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Thanks for your quick reply re the removal of the center rear headrest, Unfortunately I'm a big guy and having trouble accessing the work area comfortably. Have purchased the simply speakers repair set. Is there a simple way to remove the rear center headrest?
The rear center headrest is held in place with 3 bolts (see sketch below, circled in red). You will have to pop the plastic trim piece to access these bolts.
Just wanted to say thanks for this write up. I just did this repair and the results were perfect I might still add on an amp and sub later on. But for a 1-2 hour, $22 dollar repair this was awesome.
Well, this is perplexing: I went to replace the rear sub in my new-to-me 2003 LS430 with ML sound system. It is clear the rear sub is blown, as it buzzes as much as I have ever heard a speaker buzz. I popped the cover expecting to see the usual deterioration. Instead, what I see is a very recently fixed sub with the SimplySpeakers kit, and it looks like it was very well done. They even replaced the foam between the speaker housing and the shelf?!? No cut shelf here, they did it the seat removal way. It seems to be completely glued down on the frame and cone. I have no idea why it would still buzz like it's blown? It is clear the speaker itself is buzzing, and not the shelf, surround, etc....
First check to see if the voice coil is properly aligned. With the audio system off, use your fingers to press the voice cone up and down to see if you feel any interference (rubbing). If so, the foam surround needs to be redone.
The other possibility is that the back of the voice cone is inadvertently making contact with a wire or some trim material. To confirm, play audio system loud enough to cause the subwoofer to buzz, move your finger around with light pressure on the voice cone to see where the buzz comes from.
So no interference or rubbing, and no particular spot buzzes, it's the entire thing. If I push down on the cone (or in two spots opposite from each other on the foam) a couple of millimeters, it finally stops buzzing, but, obviously, the cone then is barely moving. At this point, I clearly need to pull it. I ordered the cloth repair kit, but I have a feeling it's going to be a much bigger pain in the *** to remove a relatively recently installed foam surround.
So no interference or rubbing, and no particular spot buzzes, it's the entire thing. If I push down on the cone (or in two spots opposite from each other on the foam) a couple of millimeters, it finally stops buzzing, but, obviously, the cone then is barely moving. At this point, I clearly need to pull it. I ordered the cloth repair kit, but I have a feeling it's going to be a much bigger pain in the *** to remove a relatively recently installed foam surround.
Here's the troubleshooting procedure, from the Factory Repair Manual, for a speaker that does not make any sound. Also attached is the Audio System electrical schematics.
Thanks, that should help. It looks like the issue with my front driver's side door speaker may be with the Nav ECU. The buzzing sub is still a mystery, as I just pulled it, and it is perfect (which it should be, as it turns out it's brand new, along with all of the other speakers).
Here the widened opening. You'll have to lift up on the panel some and fish the speaker back in. Don't forget to plug in the speaker before doing so.
The two bolts closest to the rear seat a little tricky to see. For the most part I had to use my fingers to feel for the bolts. When replacing those bolts, I used the old school trick of using a piece of electrical tape to make the socket hold the bolt.
Wolah, done, and no one will be the wiser unless they take off the cover and see the hole was widened.
I tried not to crank up the music until the next morning. I wanted to be sure the glue was pretty much set as it could be but I don’t know if that is a necessary step.
Hopefully this helps someone else looking to repair their sub.
I'm going to tackle this either this weekend or next. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Thanks for doing this write up, much easier than the alternative. I picked up a repair kit a few weeks ago, but didn't get around to this till this afternoon. I should have done it a long time a go, it took way longer to wait for the glue to dry than the R&R of the speaker. Still waiting till the AM to crank it up, but I'm sure it will be worlds better.
Does the same fate await the replacement foam surround, or is it of higher quality than the OEM foam?
I asked that exact question of the Simply Speakers rep today. He said they use a better foam but then said that they only expect a ten year life of any foam. Mine probably failed around ten year car age. If I get another ten I’m satisfied.
A great post is the foam still working. Did you use the repair still working I have an 03 and was just going to replace the speaker. Are the ML Specker that great or were you just trying to save more money at the time?
A great post is the foam still working. Did you use the repair still working I have an 03 and was just going to replace the speaker. Are the ML Specker that great or were you just trying to save more money at the time?
My refoam is still going strong with no issues. Basically the ML speaker and amp use a different ohm rating than what you buy in after market speakers. Do some research and you'll see where mismatching the ohm rating between the amp and the speaker can cause the amp to wear out prematurely and the amp is a much more difficult and expensive repair.
10-15-18 | 05:16 AM
Thank you!
