JBL Subwoofer

AlanEdwards

Registered User
How many SC owners out that have had the wonderful experience of their JBL audio system's subwoofer going out? What did you do, and how much did it cost? I want to keep the system stock as it is. :eek:

Alan
 
AlanEdwards said:
How many SC owners out that have had the wonderful experience of their JBL audio system's subwoofer going out? What did you do, and how much did it cost? I want to keep the system stock as it is. :eek:

Alan

I replaced it with another one :). I thank Ford for making the rear seats fold down, or else I would have been even more contorted trying to get that thing out of there.
 
A JL Audio 6W0 would work nice. It is a rather large improvement over the stock one. Just be careful taking the box apart because it is plastic.
 
I have the stock sub-woofer unit from my 1994 if you need one.
Jim.
 
I notice that my JBL sound system doesnt feel like it has any bass. I put a new CD deck in it and played with the bass a little but it never changed. So thoughts are either its out or missing.? What is the stock size one?
 
Happened to me too

Robert Kohlman said:
The stock size is 6.5"

Mine quit about 3 weeks ago...got 10 years of thump out of it (BASS is always all the way up...still using factory JBL).

It still worked, just sounded horrible. I took the box apart and If you do it too, do it carfully. It is screwed AND glued together. Here's the steps:

  1. Disconnect the wiring to the sub amplifier that is mounted to the box
  2. Remove the four nuts that secure the subwoofer box in the trunck and remove the unit
  3. Remove the Amplifier
  4. Remove the 4 screws that hold the mounting bracket to the sub. (be sure to note how it is installed because you can put it on backwards)
  5. Remove all the remaining screws
  6. Use a flat head screwdriver to begin prying the box apart where the speaker cable comes out of the sub box
  7. Carefully pry the two halves apart.

When I got mine open, sure enough, the "foam" had separated from the woofer. So I started to scrounge the garage...

I had an 8" Radio Shack woofer from an old "home made" speaker system. Since the stock was 6.5", I had to do a retrofit.

There is a piece of insulation in the box that is approx. 1 inch thick which "dampens" the "bass wave". I set my 8" replacement speaker centerline over the opening in the insulation. I then marked the speaker mount hole locations by pushing and awl thru the isulation.

Next, I removed the insulation and drilled pilot holes for the new mounting screws. I then made 1" bushings out of 3/16" copper tubing so the speaker would have something solid to mount against. I shoved the bushings through the insulation, lined up the speaker and inserted the new screws (2" drywall screws) directly into the plastic.

I connected the amp and sub up in the trunk and tested to make sure all was ok. Finally, I reassembled and reinstalled the box. Whole project took about 3.5 hours.

Alternativly, you could buy a new head unit and a powered subwoofer but hey, you've got to use your MacGuyver skills to keep them sharp!

If you go to RadioShack.com, the have many subwoofers available that would be a suitable replacement. Most for less than $50.

Good luck.
 
I cant find either of those two subs you guys mention earlier. Do they still make them? I would love to replace my sub with one of those.
 
Jl 6w0

Robert Kohlman said:
A JL Audio 6W0 would work nice.
I replaced the JBL driver with the JL 6W0. HUGE improvement, even with the stock JBL amp. Had to trim the magnet support legs 3/8" because the JL is taller than the JBL. I got my JL on sale for $75.00.

68COUGAR
 
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Oops

68COUGAR said:
I replace the JBL driver with the JL 6W0. HUGE improvement, even with the stock JBL amp. Had to trip the magnet support lets 3/8" because the JL is taller than the JBL. I got my JL on sale for $75.00.

68COUGAR

You're right Cougar...I forgot to mention that I too had to trim down the sub magnet supports that are in the box.

CavScout - here's the link to the RadioShack stuff...

http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F007%5F002%5F009%5F004&Page=1

They have Pioneer poly 8" for $24 and 6.5" for $18.
 
sub replace

if you have the same problem as i did with the foam rotting out, then i can help. i took the sub to a speaker repair place and got the foam replaced. this was about 2 years ago and the price was $35. if you want to keep it stock this might be a better way to go then buying a whole new unit.
 
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