# Stock amplifier location



## Caleb05 (Jan 3, 2016)

Anyone know where the stock amp is in a 2014 cruze with my link? 
Is it internally in the deck or or an external ?

Thanks


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

If we're talking about the upgraded (Pioneer?) 9-speaker system, and it's the same as the 2013, it's in the trunk. Passenger side IIRC. Not to be confused with the fuel pump module.

But if it's the stock system, it's part of the radio.


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## Caleb05 (Jan 3, 2016)

It's the 6 speaker system with the my link screen


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

The radio is the amp. At least, as it came from the factory.


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## Bruzeguy (Jul 15, 2019)

What about the pioneer system? Where would that be located?


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## eddiefromcali (Aug 21, 2017)

if its not the Pioneer system, there is no amp. I have the Mylink screen, tweeters, mids in front and rear doors but no 6x9 on the rear deck....no amp.


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## Bruzeguy (Jul 15, 2019)

I have the pioneer system. Where is the amp located?


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## Bruzeguy (Jul 15, 2019)

I have speakers in all 4 doors, tweeters on the a pillar and the 6x9s in the rear deck.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Bruzeguy said:


> What about the pioneer system? Where would that be located?


See post #2.


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## eddiefromcali (Aug 21, 2017)

^ that...theres 2 "modules" attached to the rear passenger fender...

see here


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

eddiefromcali said:


> ^ that...theres 2 "modules" attached to the rear passenger fender...
> 
> see here


I have the 9 speaker setup, but only the center speaker and the two in the rear deck are pushing anything out. The dash tweeters, the front door speakers, and rear door speakers are completely silent. I checked the amplifier fuse under the hood and it's good. I checked the audio fuse under the dash and it's good. I played with the wires connecting the amplifier (which is in the trunk) and nothing. 

Any chance this is just a bad amplifier or is there something else I might be overlooking?


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Zero2Cool said:


> I have the 9 speaker setup, but only the center speaker and the two in the rear deck are pushing anything out. The dash tweeters, the front door speakers, and rear door speakers are completely silent.


The problem is somewhere starting with the amp all the way to the speakers. The radio is just a standard 4 channel (left/right/front/back). The front center and back subs are derived from that. So, at least one of the 4 door channels has to be working. I'm leaning toward the amp itself. Perhaps the 4 main speakers are all on one chip that's gone bad. But I'd check connectors on the amp. Because that's a lot of speakers to be going bad.


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

ChevyGuy said:


> The radio is just a standard 4 channel (left/right/front/back).


Oh how I miss the days of analog signals.

Now it’s all MOST. Gen 2 Cruze included. It’s Possible I guess to add aftermarket but it gets messy.


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

ChevyGuy said:


> The problem is somewhere starting with the amp all the way to the speakers. The radio is just a standard 4 channel (left/right/front/back). The front center and back subs are derived from that. So, at least one of the 4 door channels has to be working. I'm leaning toward the amp itself. Perhaps the 4 main speakers are all on one chip that's gone bad. But I'd check connectors on the amp. Because that's a lot of speakers to be going bad.


I took the amp completely out last night and took it all apart. I was hoping to find a in-house fuse or something. Maybe pregnant resistors. Anything to show a sign of failure. It looked perfect, but that's not say it _is_ perfect. I think you're right about the channels. I'm guessing the front center speaker is the front channel and the subs are the rear channel. And the tweeter, front door and back door are left/right respectively. So, maybe the left and right channels of the amplifier went out?

I was thinking picking up a used amplifier from the salvage yard and giving that a try. I don't have the tools to test the amplifier in really any other way. I guess I could splice into the harness and connect a speaker to it, but that makes me feel like I'd be creating problems down the road.

Is it possible a surge of electrical power could have taken out the speakers on the side? The car was in a front end collision from the previous owner and the air bags did deploy. The packing job in the pillars is garbage.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

The pillar speakers are the tweeters for the front door speakers. I think the rear subs are tied together, so I think the 9 speakers are driven by 6 amp channels. I believe you're correct in the front center is a mix of the front left/right and the subs are a mix of of the rear left/right. It's just 4 audio channels from the head unit.

You might try tacking a speaker in at the amp. The head unit uses the same output for both 6 and 9 speaker versions - that is, the head unit output can drive a speaker. It won't sound "right", but it's good enough for testing. Likewise, you could probably tack a speaker output from a radio or some thing to test the harness and speaker. So, a little playing around at the amp connector should tell you if it's the amp or not.

One little detail - the head unit does communicate with the amp digitally. It controls turning it on/off and maybe something else. If the head unit got swapped with a 6 speaker system, it might cause problems due the wrong software. But that's a long shot.


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

Yesterday, I went to two salvage yards that showed they had a few (at least two 2014's) Cruze's and both told me they don't have anything that new. Go figure. 

I played around more with the stereo last night. Fader front elminates the subs. Fader rear eliminates the front center speaker. This was expected. Moving balance left/right made the center speaker less loud. I also pulled off the pillars a little bit to expose the tweeters. The connections to them are fine and weren't at all damaged when the airbags deployed. I was kind of hoping that maybe the wires touched and killed the channel in the amp.

I think I'm out of luck and gonna just have to bring it in. I've never had an issue with stereo's before -- always was able to figure it out quick and fix it. 🤷‍♂️


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

ChevyGuy said:


> One little detail - the head unit does communicate with the amp digitally. It controls turning it on/off and maybe something else. If the head unit got swapped with a 6 speaker system, it might cause problems due the wrong software. But that's a long shot.


I've struck out at three salvage yards who said they had an amplifier. Each one checked 3 or 4 vehicles and none of them had an amp. I started thinking, forget it, replace the dang thing and wire it myself. Then watching a video this guy said in GM vehicles the door ding is in the front driver door speaker. I figured this was a way to see if my speaker was good. Turns out, the door ding is in my center speaker! What the heck?


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

Zero2Cool said:


> I've struck out at three salvage yards who said they had an amplifier. Each one checked 3 or 4 vehicles and none of them had an amp. I started thinking, screw it, replace the **** thing and wire it myself. Then watching a video this guy said in GM vehicles the door ding is in the front driver door speaker. I figured this was a way to see if my speaker was good. Turns out, the door ding is in my center speaker! What the heck?


The head unit only puts out 4 channels. The amp uses those 4 to produce 7 outputs. I think the two subs (rear deck) are derived from the two rear door speaker channels. And the center dash from the two front door speaker signals.

The door chime, being in the LF door, will also be heard in the center dash speaker.

(For anyone counting: to get to 9 speakers from 7 amp channels, the A-pillar tweeters piggy-back off the front door speaker signals.)

Sorry you're having trouble finding another amp. gmpartsdirect.com lists it at $183.

Doug






2011-2016 Chevrolet Radio Speaker Amplifier 95228887 | GMPartsDirect.com


2011-2016 Chevrolet part # 95228887 - Radio Speaker Amplifier




www.gmpartsdirect.com





.


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

plano-doug said:


> The head unit only puts out 4 channels. The amp uses those 4 to produce 7 outputs. I think the two subs (rear deck) are derived from the two rear door speaker channels. And the center dash from the two front door speaker signals.
> 
> The door chime, being in the LF door, will also be heard in the center dash speaker.
> 
> ...


Thanks. Do you think the amplifier is the problem? I just bought the car and I'd really like to avoid spending a couple hundred to get all 9 speakers working, lol.

The center speaker and subs in the rear deck work fine. The tweeters, front door and rear door speakers have zero sound. I've checked the under the hood fuse, the under the dash fuse. I've never experience such an issue with a car stereo setup.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Zero2Cool said:


> I've struck out at three salvage yards who said they had an amplifier. Each one checked 3 or 4 vehicles and none of them had an amp. I started thinking, forget it, replace the dang thing and wire it myself. Then watching a video this guy said in GM vehicles the door ding is in the front driver door speaker. I figured this was a way to see if my speaker was good. Turns out, the door ding is in my center speaker! What the heck?


What plano-doug said. The head unit puts the ding in the left front channel. The amp creates the center channel by mixing left and right. But since the left is dead, you hear it on the center.


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

Thanks. Do you think the amplifier is the problem? I just bought the car and I'd really like to avoid spending a couple hundred to get all 9 speakers working, lol.

The center speaker and subs in the rear deck work fine. The tweeters, front door and rear door speakers have zero sound. I've checked the under the hood fuse, the under the dash fuse. I've never experience such an issue with a car stereo setup.

My other reply is waiting for moderator approval for some reason. Not sure what I did. 🤷‍♂️


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Zero2Cool said:


> Thanks. Do you think the amplifier is the problem?


I wouldn't rule out wiring or speakers. Something has to be getting to the amp to have the center and subs. It's time to start doing some tests. I'd try tacking a speaker in right at the amp to see if it's outputting anything. Something high ohms (like 8) so you don't overload things.


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

ChevyGuy said:


> I wouldn't rule out wiring or speakers. Something has to be getting to the amp to have the center and subs. It's time to start doing some tests. I'd try tacking a speaker in right at the amp to see if it's outputting anything. Something high ohms (like 8) so you don't overload things.


I can't imagine six speakers failing at the same time. That just seems very unlikely. I've checked some of the wiring and it looks in perfect condition, but I haven't looked at the wiring from start to finish. I have a new amplifier coming in a week or two. I'm not confident that's going to fix things. I'm getting a tone generator too so I can check the speakers, or at least some of it. Sure makes me miss working on car stereo's of cars at least a decade older.


Update: Received brand new amplifier, works exactly like the other one. Time to rip door panels off -- I guess.


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

Zero2Cool said:


> I can't imagine six speakers failing at the same time. That just seems very unlikely. I've checked some of the wiring and it looks in perfect condition, but I haven't looked at the wiring from start to finish. I have a new amplifier coming in a week or two. I'm not confident that's going to fix things. I'm getting a tone generator too so I can check the speakers, or at least some of it. Sure makes me miss working on car stereo's of cars at least a decade older.
> 
> 
> Update: Received brand new amplifier, works exactly like the other one. Time to rip door panels off -- I guess.


I have some diagnostic checks I've been working on for this, but I have a couple more things left to sort thru. Plus, I just realized I was looking at 2013 drawings instead of 2014 

Hopefully I can post something helpful tomorrow.

Doug

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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

Zero2Cool said:


> I can't imagine six speakers failing at the same time.


I agree, 6 going at once is very unlikely.

I cannot find a drawing that shows all the pins for the amp, so I have to look at multiple drawings, and hope I haven't missed anything. But it appears there is only one power pin on the amp, X1-4, supplied by F35 (30A) in the underhood fuse block. One thought I had was that maybe there were multiple power pins supplying different sections of the amp, thinking one blown fuse might take out only part of the amp. But it looks like there is only the one fuse. Anyway, make sure you see +12Vdc between X1-4 (RD/WH) and X1-8 (BK, gnd) with key on.

My next step would be to set the head unit to a moderate level (loud but not deafening) and probe the input pins on the amp. Here, a scope would be ideal, but an analog volt meter - ie, one with a needle - should suffice. Here's a cheapy on Amazon . You might find something similar locally at an electronics store, a parts store, or maybe even Sears or Walmart.

The idea is to see if all four channels are getting to the amp. See attached amp drawing for wire colors.

LF: X3-11 X3-12
RF: X3-9 X3-10
LR: X3-1 X3-2
RR: X3-4 X3-3

With the meter on a low AC voltage setting, probe each pair listed above. I think you should see something around 1-2 volts peak-to-peak on each pair. (Be sure the fade and balance is centered.)

Typically, analog meters only go down to the 0-10V range on AC. These are low level signals, so you won't see much voltage, but you should be able to see the needle move up and down with the audio.

Take note if any pair is not moving the needle. 

The next thing I would check is to see what's coming out of the amp, with the meter stepped up one or two voltage steps (if necessary). See attached speakers drawing for wire colors.

LF: X2-2 X2-1
RF: X2-12 X2-11
LR: X2-4 X2-3
RR: X2-9 X2-10
center: X2-8 X2-7
left sub: X1-2 X1-3
right sub: X1-5 X1-1

Next, to check the speakers and the wires to them, with your tone generator, and X2 and X1 disconnected from the amp, inject the tone into each pair above to verify that each path and speaker is good. 

I usually use a battery powered radio with an alligator-clip patch cord plugged into the jack for this sort of test. But a tone generator works, too.

Regardless of signal source, you want to hear something come out from all 7 speaker locations.

This testing will verify that you're getting signals to the amp, and that you have continuity from the amp to the speakers. (We already know the center is working. So you can use that to verify the test setup.)

I'm chasing a few other testing details for the system, but for now this is a starting point. 

HTH.
Doug

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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

What I was able to match up from the amplifier, this diagram outlines it well.


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

Apparently having "bare" wires is OK. I always took this as a bad sign. I'm starting to question if I have the right head unit in my car. Reason being, when I go to gmpartsdirect they list three part numbers for the head unit, and none match what I have. Mine is 23206821.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

If you've got the wrong head unit, it may not turn on the amp properly. But I'd still expect all channels to be dead, not just the primary ones.

Note that output of the head unit is still speaker level. You can use a small speaker to probe the amp input to make sure the head unit is feeding it OK. 

As for the bare wires, that might be the shield of a coax able. Bare ground wires can be acceptable. What I'm seeing tends to look "factory" rather than someone's bodge job.


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

ChevyGuy said:


> If you've got the wrong head unit, it may not turn on the amp properly. But I'd still expect all channels to be dead, not just the primary ones.
> 
> Note that output of the head unit is still speaker level. You can use a small speaker to probe the amp input to make sure the head unit is feeding it OK.
> 
> As for the bare wires, that might be the shield of a coax able. Bare ground wires can be acceptable. What I'm seeing tends to look "factory" rather than someone's bodge job.


I'm not sure if its the right head unit. Everything looks stock, except I see black electrical tape being used in a couple areas. Maybe that's normal? Most of the vehicles I did stereos and wiring on were 80's through early 00's and electrical tape was a sign I wasn't the first one in there. But, I also thought you shouldn't have bare wires and the wiring diagrams indicate some wires are bare. 

I spent a few more hours researching the wiring and bought the All Data wire diagrams and everything with the amplifier checks out. As in all the colors match up with what the diagrams show and what I have. That was to be expected. 

I'll have to buy a small speaker and try something. I dunno. This just feels really strange to have 6 out of 9 speakers not working. I'm at a complete loss and already spent over $60 on manuals and wire diagrams. 🤷‍♂️

I might toss in the towel entirely on this and buy one of those vertical screen stereos and just wire everything myself and be done with this. 🤣


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

Zero2Cool said:


> I'll have to buy a small speaker and try something. I dunno. This just feels really strange to have 6 out of 9 speakers not working.


Hang in there - don't get discouraged. Get a speaker for testing and hook it to the signals going into the amp. That one test may reveal a lot about where the problem is.

I ran the part number from the pic you posted, 23206821 . I get mixed results. But one hit indicates it was replaced by 84062126, and that is one of the part numbers I found when looking for OE radios for the 2014 Cruze. I also got an ebay hit that said 23206821 was a fit for a 2014 Cruze. So I think you have a correct radio model.

Regarding the output level of the head unit, I thought I had read somewhere that these head units, when mated to a factory amp, operate with reduced (ie, low level) outputs, but none of the shop manual docs I've perused indicate that. So if it does indeed drive those outputs at full level, then that willl make testing that much easier - you won't have to hold the speaker up to your ear  

Also, I agree with ChevyGuy about the bare wires. Everything I saw in the pics looked like either a ground, or a shield, both of which are often un-insulated.



> I...already spent over $60 on manuals and wire diagrams. 🤷‍♂️


 Welcome to the club 

Doug

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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

Zero2Cool said:


> Reason being, when I go to gmpartsdirect they list three part numbers for the head unit, and none match what I have. Mine is 23206821.
> <snip pics>


I found 5 (so far): 22976137 (discontinued), 22976364, 23184127, 84062126 and 23206561.

BTW, would you mind posting a pic of your RPO sticker? (Should be in the glove box.) I want to see what all features you have with your system. Mine is the most basic, 6-speaker/no-amp setup, and I still have 14 RPOs pertaining to Bluetooth, OnStar, USB, etc. Thanks.

Doug

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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

I think link provides a better view of the codes. But I've attached the glove box sticker as well. 






free vin decode,vin report for 1G1PC5SB5E7295007


free vin decode,vin report for 1G1PC5SB5E7295007




www.free-vin-decoder.com


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

There's a number of possible models: Basic green screen, the color MyLink, and the color Navigation system. Of those, there's a 6 speaker and 9 speaker model. (There's also with rear-view camera and without.) I believe the hardware is the same for the 6 and 9 speaker, but the software programmed into the unit is different. Posts from others who have put the 6 speaker head into their 9 speaker cars have had problems Apparently the 6 speaker model lacks the software commands to turn on the amp. I don't think it's a simple "status" line, but a single wire digital bus of some sort.

Your symptoms are really strange. I have to wonder if it's defective plug or pinched wires somewhere.

And while 6 blown speakers is really unlikely, at this point, I wouldn't assume anything and would want to run some kind of basic test on one or two just for sanity.l


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Huh, no "delete" function anymore?


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

Zero2Cool said:


> I think link provides a better view of the codes. But I've attached the glove box sticker as well.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting that. It's helping me to better understand some of the radio feature combos available.

BTW, there were 8 RPO codes on the sticker not in the VIN decode (most of which did not pertain to the infotainment system):
​ABY INTERIOR TRIM CONFIG - #20​AHN Restraint provisions, latch​AJC Head restraints, 2-way adjustable​JJ2 Brake lining, high-performance​UD0 SENSOR INDICATOR – INFLATABLE RESTRAINT, FRONT RH/CHILD PRESENCE DETECTOR​UE1 OnStar ​UH1 INDICATOR, SYS, WARNING LIGHTS​UJ2 Oil life monitoring system​​
Doug

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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

ChevyGuy said:


> There's a number of possible models: Basic green screen, the color MyLink, and the color Navigation system.


 Yes, 3 is what I understand as well. Altho, so far, I've only found two available at the GM parts houses, 22858074 (monochrome) and 23349763 (color 7"). 

That said, rather than 3, the Chilton's online info breaks them down into just 2 types (each with several options): monochrome and color.

I've attached a couple block diagrams that I have added some notes to. I hope to update these with more stuff - the amp is not shown nor the OnStar, for example. But these do show some of the various busses linking the modules. Those are on my list of stuff to study some more.

Note the decidedly different topologies for the seemingly minor difference of color vs monochrome.



> Apparently the 6 speaker model lacks the software commands to turn on the amp. I don't think it's a simple "status" line, but a single wire digital bus of some sort.


Yes, I have another drawing which shows some sort of serial link to the amp. It's not MOST, the digital audio stream, but I haven't found any more details of what it does. Like you, I suspect it issues various commands and configuration messages to the amp.

Also, I have found 5 different radios for the gen1 Cruze. I've attached a summary of their various features. My ultimate goal is to figure out which radio goes with which feature set (amp/no-amp, onstar, sirius/xm, etc).

Doug




























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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

Bought a unlocked head unit. Same exact part number as I currently have and same result. I was confident that'd be the fix. I'll have to try and run wires from the amp and take speaker out to test. I'll have to reread all of the posts here too.


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