2002 SL front speaker/door

I had Panasonic CD/MP3 head unit installed in my 2002 SL (instead of a plain
radio) and now consider to replace front speakers. So there are 2 questions:

1. What are specifications for OE speakers (frequency response, RMS power range,
peak power handling, impedance)?

2. How to remove front doors trim to get to speakers? I looked at Chilton's and
Haynes repair manuals, but they cover only thru 1998 or 1999, and their front
door disassembly procedures do not seem to be applicable to my 2002 SL.

Thank you.

Jerry

 

1: I'm not sure, but unless it's a premium (better-than-base) speaker setup,
probably not very good all around. Usually the GM head units seem decent,
but the stock speakers suck.

2: This seems to be the procedure:

Pull off mirror trim panel.
Remove fastener from inside door handle assembly, slide forward while
pulling outward - use screwdriver to disengage rod from retainers
Remove window crank with standard window handle tool (if manual windows)
Remove fasteners at pull cup and lower rear corner of panel
Pull up on panel to disengage hooks at the top, and remove

 

If you buy the speakers from Crutchfield they'll include easy to follow
installation instructions...

....almost anything aftermarket will sound better and include higher volume
capabilities. Most head units don't put out much power so the extra
capacity of the speaker is basically pointless. It used to be speakers that
could handle higher wattage/amperage were less efficient which meant they
put out less volume with a given amount of input (technology may be
different today and I don't listen to high volumes so it's not a concern for
me)...

My 2 cents.

 

No idea. But OE front speakers are 1 way (the driver side door may be
2 way). Sounds very nasal. If you plan to upgrade speakers,
Recommend you use same model front & back. What ever fits the back
will also fit the front. I'm using Infinity 62.3i speakers. Have
already blown a pair (the fronts damages more easily than rears due to
location and being slammed all the time when you close car door).
Otherwise, very happy with price/performance. If you want better
sound, recommend you go with components and place tweeters on the dash
as location of door speakers isn't ideal for high freq sounds.

The following needs to be removed:
1. side mirror remote cover - these just pop off
2. window crank - fashion a hook out of paper clip. Push door panel
in and turn handle while looking down at the space from top to locate
the "loop" part of the clip. Attach hook and pull. It's very easy
once you locate the loop. The crank handle comes off after you remove
the clip. Re-attach the clip to crank immediately to avoid losing
clip. Also recommend you roll window all the way to the top before
removing crank to help you locate handle position when installing.
3. all Philips head screws (I can't remember exactly but there should
be 4 - 5 of these)
4. the door lock handle assembly. You'll need small hands for this.
The door lock handle is attached to the lock mechanism via 2 long rods
with a 90 degree bend at the end. The bent part is hooked into a hole
on the lock handle and secured with a plastic washer/clip. First
unclip the plastic washer/clip (needle nose pliers help). Then,
simply unhook the rod taking care not to drop the rod or lose the
plastic washer/clip. The lock handle now comes off.
5. Now the easy part. Grasp the door trim panel at the bottom and
give it a firm lift. This is to pop the trim panel out of the weather
seal at the bottom of the window. After it pops out, simply pull the
panel away from the door to remove.
6. Speaker is now right in front of you. Saturn uses some black
gooey stuff to stick the plastic film to the door frame. This might
may the screws difficult to remove but it will come off.
7. If you get speakers with external cross over, the black diagnoal
metal rod inside the speaker hole is a good place to tie the cross
over to.

Good luck.