Car Stereos: Grand Cherokee LTD 97 Infinity Gold System, infinity gold, cherokee ltd

Question
Hi. I bought a second hand Grand Cherokee LTD 97 that has the factory AM FM cassette and CD player. The sound was not performing well (just one channel working) then yesterday I noticed that the factory amplifier that should be under the back seat was missing. Another cheap brand was on its place. How can I fix this? Just replacing by another factory amplifier or moving to a top brand (Sony, Pioneer, etc unit). Any help / advise will be highly appreciated. Tks.

Answer
hi eduardo,
there are a couple of things you can/should do. budget is the main factor here if you want to salvage whatever is installed already or replace parts if you plan on keeping the vehicle. remember the car is 10yrs old and things do not last forever.

first, do you know if the amplifier is the problem? most aftermarket amps have led light to indicate whether amp is working or in a 'fault' mode. are all connections on the amp secure and free from any corrosion? does the amp require multiple fuses(make sure they are all good)? once those basics are checked, i would move on to the speakers. if you find that the amp is faulty, chances are you will be able to find an oem replacement, but you will have to spend time as well as money to find it and possibly pay shipping and handling, etc...

you may not have to remove the speakers, but it might be a good idea to so you can see if they are worth keeping or if age has taken it's toll; you can check continuity with a multi-meter or if you dont have one, you can use the old trick of a 9 volt battery touching the wires from the speaker to the battery and listen for a 'pop' or 'tsk' sound. if you hear that, then chances are: your speaker works. repeat for each speaker.

let me know what you find...

thanks,
dave