1990 CQ Rear Speaker/Factory Amp Wiring Troubles

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Old Nov 15, 2011 | 10:36 AM
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Default 1990 CQ Rear Speaker/Factory Amp Wiring Troubles

Hi, I've only been an Audi owner for about a month now and am loving it very much. However, I do not like the fact that it is virtually impossible for me to obtain a legitimate wiring diagram that actually MATCHES the wiring of my 1990 CQ. Here's the trouble:
The car came with no head unit, so I went and bought an aftermarket one with a new harness. Got it all hooked up and was able to get the front speakers working fine. The rear speakers as we all know hook up through a third wiring cluster which also powers the factory amp/s. Every wiring diagram I've found shows different wiring for this cluster than what I have in my car. I also came across some speaker wire back in the dash, so perhaps the rears were disconnected when someone installed aftermarket stuff. Either way, I'd like to know if anyone knows which wires need to be hooked up- there are only three wires coming from the head unit I can use here while there are 5 wires on the cluster. Can't determine what they are for without a good diagram. I wanted to just take out the rear speakers and test the wires for power there, but I can't figure out how to get the speakers off without destroying the covers! If anyone can even tell me how to get the rear panels off or remove the rear speakers that'd be a great start, thanks!
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Old Nov 15, 2011 | 11:36 AM
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Sorry, there are 6 wires in the factory amp cluster/connector. A blue/green and a red/green (hooked up to RCA leads), a brown/red and brown/black which go to the same pin (hooked up to a line that is spliced off of each RCA) and then a grey/red, red/yellow and another brown/red. The last three I just listed do not connect to anything with the harness adapter I purchased. Anyone know what these do? Also, when I bridge power to the Remote-In on the smaller connector for power, ground, ing. etc, then I do not hear the amp turning on. Not sure if I should, just thought I'd mention it.
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Old Nov 16, 2011 | 07:56 AM
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are you talking about the speakers in the rear doors? If so, the covers/speakers are one piece. You have to remove the the door panels and unscrew them from the back side. You will need to use the new grille covers that come with your aftermarket speakers.

As far as wiring goes, aftermarket decks have very strange wiring. I pulled mine out a couple weeks back, and there is a lot of weird things you need to do to get the radio to function properly. I'll see if I can check how the wiring goes and post a diagram if I can.
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Old Nov 18, 2011 | 08:36 AM
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Originally Posted by QPower95
are you talking about the speakers in the rear doors? If so, the covers/speakers are one piece. You have to remove the the door panels and unscrew them from the back side. You will need to use the new grille covers that come with your aftermarket speakers.

As far as wiring goes, aftermarket decks have very strange wiring. I pulled mine out a couple weeks back, and there is a lot of weird things you need to do to get the radio to function properly. I'll see if I can check how the wiring goes and post a diagram if I can.
Yea, I'm talking about the rear speakers, but its a coupe and im struggling to determine how to pull the rear panels off- its not as accessible as there are no rear doors. I'm afraid of tearing into it out of fear of breaking some plastic. I'd appreciate a diagram or any help very much. As I said I got the front speakers and the radio working just fine, its just getting the rear speakers to power on that I'm having trouble with. Much appreciated.
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Old Nov 20, 2011 | 01:18 PM
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You have to take the bottom seat out, and the side bolster for the rear seat in order to get the side panels out of a coupe. There is some other stuff to remove, just can't think of it right now.

Greg W.
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Old Nov 21, 2011 | 05:45 AM
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The old 20v.org website has some pretty good information on the radio and getting to the rear speakers.

http://20v.org/audioupg.htm
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