J30 Speaker Relay

[rhinoclit]

It seems I have finally done something on the internet no one else has done; found the elusive speaker relay in my 97 J30.

After replacing the head unit with the help of these forums, I found myself in the same situation as many others; the head unit works but there is no audio from the speakers. Not even an annoying hiss! Searching the internet I found many users, here and on other unnamed forums that have had the same problem and have all come to the same conclusion; it's the speaker relay that is called out in the radio wiring diagram, but where the hell is it?

I found M75 on the EL FSM that calls out the relay, but the positioning is suedo quasi whatever somewhere. Talking to two service guys, both said they haven't a clue, and if the wiring harness shows the location then it's around there, somewhere.

It shows the relay located somewhere on the right side of the car, behind the firewall somewhere below the windshield, next to a couple more relays. I took off the right door panel, it is not there. It has to be up on the dash somewhere. I started dismantling the passenger side; lower cover, glove box, kick panel and computer using these instructions:

http://www.sparkys-answers.com/2011/12/ ... lower.html

After taking out the computer and support bracket, I removed the small aluminum looking cover that was behind the computer, pressed up against the side frame and there was the right kind of relay, but after replacing it and checking the wiring diagram, checking the wire color codes and the main and engine control harness diagrams; that relay is F26, the ECCS relay. The relay I want is above that according to the diagram, which means the blower motor assembly must come out. I removed all the mounting bolts I could find, easy to do when you look up at it and tried to wiggle the blower motor down and out. The down part was ok, the out not so much. There are dashboard brackets and side of the car and other relays and all sorts of crap in the way. It doesn't look like it's meant to come out easily. but it will come down far enough to get a hand up inside; to the side of the frame, on the far right side and there it is. There is barely enough slack in the wiring harness to pull it out far enough to work on it one handed with some slight finger help from the other hand. But with a little coaxing and tugging and hoping a wire didn't snap, it came close enough to see and work on.

I replaced the relay but it still did not work. Not loosing hope because we know this is the sole point of complete failure for the speakers; I jumpered the contacts, turned on the radio and low and behold there was sound! Sweet sweet rock n roll. That tells me there is a problem with the induction side of the relay, probably a grounding problem which is why it didn't work in the first place. The relay may be just fine. But I did not want to try to find a grounding problem somewhere under the dash; I just want my speakers to work, so I went to the auto parts store and bought a simple on/off switch and some wire. I jumpered the power side of the receptacle and the neutral side so that when I throw the switch, both sides receive power. All the speakers now work and I have an instant mute switch next to my leg that I can control power to the speakers with. It was a pain and I am now calling it the relay of 1000 cuts; but having those Bose speakers blaring for $6. Worth the time and effort spent.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B10Ft3 ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B10Ft3 ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B10Ft3 ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B10Ft3 ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B10Ft3 ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B10Ft3 ... sp=sharing