Speaker "popping" noise

[Ultravox]

I hope someone can help me! (My car is a A3 TDI 2.0 R4 on a 54 plate)

I recently had a strange smell comming from my air con. So I took out the pollen filter and used a foaming air-con cleaner to clean out all the vents etc.
Then of course I replaced the pollen filter and put it all back to how it was.
Since then I have heard a strange popping noise from the front....on further inspection I got even more confused because I could hear this even with the head unit switched off!!
So I took out the head unit and pulled the plug on the front speakers which has eliminated the "popping noise".
All I can think of is when cleaning the vents either side of the centre speaker I have damaged or disturbed some wiring....
If anyone can shed some light on this any help would be appreciated.
I presume (considering the front speaker plug on the stereo has four wires (front left & front right) that the wiring is split somewhere else to go to the front tweaters & centre speaker? and do they go to a seperate amp for the front?
The next thing I am going to try is to disconnect each speaker in turn to try to find out which one...but i'm unsure if its a speaker or some wiring that has been disturbed near the blower motor.

[alankru]

I've got a A3 55 SE and I was told by Audi that there is a separate amp integrated with the subwoofer in the boot (I think it is integrated). When I spoke to an installation specialist, he explained that the 2 front speakers are powered by the head unit and the rest are powered by the BOSE amplifier in the subwoofer.

[Ultravox]

Saturday morning I decided to disconnect each speaker in turn to see if any of those were at fault.
Popping still there!!!
Looking at the head unit and examining the wiring I noticed that the brown connector had two wires that were labeled up as TEL.
I disconnected this plug and guess what? THE POPPING noise has gone!!
What I have found out since is that when "Bluetooth" connects to my phone the stereo mutes but no sound...I can live with that as I do have a jabra bluetooth ear piece.
Does anyone know where those wires go? I presume there is a unit somewhere that connects seperatly to the front speakers?

[alankru]

I don't know what radio you have, but I have the Concert II which looks like this: http://www.carheadunit.co.uk/categor...radio-removal/
Now on this radio, at the top you have a black connector with lots of wires which powers the radio. Underneath, in the middle, you have a brown connector that serves the speakers. Then you have a bigger black connector at the bottom. Unless you have a phone kit (or it seems to also be labelled for navigation?), you shouldn't have anything plugged into the vertical plug to the side of it, which is labelled on the radio diagram as Tel. If you had a phone kit, the equipment would use the Tel connections to connect directly to the front speakers. This allows the phone kit to use the front speakers regardless of whether the head unit is turned on or not. When the head unit is turned on, and a call is received, the phone kit interrupts the radio (the radio then displays "phone") and outputs to the front speakers. When the call is finished, the radio returns to where it was.

I don't know how your wiring is, but I don't know if this helps at all.
Concert II wiring:

[Ultravox]

That's the one!!
The radio still displays "Phone" when I connect bluetooth but now I get no audio through the front speakers.
The car used to have a car kit in (which had been removed quite some time ago).
So looks like I've solved the problem but can no-longer use the bluetooth facility on the radio.
Which I can live with but it would be nice to get it to work again!!

[alankru]

Just so that I understand you correctly...

The radio still displays "Phone" when I connect bluetooth but now I get no audio through the front speakers.

Which I take it is because you have disconnected those 2 speaker wires on the telephone connector?

However, I am puzzled...if the car used to have a car kit in it, which has now been removed, what kit is using the telephone connection now? Because from what you are saying you still have a bluetooth kit working somewhere, connected to the radio but I'm puzzled as to what.

[Ultravox]

Just so that I understand you correctly...

Which I take it is because you have disconnected those 2 speaker wires on the telephone connector?

However, I am puzzled...if the car used to have a car kit in it, which has now been removed, what kit is using the telephone connection now? Because from what you are saying you still have a bluetooth kit working somewhere, connected to the radio but I'm puzzled as to what.

YES that's right. I just pulled the brown connector out (which had the two wires on it!) I don't think the phone kit has been completely removed- the cradle was, and there was a hole left in the dash. I guess I need to get the glove box out again & look for it!!
I've also got a strange battery drain going on now....I've switched off the timers on the head unit for traffic alerts...& I hope that will reduce the battery drain when it is switched off. Very confusing...and it all started with me cleaning the ventilation system out!!

[alankru]

YES that's right. I just pulled the brown connector out (which had the two wires on it!) I don't think the phone kit has been completely removed- the cradle was, and there was a hole left in the dash. I guess I need to get the glove box out again & look for it!!

I'm afraid that I am still confused about the brown connectors. At the top you have a black connector with lots of wires which powers the radio. Underneath, in the middle, you have a brown connector that serves the speakers from the radio. Then you have a bigger black connector at the bottom. From what you have said so far, I agree with you that the phone kit must still exist in the car. So, you must also have a vertical connector to the side of all the others, which is labelled on the radio diagram as Tel. Are you saying that the vertical telephone connector is also brown?
So do you not have any vertical telephone connector plugged in now?

On my radio, I have had additional adapters fitted for the phone kit, so look out for these. My phone kit "box" (or at least some of it) appears to have been placed underneath the head unit and behind the ventilation controls if that's any help to you finding yours.

[Ultravox]

I'm afraid that I am still confused about the brown connectors. At the top you have a black connector with lots of wires which powers the radio. Underneath, in the middle, you have a brown connector that serves the speakers from the radio. Then you have a bigger black connector at the bottom. From what you have said so far, I agree with you that the phone kit must still exist in the car. So, you must also have a vertical connector to the side of all the others, which is labelled on the radio diagram as Tel. Are you saying that the vertical telephone connector is also brown?
So do you not have any vertical telephone connector plugged in now?

On my radio, I have had additional adapters fitted for the phone kit, so look out for these. My phone kit "box" (or at least some of it) appears to have been placed underneath the head unit and behind the ventilation controls if that's any help to you finding yours.

Yes, that's right- it's the vertical connector labeled on the radio as TEL.
I must have done something when cleaning out the air-con as i'm sure it is this that is causing the battery drain. When it was quiet I could hear a very faint hiss from the front speakers. I'm servicing my audi saturday...so hopefully I will find the phone kit where you said. Thanks for your help. I will keep you posted.