Car Stereos: 2002 Tahoe, sheet metal screws, plastic pegs

Question
The speaker in the drivers side front door has come loose and is lying behind the grill cover. How do I get the cover off to re-attach the speaker?

Thanks
Paul

Answer
Hi Paul,

It's very common for the factory tweeters to break loose from their mounting pegs and dangle behind the speaker grill on these trucks.  To re-mount them, you're going to have to remove the entire door panel.  Luckily, this isn't very hard to do.

You'll need to start by prying off the plastic triangle piece at the top corner, the small panel around the door release handle, and the lock/unlock indicator piece.  Next, pry up on the panel that includes the mirror, lock and window switches; pull upward on the outside edge of the panel to release the clips.  Disconnect all the plugs and remove the switch panel.

Next, remove the 9/32" screw under the door handle, and another screw inside the opening where the switches were mounted.  After the screws are removed, take off the panel by pulling straight up.  Don't pull away from the door; pull directly upwards to release the panel from the door. It's nice to have a helper available, because after the panel is removed from the door, you'll need to unplug the wire going to the tweeter, and also the marker light at the lower corner of the door panel, before you can remove the door panel entirely.

When you look at the back of the door panel, you'll see how the wire mesh speaker grill is attached: there are several tabs that are pushed through slots in the door panel, then bent to hold the grill in place.  You just have to straighten the tabs and push them back through the panel to remove the grill.

I think you'll find that the factory tweeter has broken off from the plastic pegs that held it in place.  The easiest way to fix it is to remove the pegs, drill holes in the tweeter's mounting flanges, and use nuts and bolts (or sheet metal screws and speed clips) to secure it back onto the door panel.

Hope this helps!

Brian