I've searched the archives and talked to service reps. and now I'm more confused than ever. I just acquired my '91 240 SE wagon and want to upgrade the speakers. In the archives I found where the 91 takes 5-1/4" in the front and 4" in the rear. That's funny (5-1/4" in the front & 4" in the rear) no pun intended. Most reps say I need 4" all around. Do I need a wiring harness? Do I need to wire the front or rear speakers to the amp? In the famous words of Vinny Barbarino ... "I'm so confused".

What is a good source/brand for new 4" speakers that fit into a 240 with no alteration? Thanks

Robert

88 245 DL

I used pioneer TSG1045 speakers to replace the 4" speakers in 86 240 DL. hese are inexpensive, and went right in with no modification. I got them locally, but www.crutchfield.com or www.sounddomain.com (cheaper than crutchfield) carry these or similar speakers.

Thanks for the reply... if aftermarket speakers are used, will the original 240 square plastic speaker cover/grille still clip on?

I see after browsing the web that one can spend anywhere from $10 (Radio Shack) to over $100 (component speakers). Car will be just a daily driver and driver (daughter) is not an audiophile -- just looking for basic capablity to receive/listen to sound.

Thanks and Happy New Year

Robert S.

88 245 DL

As Scrump says, you can get the original grilles to fit if you really want to. I used the 4" Pioneers in the front and the 5-1/4" Pioneers in the rear shelf with the original grills. The door speakers look fine, but my interior is very dark blue, so you can't see anything unless you look closely (slight difference in material color where the old grill used to cover it vs. the new grill). On the rear shelf, the difference is more pronounced due to sun fading of the uncovered material over time, but you don't see this when you are in the car anyway.
As far as the sound quality goes, it is just fine for me and I suspect for most people. It actually sounds pretty damn good. But if I was to do it again, I would check into using 6X9's in the rear for improved bass response, and stick a pair of bass blockers on the front speakers. www.etronics.com has nice Pioneer 6X9's for 39.95 ($50.00 cheaper than cruthcfield!!) I've used etronics before with no problems.

Robert,

I also used the Pioneer 4" speakers (TSG1045)for the rear. If your speakers are like my rear speakers then the speaker and mounting plate are a one piece construction. If you want to use the original covers you will have to cut the speaker out of the plate. I tried this with mine but for that speaker you have to cut a pretty big hole. Also, the speaker didn't quite fit within the limits of the plate. I was getting so close to the upper part of the plate that it was bending the piece. I just abandoned that idea and mounted the aftermarket covers on the back. It still looks okay.

If you really want to keep the original covers ... first take off the door covers, drill the rivots out and take the plate/speaker with you to a local stereo store. You maybe can find another speaker that has a smaller O.D. and fits within the plate. I used tin snips to cut the hole and it was a mangled mess ... if you can find another way of getting a cleaner cut - do it.

Also the Pioneer speakers we are talking about have a smaller connection at the speaker than the factory wiring connection. So it is a pretty loose fit unless you use the wires they supply.

Also www.etronics.com - they seem to be even cheaper.

Obviously you have No clue about this, just go get it done at some shop.

Well I did get the job done myself. It was relatively easy. I guess I was trying to get more info than I needed. So BITE ME !!!

Obviously you have No clue about this, just go get it done at some shop.

I have Sony 5-1/4" in the front doors of my '89 245 wagon. The door panel is a compressed wood/fibre product. It did not hold up too well to repeated door closings. What I did was I cut a donut shaped piece of plastic and slid that behind the door panel through he hinge side. This gave me better anchoring behind the cutout of the speaker. THe metal screw clips that came w/ the speakers were useless with the OEM door panel and kept tearing the panel. I installed these speakers with very little cutting to the existing speaker holes. In the wagon's rear cargo area, I installed 6x9's on the removable side covers. If you want, you can install 4" near the back rests of the rear seats. Be careful though if speakers are not there now and you have to cut through the plastic near the pillar and make sure you know where to cut. Best of luck and enjoy the dramatic improvement in sound!

Well, if your car has square grilles in the front, then they are 4". If the grilles are hex shaped, then they are 5 1/4". It seems like most people don't know about the hex grilles, so most people say that the 240 takes 4" all around.

You shouldn't need a wiring harness. If you are just using the stock reciever and amplifier, just hook up your new speakers to the wires that came off of your old speakers.

Keep in mind that you would get much better sound with a new reciever, and if you already do have an aftermarket reciever, then you will want to run wires from the rear speakers directly to the reciever, and you won't want to use the factory amplifier at all.

Greg

Yes, they are definitly hex shaped. I've pulled the cover off and they are
5-1/4". Yes, I am using the stock reciever ... when you say to just hook up the wires from the new to the old do you mean to cut the wires or is there another connection because it looks like they are soldered to the speaker. The new speakers have crimp fittings for connectors. Bear with me I'm new at this. I heard if I just connect the wires to each other and tape them up then I could have connection problems eg.bumpy roads etc. Do I still need to wire the back speakers to the amp?

You can cut the wires at the speaker, then connect them to the new speakers using whatever method the new speakers require. If you are connecting the old wires to new ones provided with your new speakers, you should solder or crimp them together (using a crimping tool), don't just twist them together.
If there is an existing amp for the rear speakers, they should already be connected to the amp, again just cut the wires at the speakers and connect the wires to the new speakers.
I strongly recommend replacing the stock radio, new CD am/fm radios can be had for not much money and will make a BIG difference.

Well, I figure that since no one spoke about cutting into the metal part of anything, that I shouldn't cut up the metal part on the rear to place in 6X9 speakers.

Would anyone know if I should cut through the metal plating to place in the rear of a sedan? if not I guess back to store!

Let us know when you get the answer to that one. I'm certainly curious.

You can cut the wires at the speaker, then connect them to the new speakers using whatever method the new speakers require. If you are connecting the old wires to new ones provided with your new speakers, you should solder or crimp them together (using a crimping tool), don't just twist them together.
If there is an existing amp for the rear speakers, they should already be connected to the amp, again just cut the wires at the speakers and connect the wires to the new speakers.
I strongly recommend replacing the stock radio, new CD am/fm radios can be had for not much money and will make a BIG difference.

Well, I figure that since no one spoke about cutting into the metal part of anything, that I shouldn't cut up the metal part on the rear to place in 6X9 speakers.

Would anyone know if I should cut through the metal plating to place in the rear of a sedan? if not I guess back to store!

Let us know when you get the answer to that one. I'm certainly curious.