Subwoofer video, what’s going on here?

[CloudCity]

Update: Seeking someone ideally near Portland, OR who may have a subwoofer I can plug in to see if that’s the problem. Speaker shop tested sub and said it’s good, amp shop tested amp and said it’s good.

Searched multiple audio threads but most are for replacing the factory setup. My subwoofer just started making this distortion randomly a couple of days ago and there’s no longer any sound from that speaker other than this vibration situation. Any car audio people recognize this specific failure?




Speaker was refoamed recently. Checked and seems to be good. I tried testing resistance but would either have none or fluctuating. Not sure if my meter battery is going dead so possible it can’t be trusted.
Would a bad amp still send power to the speaker like this? Is this a voice coil failure, not that I even know what that is? lol

 

[CloudCity]

I also noticed in other threads there’s mention of the battery causing problems if it’s not fully charged. Tests w my multimeter, the vehicle charge indicator on the dash, and my new wireless OBDII scanner, all showed different numbers. All slightly low aside for the dash indicator which is somewhat troubling as that’s the one I look at most readily.

Oddly I took it to a tire shop here called Les Schwab earlier today and they tested it w their device and checked the health of the alternator, said battery and charging system was all ok. I feel like I should replace the battery (it’s old anyway) and use that as my baseline.

The question is, would a low battery affect the amp enough that it would cause what you’re seeing in the video above?

 

[Pucker5]

Get a new woofer dude

 

[trdcorolla]

When you refoamed it, did you follow the directions to center the woofer with the new foam before the glue sets?

 

[CloudCity]

When you refoamed it, did you follow the directions to center the woofer with the new foam before the glue sets?

Yes and it worked perfectly for almost a year. This was a sudden change.

 

[Pucker5]

I don’t think That noise is foam related, did you check to see if the woofer face was disconnected st the center of the driver.

 

[trdcorolla]

Can you connect another speaker to the terminal to see if the bass is normal? That will help you see if it's the amp or the sub.

 

[CloudCity]

I don’t think That noise is foam related, did you check to see if the woofer face was disconnected st the center of the driver.

It looks ok but I should really go in and verify that for certain. Doesn’t hurt.

 

[CloudCity]

Can you connect another speaker to the terminal to see if the bass is normal? That will help you see if it's the amp or the sub.

I popped a door panel off remembering they used the same size foam when I redid them but, oops not the back door it’s smaller. Next removed the front door card and same size but totally different speaker. I am trying to find a local one somebody pulled out to test. You’re right that would answer a lot of questions

 

[CloudCity]

Had things tested today at an audio shop and it's the amp that died. I did put a new battery in since mine was 7-years old but that made no difference. Will keep you updated, going to post in Classifieds for a used amp.

 

[Pucker5]

Does seat have to be removed? What year is ur cruiser or if it’s an lc do they use the same amp? If it can be used for ur application and it’s easy to remove I’ll give you mine a price u can name for being wrong in my assumption. I’m all aftermarket

 

[CloudCity]

Does seat have to be removed? What year is ur cruiser or if it’s an lc do they use the same amp? If it can be used for ur application and it’s easy to remove I’ll give you mine a price u can name for being wrong in my assumption. I’m all aftermarket

That's a kind offer, thank you, and I appreciate all advice so all good man! We never know what's going to be the key.

I was actually just reseaching and found this write up, seems reasonably easy: LX470 Amp install - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion

I have an '04 LX and I know the amps vary depending on the model. What year is yours? If you don't mind giving me your VIN (can DM that if prefer) I can check on a parts finder and see if they look like they share the part number. Thanks much!

 

[CloudCity]

Update here; Pucker 5 has a LC so doesn’t work, but I took the subwoofer to a shop to test and they said it was fine. I heard it play with no problems. They said the amp is bad. I found a repair shop for the amp and they tested for one hour and played with no problems. It seems like it must be one of these two items, is it possible the stereo shop didn’t put enough power through the speakers to make it distort? Open to any advice at this point, very confused by what’s going on here.

 

[Vermont]

Everything I've ever read about a speaker "buzzing" or "rattling" but still working (mechanically) is that it's a blown voice coil.

 

[CloudCity]

Everything I've ever read about a speaker "buzzing" or "rattling" but still working (mechanically) is that it's a blown voice coil.

Thank you so much, so the safe bet is to perhaps pick up a new speaker altogether? I looked into changing the voice coil early in my diagnosing and it didn't seem like a common or simple repair. The speaker guy left me less than confident with his evaluation so I think he was in over his head. I heard him test it but it was somewhat low volume, maybe that was why we didn't hear it distort?

 

[Pucker5]

Pick up a new speaker and return it if it doesn’t fix the problem. Amazon is good like that

 

[CloudCity]

Pick up a new speaker and return it if it doesn’t fix the problem. Amazon is good like that

That would be a good option, I guess I’ve got some threads to dig through to find what works with this system. I know the ohms and specs are different than standard so have to see what works out of the box. Thanks man.

 

[Vermont]

Definitely the best option. These speakers are way too cheap to even attempt a repair. Quality speakers are very affordable these days.

 

[CloudCity]

Definitely the best option. These speakers are way too cheap to even attempt a repair. Quality speakers are very affordable these days.

Dropped you a DM, thanks!

 

[CloudCity]

Quick update to finalize this thread but user @chogunn came through in a pinch and literally disassembled his own rig to send me his functioning subwoofer. The dude is a legend, had it out in no time, amazing communication even when I was lagging, arrived to my door in a HALF DAY, and was very fair with the price. He didn't have to do this but chose to help a fellow Mudder out.
Now I have factory sound back in my rig as I preferred. Man I am smiling over here today.