also have a different interior...a vynal/cloth interior on the doors, no plastic.

jtkratzer said:

Anything I should do differently for a '96 without power door locks or power windows? I also have a different interior...a vynal/cloth interior on the doors, no plastic.

Click to expand...

nope, you should be ok.

What is the mounting depth of those speakers

xjjeepthing said:

What is the mounting depth of those speakers

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2.5"