How to Remove Car Speakers
by Leonardo R. Grabkowski
The first step to upgrading your car's factory sound system or replacing broken speakers is removing the old speakers. Car speakers can be removed easily; it's accessing them that can sometimes take time and work. You can remove your car's speakers in less than an hour with a few household tools. Always follow safety procedures when working on vehicles or their electronics.
Step 1
Disconnect the cable from the negative battery terminal before attempting to remove speakers or disconnect any electronics. Wiring components can hold an electrical charge; disconnecting the battery cable will ensure your safety.
Step 2
Remove the trim pieces from the interior door panels to remove door speakers. Most vehicles have at least four speakers; one in each door. Use the trim panel tool or a small flathead screwdriver to pry up any switch panels, such as those for your power window, power mirror and power lock controls. Disconnect the wiring modules and set the panels aside.
Step 3
Remove any other trim pieces mounted to the door. Some vehicles have armrests attached to the door that must be removed. Most will have screws along the outer rim of the door panel. Remove what you must to take the door panel off. Keep any screws or clips together to prevent them from being lost. Pop the door panel off one side at a time. In addition to screws, most door panels are attached by internal clips.
Step 4
Remove the screws mounting the speakers to the door. Pull each speaker out and disconnect the module from the rear of the speaker. Some older vehicles have wiring soldered to the speaker, rather than a connection module. If this is the case, use the wire cutters to cut the wire from the base of the speaker attachment.
Step 5
Pry off the grille for any other speakers in your vehicle. Some vehicles have speakers mounted in the rear or the front. Use the trim tool or a small flathead screwdriver to pop the grille cover off and access the speaker. Follow the same procedure for disconnection as the door speakers.
References
Tips
- If you don't plan on installing new speakers, wrap the open end of each wire with electrical tape before replacing the panels or grilles.
Things You'll Need
- Pliers
- Flathead screwdriver
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Trim panel tool
- Wire cutter (optional)
Writer Bio
Leonardo R. Grabkowski has been writing professionally for more than four years. Grabkowski attended college in Oregon. He builds websites on the side and has a slight obsession with Drupal, Joomla and Wordpress.
