Audio - Blown Center Speaker

[awp0]

I haven't had any SW updates in a long time. To me it seems entirely temperature related.

For example, if I precondition my battery and warm the cabin in the morning, those startup sounds are completely normal. But when I walk out to a cold car that has been sitting for a couple hours... very distorted.

That's great info. I'll keep an eye on that as well. I'm in New England, where it's been pretty cold and so most of the time the car is pretty cold when it starts up.

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[Thesmoothdome]

And for those who have replaced with an identical stock Ford speaker, have you run into the same problem again?

If it truly is an issue with the speaker, and there were this many failures, it seems reasonable to think another stock speaker will also fail.

OP here. 100% fine for 4 years after the replacement

 

[the golden eel]

OP here. 100% fine for 4 years after the replacement

That's good info. Thanks for checking in.

Looks like I'll be replacing this speaker when the weather gets a little warmer - Even though it was perfectly fine this morning with a pre-conditioned battery and warm car.

But I'd be willing to bet $100 it'll be distorted and buzz like crazy when I leave work later today.

 

[4sallypat]

'23 Job 1 just started to get worse with the speaker sounding distorted with the chimes, voice navigation and tones. Radio is slightly distorted.

Is there a known TSB that I can let the dealer know ?

 

[Adventureboy]

My 2022 J1 MME goes out of warranty on Monday. My speaker just started acting up today (very warm day). Timing sucks. I will try and get it covered for the switch - if not. I'll probably go with an aftermarket speaker given the number of times a few folks have had the factory speaker replaced.

 

[4sallypat]

My 2022 J1 MME goes out of warranty on Monday. My speaker just started acting up today (very warm day). Timing sucks. I will try and get it covered for the switch - if not. I'll probably go with an aftermarket speaker given the number of times a few folks have had the factory speaker replaced.

It must be a common issue because the service dept stocks these speakers.

I brought it in for the 30K service and asked them to diagnose the issue and then order the part.

I thought I would have to bring it in at a later date when the part arrives but during the service, the rep said they diagnosed it and had the parts in stock - so they would take care of it at the same day.

$0 warranty repair and now sounds fantastic again.

 

[STL-Mach-E]

This just started on my 23 GTPE the last 1,000 miles. Chimes and talk radio are the worst. Music isn't too bad and I've played with the balance to get it off that front speaker. Mine began doing this somewhere about 41,000 miles. I really haven't been impressed with the B&O stereos. My wife's Escape has one as well. She never turns on the radio, so she never complains about the vibrating rear speaker.

Is accessing the speaker and replacing it pretty straight forward? Access from the top?

Would really like for ford to provide some guidance. I wonder if the heat of this midwest summer could have degraded the speaker. Weeks of 95 degree days this summer can't be great on it sitting right under that windshield.

 

[Jeff-NoVA]

This just started on my 23 GTPE the last 1,000 miles. Chimes and talk radio are the worst. Music isn't too bad and I've played with the balance to get it off that front speaker. Mine began doing this somewhere about 41,000 miles. I really haven't been impressed with the B&O stereos. My wife's Escape has one as well. She never turns on the radio, so she never complains about the vibrating rear speaker.

Is accessing the speaker and replacing it pretty straight forward? Access from the top?

Would really like for ford to provide some guidance. I wonder if the heat of this midwest summer could have degraded the speaker. Weeks of 95 degree days this summer can't be great on it sitting right under that windshield.

Very easy and makes a noticeable difference in the sound quality. You use a trim tool to pop up the grill, and then remove a few screws holding the speaker in - can't recall if they were hex or torx. I cut the wires off the stock speaker and soldered them to a replacement (so I could use the factory harness), which was a Kenwood eXcelon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y2FTW4L). I've been very happy with the replacement - certainly more mid-bass and a fuller sound from the center. Others have been happy with Infinity Reference and other speakers. Pretty much anything is an upgrade from the stock paper cone.

 

[STL-Mach-E]

Very easy and makes a noticeable difference in the sound quality. You use a trim tool to pop up the grill, and then remove a few screws holding the speaker in - can't recall if they were hex or torx. I cut the wires off the stock speaker and soldered them to a replacement (so I could use the factory harness), which was a Kenwood eXcelon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y2FTW4L). I've been very happy with the replacement - certainly more mid-bass and a fuller sound from the center. Others have been happy with Infinity Reference and other speakers. Pretty much anything is an upgrade from the stock paper cone.

I have the trim tools, my soldering is always hit/miss. Can you use any crimp connectors on the stock harness to the new speaker?

 

[Jeff-NoVA]

I have the trim tools, my soldering is always hit/miss. Can you use any crimp connectors on the stock harness to the new speaker?

I'm sure you could - you just need some secure method of making the connection.

 

[4sallypat]

I have the trim tools, my soldering is always hit/miss. Can you use any crimp connectors on the stock harness to the new speaker?

In lieu of soldering which is the most reliable, use a weather proof crimp connectors to avoid intermittent connections in a car that moves, shakes, rattles, and is exposed to the outside elements.

 

[OH2AZ2OH]

I have the trim tools, my soldering is always hit/miss. Can you use any crimp connectors on the stock harness to the new speaker?

The Kenwood speaker is a really nice upgrade.

My soldering is also hit or miss, but at least some of that is due to the cheap a$$ soldering iron that I bought 10 years ago for one little project and never thought I'd use again. Still, this was a dead simple swap for me. There are decent sized lugs to solder to, with plenty of room to work. I used a Dremel tool to trim off the mounting bracket of the harness to the old speaker since it won't work with the Kenwood, but that was probably unnecessary. I had attached the harness to the back of the Kenwood speaker to mimic the stock install, but the harness fell off while I was reinstalling it. It hasn't rattled at all for me.

 

[awp0]

In lieu of soldering which is the most reliable, use a weather proof crimp connectors to avoid intermittent connections in a car that moves, shakes, rattles, and is exposed to the outside elements.

I recently purchased a set of Solder Seal connectors (maybe this exact set). These things are magical! Super handy to have on-hand for car repairs like this.

 

[rreddy3]

I have the trim tools, my soldering is always hit/miss. Can you use any crimp connectors on the stock harness to the new speaker?

Yes, you can use crimp or posilock (I think they’re called). The speaker Jeff mentioned is a perfect fit and sounds very good. I agree with Jeff’s assessment. Those speakers come im a two-pack. I bought mine from Jeff last year since he was selling the second, ‘extra’ for a MME, speaker. We live within 10 miles
or so of each other so it was an easy transaction. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the Kenwood.

 

[awp0]

Anyone in Massachusetts planning to do this upgrade? I'd split an Infinity or Kenwood two-pack with someone. I'm in Beverly. I can lend the trim tool and provide a couple Solder Seal connectors too.

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