1989 325i - only left rear speaker works

[94530inh]

Hello everybody,

I purchased a 1989 325i over the weekend. It's got 65k on it with no rust. The alternator was bad but now that I replaced it, the only problem is the stereo. It's a stock BMW tape deck but only the left rear speaker is working.

Any tips? Trying to keep the car as original as possible, so not replacing the stereo with an alpine. All help is appreciated!

[jgilber0]

The male plugs for the speakers are all of the same design. A quick check of the radio can be done by pulling it out of the dash first.

Flip out the small square clips on the left and right sides of the radio
Get a small hex key / Allen Wrench and unscrew the exposed screws
Stick your fingers in the cassette slot and gently pull

Next, look at the back of the radio. The female speaker sockets are marked FR, FL, RR, RL. Note the wire connections and gently pull them out of the radio. One at a time, plug the speaker wires into LR and see if you get sound.

(The two rear speakers were in a single ganged connector on my 1992. If yours is like that, make a temporary wire jumper to connect it.)

If all four speakers work on the RL channel, then the other radio channels are bad.

If none of the other speakers work on the the RL channel, then the speakers are bad.

Hope this helps!

[94530inh]

The male plugs for the speakers are all of the same design. A quick check of the radio can be done by pulling it out of the dash first.

Flip out the small square clips on the left and right sides of the radio
Get a small hex key / Allen Wrench and unscrew the exposed screws
Stick your fingers in the cassette slot and gently pull

Next, look at the back of the radio. The female speaker sockets are marked FR, FL, RR, RL. Note the wire connections and gently pull them out of the radio. One at a time, plug the speaker wires into LR and see if you get sound.

(The two rear speakers were in a single ganged connector on my 1992. If yours is like that, make a temporary wire jumper to connect it.)

If all four speakers work on the RL channel, then the other radio channels are bad.

If none of the other speakers work on the the RL channel, then the speakers are bad.

Hope this helps!

Thank you. I'll try this. The deck would be the culprit if the speakers work? Or is there an amp?

[jgilber0]

There may be an amp. If you have one, it’s mounted on the back wall of the trunk, driver’s side. Black rectangle about 8”x 4”. More info on it here:

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=409669