Ok so i finally got around to installing my Infinity 6812CF speakers today...well, sort of anyway. the rain preempted me finishing the drivers side but here is a photo essay from the passanger side install. BTW, it took me 6 trips to 4 different stores to collect all the parts neccisary. Hopefully this will help others know what and how to swap out there speakers.
Your going to need a few tools. A Door Panel removal tool will help a lot! you will need a #2 Phillips head screw driver, and a small flat blade screw driver (not show) to pry open the screw caps.
I picked up this pry tool at a discount tool store for $2.99 (Thanks Rebecca)
You will also need a set of Metra Speaker wire harness adapters. Turns out Mazda Uses Ford Plugs. this set is part number 72-5600 and is labeled Foord Speaker adapter!
Wrap the end of the pry tool with some Masking tape to protect your paint. I used some nice Cloth tape i had on hand.
here is a shot of my door.
I used a flat blade screwdriver the first time i removed the panel and scratched my paint every place the screwdriver touched! the paint is VERY soft and even with the cloth wrapped tool i still made marks! These are the scratches from the first time i removed the panel before i bought the tool. But the scratches came in handy to line up the Panel tool the 2nd time around....
Start by gently prying open the covers inside the door release cup and the door handle to reveal the phillips head screws inside. The covers stay attached to the door so dont pull on them. Remove the screws noteing which one went where as they are different. Just in case you forget. the flat head screw goes inside the release cup and the standard screw goes inside the handle. Make sure you put these some place safe where they wont get lost.
Slide the release lever cup away from the handle and pull out. this takes a bit of fiddling. be carefull. there is a catch that holds it in place. you must slide it first then it will come off. dont force it. Unplug the door lock switch and remove. Look at the photo closely to see how this comes apart.
Alright next step is to pry off the panel. BUT. we are going to jump ahead for just a second and i am going to show you the inside of the panel so you can visualize where the plastic pop rivets are
Take a good look at the inside of the door panel and if you print this, you will have a better idea of where the plastic pop rivets are.
Note in the photos the white arrows. these are the plastic pop rivets you need to locate and use the tool to gently remove. you will notice the location that is circled. this rivet is very hard to get to as it is in the middle of the panel. It did not come off with the door.
Place the pry tool under the panel, locate the tool so that the groove down the middle goes around both sides of the rivet and pry them loose. they should POP as you do so. Work your way around the panel until all 9 plugs have popped loose.
To lift off the panel, you must tilt and slide the panel off. This is the passanger side (US) door so lift up on the right side slightly, and slide to the right as you lift the panel off. But dont pull it off all the way just yet.
Inside you will first need to disconnect the electric window switch. there isnt much lenght on the cable so you will need to balance the panel on against the door as you work the window switch plug loose. use caution as it is easy to drop the panel and yank on the wires. After unpluging the harness, you can remove the panel and store someplace safe.
I had to pry this one rivet out by itself and replace it in the door panel. note how nicely the tool fits around the plug.
Here is a shot of the stock door speaker. The dent in the dustcap was there from the factory! Yikes! Note the foam surrounding the edge of the cone. this seals the speaker to the door panel. this becomes a problem as you will see later.
Here is a comparison of the backs of the stock VS Infinity speakers. That TINY magnet on the stock speaker is actually a neodymium Magnet is is VERY strong for its size. These two magents are probably comparable in power. Still, the stock speaker weighs only a few onces and feels very cheap!
This is the speaker harness plug. you cannot use standard spade lugs on this. buying the proper adapter is pretty much madatory. OR, you could cut the plug end off about 3" or so and attache bullit plugs on the harness end and plug end so you could then later reinstall the stock speakers i guess. I almost did just that. but a trip to a total of 3 Best Buy stores yeilded me the proper plugs. and just a note about that. I had to go to the actuall install bays and talk tot he guys. they did not have these parts in the store. but the isntall bays have a store counter inside. i didnt know that. the plugs cost me $7.99 for a set of two. Not bad considering the amount of hassle it would have taken me to dig out the soldering iron and heat shrink and cords etc. (I dont use crimp lugs, only solder type.)
Remember what i said about the the foam around the stock speaker. Well after i received the Infinity's I noted that the surround was very wide. meaning it went all the way to the rim of the speaker. I noted from the first time i removed the speaker, the ridge in the middle of the foam on the stock speaker, and the ring on the inside of the door panel. I checked the infinity's for clearance and just as i suspected, the rubber surround on the infinitys will hit the ring on the inside of the door panel. just barely but enough to cause noise and unwanted rubbing. Sorry about the strange looking photo, i had to rotate it in photo shop due to the angle at which i had to place the camera to get a good shot of the point of contact.
Here is the ring on the inside of the door panel
I took my Dremel tool and a cut off wheel and removed as much of the ring as i could. i then used a sanding wheel to remove what the cut off wheel couldnt and then cleaned up the remaining bits with a X-acto knife. here is the panel with the ring removed before clean up
I noticed that the stock speaker had a foam rubber gasket around the inside edge of the speaker. and i noticed in test fitting the Infinitys in the hole that there were small gaps along the edge. so i used some caulk to fill in the voids, seal the speaker to the door panel and help prevent unwanted ratteling and resonances. I used GB brand electrical caulk. $1.99 for a 1lb plug. I pulled off pieces and rolled them into long tubes then worked them as flat as i could around the edge. making sure not to get any in the screw holes.
I connected the Metra Harness adapter to the speaker. it comes with crimped on speaker plugs. I Zip tied the plug to the speaker frame to hold it in place and avoid any door rattles. I then carefully placed the new speaker into the hole aligning the screw holes before pressing the speaker into the sealant. I tightened the screws just enough to hold the speaker in place. then i snugged the speaker up working each screw 1/4 turn at a time so as not to twist or bend the speaker frame. this also allowed the sealant to work its way out a little bit and fill in the gaps. This takes a bit of patients to not just crank the screws all the way down. But once all were tight, i then worked the sealant into the edges of the frame, making sure not to get any on the rubber surround. I filled in all the gaps and made sure the speaker was tight after letting it sit for a few minutes.
To replace the door panel, you must first get the side that goes under the tweeter lined up. this takes a bit of work and maybe easier with the window down. you have to gently pull up on the window rubber gasket to get it to fit over the door edge, then slide the panel under the tweeter a little bit. once in place, use your fingers to make sure the plastic rivet closest to the tweeter is lined up with the hole. pop it in place and work your way around the door and make sure you dont forget the weird one in the middle of the upper panel. Dont forget to replace the screws int he door panel.
It started sprinkling a bit and i wasnt able to finish the drivers side. But i did check to make sure the speaker worked etc. Without a detailed listen i noted that the Infinitys have slightly less sensitivity. meaning there not quite as loud, and they have a bit less bass then the stock speakers! but the sound overall is much better. but again. i was listening with the door open while it was sprinkling on me. I will give a more detailed write up after i live with them a few days....
Stay tuned for Part 2
Zc
Your going to need a few tools. A Door Panel removal tool will help a lot! you will need a #2 Phillips head screw driver, and a small flat blade screw driver (not show) to pry open the screw caps.
I picked up this pry tool at a discount tool store for $2.99 (Thanks Rebecca)
You will also need a set of Metra Speaker wire harness adapters. Turns out Mazda Uses Ford Plugs. this set is part number 72-5600 and is labeled Foord Speaker adapter!
Wrap the end of the pry tool with some Masking tape to protect your paint. I used some nice Cloth tape i had on hand.
here is a shot of my door.
I used a flat blade screwdriver the first time i removed the panel and scratched my paint every place the screwdriver touched! the paint is VERY soft and even with the cloth wrapped tool i still made marks! These are the scratches from the first time i removed the panel before i bought the tool. But the scratches came in handy to line up the Panel tool the 2nd time around....
Start by gently prying open the covers inside the door release cup and the door handle to reveal the phillips head screws inside. The covers stay attached to the door so dont pull on them. Remove the screws noteing which one went where as they are different. Just in case you forget. the flat head screw goes inside the release cup and the standard screw goes inside the handle. Make sure you put these some place safe where they wont get lost.
Slide the release lever cup away from the handle and pull out. this takes a bit of fiddling. be carefull. there is a catch that holds it in place. you must slide it first then it will come off. dont force it. Unplug the door lock switch and remove. Look at the photo closely to see how this comes apart.
Alright next step is to pry off the panel. BUT. we are going to jump ahead for just a second and i am going to show you the inside of the panel so you can visualize where the plastic pop rivets are
Take a good look at the inside of the door panel and if you print this, you will have a better idea of where the plastic pop rivets are.
Note in the photos the white arrows. these are the plastic pop rivets you need to locate and use the tool to gently remove. you will notice the location that is circled. this rivet is very hard to get to as it is in the middle of the panel. It did not come off with the door.
Place the pry tool under the panel, locate the tool so that the groove down the middle goes around both sides of the rivet and pry them loose. they should POP as you do so. Work your way around the panel until all 9 plugs have popped loose.
To lift off the panel, you must tilt and slide the panel off. This is the passanger side (US) door so lift up on the right side slightly, and slide to the right as you lift the panel off. But dont pull it off all the way just yet.
Inside you will first need to disconnect the electric window switch. there isnt much lenght on the cable so you will need to balance the panel on against the door as you work the window switch plug loose. use caution as it is easy to drop the panel and yank on the wires. After unpluging the harness, you can remove the panel and store someplace safe.
I had to pry this one rivet out by itself and replace it in the door panel. note how nicely the tool fits around the plug.
Here is a shot of the stock door speaker. The dent in the dustcap was there from the factory! Yikes! Note the foam surrounding the edge of the cone. this seals the speaker to the door panel. this becomes a problem as you will see later.
Here is a comparison of the backs of the stock VS Infinity speakers. That TINY magnet on the stock speaker is actually a neodymium Magnet is is VERY strong for its size. These two magents are probably comparable in power. Still, the stock speaker weighs only a few onces and feels very cheap!
This is the speaker harness plug. you cannot use standard spade lugs on this. buying the proper adapter is pretty much madatory. OR, you could cut the plug end off about 3" or so and attache bullit plugs on the harness end and plug end so you could then later reinstall the stock speakers i guess. I almost did just that. but a trip to a total of 3 Best Buy stores yeilded me the proper plugs. and just a note about that. I had to go to the actuall install bays and talk tot he guys. they did not have these parts in the store. but the isntall bays have a store counter inside. i didnt know that. the plugs cost me $7.99 for a set of two. Not bad considering the amount of hassle it would have taken me to dig out the soldering iron and heat shrink and cords etc. (I dont use crimp lugs, only solder type.)
Remember what i said about the the foam around the stock speaker. Well after i received the Infinity's I noted that the surround was very wide. meaning it went all the way to the rim of the speaker. I noted from the first time i removed the speaker, the ridge in the middle of the foam on the stock speaker, and the ring on the inside of the door panel. I checked the infinity's for clearance and just as i suspected, the rubber surround on the infinitys will hit the ring on the inside of the door panel. just barely but enough to cause noise and unwanted rubbing. Sorry about the strange looking photo, i had to rotate it in photo shop due to the angle at which i had to place the camera to get a good shot of the point of contact.
Here is the ring on the inside of the door panel
I took my Dremel tool and a cut off wheel and removed as much of the ring as i could. i then used a sanding wheel to remove what the cut off wheel couldnt and then cleaned up the remaining bits with a X-acto knife. here is the panel with the ring removed before clean up
I noticed that the stock speaker had a foam rubber gasket around the inside edge of the speaker. and i noticed in test fitting the Infinitys in the hole that there were small gaps along the edge. so i used some caulk to fill in the voids, seal the speaker to the door panel and help prevent unwanted ratteling and resonances. I used GB brand electrical caulk. $1.99 for a 1lb plug. I pulled off pieces and rolled them into long tubes then worked them as flat as i could around the edge. making sure not to get any in the screw holes.
I connected the Metra Harness adapter to the speaker. it comes with crimped on speaker plugs. I Zip tied the plug to the speaker frame to hold it in place and avoid any door rattles. I then carefully placed the new speaker into the hole aligning the screw holes before pressing the speaker into the sealant. I tightened the screws just enough to hold the speaker in place. then i snugged the speaker up working each screw 1/4 turn at a time so as not to twist or bend the speaker frame. this also allowed the sealant to work its way out a little bit and fill in the gaps. This takes a bit of patients to not just crank the screws all the way down. But once all were tight, i then worked the sealant into the edges of the frame, making sure not to get any on the rubber surround. I filled in all the gaps and made sure the speaker was tight after letting it sit for a few minutes.
To replace the door panel, you must first get the side that goes under the tweeter lined up. this takes a bit of work and maybe easier with the window down. you have to gently pull up on the window rubber gasket to get it to fit over the door edge, then slide the panel under the tweeter a little bit. once in place, use your fingers to make sure the plastic rivet closest to the tweeter is lined up with the hole. pop it in place and work your way around the door and make sure you dont forget the weird one in the middle of the upper panel. Dont forget to replace the screws int he door panel.
It started sprinkling a bit and i wasnt able to finish the drivers side. But i did check to make sure the speaker worked etc. Without a detailed listen i noted that the Infinitys have slightly less sensitivity. meaning there not quite as loud, and they have a bit less bass then the stock speakers! but the sound overall is much better. but again. i was listening with the door open while it was sprinkling on me. I will give a more detailed write up after i live with them a few days....
Stay tuned for Part 2
Zc
