Car Stereos: Car Audio repair, 6x8 speakers, oem radio

Question
Hi Brian,

         I just inherited my Father's 2000 Ford Expedition about two or three months ago.The problem I'm having with the audio system is that the stereo's display doesn't light up,but I can control everything "blind".
     The speaker in the driver's side door is not working either,so I figured they might be related. About a month ago while playing with the controls,the dispaly started working & worked for a day or two,but then quit & hasn't worked since.I took out all the fuses thinking that might be the problem,but they all looked fine.Any ideas?

Thank you very much for your time.
Respectfully,
Dan W.

Answer
Hi Dan,

When you have a head unit with a display that doesn't work at all, it's nearly always an internal problem inside the deck.  I'm guessing that there's an intermittent bad connection inside the head unit that's cutting off the display lighting.  Unfortunately, this probably isn't related to the front speaker problem--it's much more likely that you have a bad speaker there.  

If you're happy with the factory system, you can often find an inexpensive replacement on eBay; otherwise, you can replace the head unit with an after-market deck pretty easily.  It's also possible that your OEM radio can be repaired, but don't bother taking it to a dealer; your best bet would be an independent electronics repair shop.  If the front speaker is bad, though, you'll need to buy a replacement pair.  Your Expedition uses 6x8" speakers in the front doors, though you can also use 6-1/2" speakers with an adapter plate.

Hope this helps!

Brian