Just be aware that this (from vintage vibes) is a full range speaker with a pair of co-axial tweeters... not designed to be a sub woofer. Since it IS a dual voice coil 6x9 it will likely work just fine, but you may notice that the low frequency performance (what the sub is designed for) may be somewhat lacking. And, of course, the tweeters will just be paper weights, as the sub amps won't be providing any power in the frequency bands that the tweeters can reproduce. The ONLY concern is if the distance between new speaker's mounting surface to bottom of magnet structure is too deep - the Jag has limited space between the hole in the shelf and the gas tank.

I don't understand the reticence to try fixing the stock unit. Cheap and simple.

Relative to removing the shelf without removing the C pillar covers, I suggest you try for yourself to see if it seems feasible. I understand Jon's concerns, but, at least in my case, it was slam dunk EASY. I've removed my shelf three times to date and it's no more than a 30 minute task now from start to end... probably more like 90 minutes the first time, as I was learning and going slow, with no instructions (as I hadn't joined the forum yet, lol). I did, however, have the correct tools already.

 

Turns out the speaker I found will not work as it is only full range and will not be a decent replacement for a subwoofer. Guess I'll have to look on eBay for a used one to make sure it will fit and work properly. Not looking forward to the work it will take to replace it. I'm debating if I should pay to have someone install it... I may just buy some real aftermarket subs for the boot and a small amp but I'm not sure if it will work with my jaguar factory stereo.

 

I wish this writeup had pics so I could see what you guys are talking about as I'm probably going to have to do something similar. How do I tell what kind of sound system I got in the car?

 

Is this what you guys are using to fix it?

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

 

That is what you use if when you take the speaker out of the car you find out that original speaker cone's surround has failed.

This only replaces the cone accordion edge -- I'm not sure if the OE was foam or not ---- does not really matter. This takes a little finesse to get in correctly.

This only works for fixing the cone -- not if the voice coil has failed

 

Thanks,

The coil is fine as the speaker works, I can hear the paper ripping thou when it's on.


One thing I can't understand is why does the shelf have to come out to take it apart?

 

Hey all, I've diagnosed my '03 XJR's subwoofer. It just needs the rubber/foam ring replaced and it should sound like new.

If you all don't mind, which tools will I need? I saw in an earlier post that I will need Torx screwdrivers. Anything else I should prepare before my repair kit arrives from SpeakerWorks?

Thanks!

 

You'll need a small Torx screwdriver to remove the 2 bolts behind the rear heelboards which hold the rear seat base in place. You'll need bigger Torx bits to remove the seatbelt mounting bolts, as they're a lot bigger & torqued up more.

Everything else should be just the normal tools...

The rear seat back is held in place at the bottom by 4 crosshead bolts. 2 of them are each side of the car & the other 2 are in the centre, hidden behind the rear armrest.

The 3 rear seatbelt plastic trim pieces at the top of the seat back need to be carefully prised upwards & out-they can break the mounting tangs so don't force them...

The seat back can be removed with the headrests in place-it needs to be slightly pulled out at the bottom & then firmly pulled upwards on both sides to clear the top mounting lip & the rear seatbelt reels. This is the fiddly bit & it may help to have a second person helping, so you can each grab one side.

The rear shelf will be a tight sliding fit & can be removed with the 'C' trim pieces still on the car. Remove the 3 seatbelt reels-taking care with the upper bolts so your wrench doesn't slip & smash the rear screen. Prise out the 2 forward fasteners & lift the rear shelf carefully up from the centre to clear the speaker & foam base, then wiggle it forwards carefully from each side-don't force it or it may snap.

 

That's exactly what I found-no need for the 'C' pillar covers to come off & once you've done the job, then it's second nature if you ever have to do it again.

 

Hi guys, I'm going to revive this thread because I'm currently working on the exact same issue.

I'm wondering how to remove the dust cover thing from the sub woofer. It's glued, yes, and those four clips on the sides don't seem to be holding anything down, or at least I can't lift anything up when I bend them back. Do I really have to use force?

And second, after disassembling the back shelf and the metal grid with it, there only seems to be some minor vibrations left. I'm wondering if that's actually the foam ring since it still seems to be quite flexible when I was feeling it.

And third, what other measures can I take to stop vibrations in the shelf and the metal grid? It seems to be only loosely attached in the first place. (Not loosely within the car though, as I had similar problems taking the shelf out without taking the C-pillar covers out first).

 

 

The grill is pretty stiff, and fixed with staples from the bottom around the edge. I think even if you managed to pull it up with (a lot of) force you would probably bend or deform it, too. You can try to separate it from the shelf by lifting the shelf and holding the grid down, see if you can get it loose. If not, I don't see another way than to take out the back seats as described above.

Btw, I did not apply the new foam around the speaker because I was unsure if I could actually manage that. The foam is glued to the bottom of the membrane, and the top of the frame, which makes it very difficult. I cleaned everything and put it back together, and now the noise is even louder

 

I need to repair or replace my Sub. Once you go through the hassle of removing rear seat, side pillars & parcel shelf & do not break anything, how do you remove the Sub Woofer itself?

Is it a few screws or is there solder connections involved?

I’m thinking of DIY removal & then just bringing in my speaker in to a car stereo shop & have them fix the speaker. Hopefully, just needs an easy fix such as the typical surround problem. But I lack soldering skill.

I think a shop would be able to test the repaired speaker w/o the car, right?

I’m concerned that they would break something if they removed the rear seat & shelf, etc.

Also, I have read in JF about a clever way to replace fuel pump without removing gas tank & removing the subwoofer, from the trunk, in order to work through the speaker hole to do the fuel pumps.

Probably wishful thinking but, Is there a way to remove & fix & replace the subwoofer w/o removing the rear seats, side pillars & parcel shelf?
Obviously If I could just get to it from the trunk, remove it…It seems far easier & much less chance of breaking something.

I’m probably missing some key point.

 

Steve,

I'm the one who started this thread... There is no way to get to the subwoofer without removing the rear seat squab and back. You can thank the Jaguar engineers for that brilliant design. You cannot get to it from the trunk--and be careful about getting into the trunk to try, there is no trunk release from inside the trunk if the lid should fall shut on you (the hydraulic hinges stop working over time, so unless you've replaced them, getting into the trunk is a real hazard--block the latch with a cloth before even thinking about crawling into the trunk!). The speaker is held in by screws, but those are easy to remove (I recall that they're standard Philips screws). There is no soldering involved (unless you want to properly fix a broken wire); the speaker wires connect to the speaker with metal tabs. Usually only the speaker paper cone is damaged--the driver (coil) is okay. Any speaker repair place can repair that speaker.

I'll let others chime in about the fuel pump.

Jon500

 

Hi Jon500,


I just replaced both trunk struts Saturday. I had the hood propped open securely but, when I was laying down in there, I was thinking about how newer cars have this trunk release handle & how I rolled my eyes whenever I saw it, thinking other than in movies, it will never be used. Who climbs into a trunk unless you are a kidnapping victim? I found myself wishing there was such a safety feature! LOL. Belts & suspenders. In case somehow my prop failed. I like the idea of blocking the latch.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...8-x308-111451/


Thanks for the info re the sub not needing solder to replace. I think I will attempt this. I wish there was a video. I’ll need to re-read the descriptions several times.

I searched for the thread that made me think you can remove the rear sub w/o removing the back seat & finally found it! As you see, it CAN be done.

One small problem…it is NOT an XJ8 /X308, rather it is an XK8/XKR (X100) LOL.

Never mind.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x.../#&gid=1&pid=1

 

Hi Steve,

Hah! Thanks for being so candid. I also used to chuckle at those trunk-release handles (did you know most if not all of them are designed to glow in the dark?), and I figured that I never would need one--that is until one fine day: I did what you did and ended up in the trunk--but it seems that I had a much closer call. I was whole-torso inside the trunk on my back working on replacing the trunk-lid struts. I found that being on my back with arms overhead provided the optimal angle-of-attack necessary to work on those pesky struts, given that the strut-retaining anchor point is located in the bowels of the inside back of the trunk. It took all I had to pull free that bottom end of one of the struts... When I finally did, the weight of the lid was too much for the remaining strut and the lid came crashing down--much heavier that I ever imagined it was. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THAT FACT THAT MY KNEE WAS PROPPED UP ON MY ANGLED, SUPPORTING LEG, the trunk would have latched shut. It came within an inch or two from doing just that because the weight of the lid was unexpected, and my supporting leg straightened a bit as a result, bringing my knee--and the lid--even lower. Add to that: It was a 90-plus degree day and I was working alone in my detached garage on holiday weekend when most neighbors were not at home. After I realized what just almost happened, I leapt out of the trunk and hyperventilated as I studied from a distance what could have been my coffin. I realized that I had a monkey wrench, a screwdriver, and a flash light with me in the trunk, but aside from those items, I had nothing else that would have been particularly useful in helping to set myself free had the trunk lid actually latched. I didn't even have my cell phone (doh!)--it was on a nearby workbench. I realized that if I had had the Jaguar key fob with the electronic trunk release on it then that would have worked, but short of that, I figured that I would have had to kick/warp the sheet metal enough to get out--and would I have had the strength to actually set myself free in that manner (that's where you kind of hope that the Jaguar build quality isn't all it's cracked up to be!)? I also thought that maybe I would have opened the plastic housing along the inside front of the trunk (near the tail lights) to access the trunk-release switch wires and join them together, but I don't know if I could have gotten to those wires...

I consider that event to be one of those moments where I really could have accidentally done myself in... The headlines wouldn't have been flattering. It would have been many hours before anyone would have found me or heard me yelling--and how much would I yell for help when no one is likely around to hear? While I've share this story with close friends, I always felt that if I posted it here then someone would troll me for being such an idiot. But you shared enough that I feel it's time to share as well. I now realize that unless you're a DIY person then you can't understand how the mind gets focused on a task and doesn't always consider safety ramifications. As you said, who would have thought that getting trapped in a trunk would ever be a possibility short of being the victim of a criminal act??? Anyway, I hope our stories heighten the awareness of anyone working on this kind of vehicle or any other that doesn't have a trunk release pull inside the trunk! Put duct tape or a cloth over the latch before getting into a trunk! If our anecdotes help prevent at least a single accident, we've done our job!

Keep us posted on your rear-sub speaker project!

 

Great Story Jon500!

The thread here & elsewhere warn to prop up the trunk lid but, if you didn't read them & thought if replacing 1 strut at a time that the remaining strut would hold up the lid, you could seriously injure yourself, if not trap yourself!

I think there are still people who lift their cars with a floor jack or even the small jack that comes with the car for charging a tire & crawl underneath the car. (No jack stands or ramp)
I bet a few die every year when the jack fails.

It will be some months b4 I tackle the rear sub since it is getting hot here in Phoenix.
I will need to be able to drive the car, at least to & from the driveway while in the midst of the job. I hope I do not have to complete remove the rear seat...out of the car, just pull it FW.
I have no place to put it while I deal with the speaker repair.

I have 2 other cars in my Garage now & had to move my Jag out to the driveway a few months ago. I need to move, to get a much larger garage!

Once I fix the rear subW, my Jag will have nothing left to fix, nothing wrong with it.

 

Hi Steve,

Thanks for complimenting that story, Steve. That happened years ago but it's still a fresh memory. Ahead of that strut repair I never looked at forums because that project seemed to be a hazard-free no-brainer, until I got enmeshed in it. Once bitten twice shy and I now tend to be extra careful when I approach any project--even getting on a ladder to change a bulb (I test the ladder stability, test each step before bearing full weight, and clear the area around the ladder, and even try get someone to hold it as an extra precaution). I usually don't do any hazardous work alone any more--and I always have my charged cell phone in my pocket. Yes, I had heard/read stories about jacks, etc.--I'm pretty sure there is even a Columbo episode having to do with a car jack "accident". But thanks for that heads-up anyway. In general, I tend to research more these days than I used to about projects I want to undertake, thanks to YouTube and forums like this.

Congratulations on your near-perfect Jaguar. Mine is a 2000 XJR in very similar condition as yours. I have only to repair the mechanism that tilts the sunroof--then everything I know about will be working to factory spec!

Regards,
Jon500

 

And here we go again - I'm going to dig this thread up because I will have to repair my subwoofer as well. Something is definitely rattling back there. It's CRAZY that there are literally no replacement subwoofers available. Do they all break? Or do they get snatched up whenever they pop up on eBay?

 

No....it's just one of those parts that have reached it's life expectancy.
When that happens...everybody with those units are scrambling to
find adequate replacements. Some members are great at repairing
them, while others, look to buy new similar units. Why not try the
"repair" route and see if you can get it going?