Kicker L7 Repair Log

[ampresearch 10+ year member]

Hey guys

Several month ago i started to hear a very annoying "slapping sound " coming from one of my L7 15 in subs. i took it out and inspected it only to find no noticeable problem.

I thought for sure it was blown but everything looked perfect. I started to search the net and found that a lot of people had this same problem. Many of them noted that the glue that holds the edge of the rubber surround to the basket had come loose allowing the surround to lift up a tiny bit during high levels and of course coming back down causing a slapping sound. I pulled the sub again and sure enough i was able to lift the surround with my finger clear off the basket

Due to the design of the L7 this was not something you could have fixed. I tried to stick some glue around the edges to hold it down and although it did work quite well i could still here the noise a tiny bit. I called kicker and asked about it and they did say it can happen but they could not repair it. I started to look into getting a new pair but before i did i thought i would try and fix it myself. If it works great. If not i was buying new one anyhow. Nothing to loose. This is a picture log of what i did.

First i examined the black retaining ring that goes around the top of the sub. One thing is for sure. It is on TIGHT and not meant to come off.

Time to try and pry it off i gave it a few smacks with a rubber hammer. My idea was the same used for breaking threads loose on a big bolt. A sharp smack send a shock wave that break free rust glue or just about anything you want to break free. This worked great and i was able to get my chisel under the lip

From there i simply continued all the way around the basket until the retaining ring was free.

After removing the top ring i was able to pull the surround away from the basket with little to no effort the glue had almost completely failed.

Click to read more...

 

[bhsdriller 10+ year member]

cool, never seen an l7 taken apart before

 

[15nissen 10+ year member]

Good work!

 

[MikeR. 10+ year member]

Nice job

 

[Enellz 10+ year member]

cool, never seen an l7 taken apart before

x2

 

[ampresearch 10+ year member]

went and bought a high strength rubber cement that is used for bonding rubber and things to metal. I cleaned the surface of the basket and removed all traced of old glue and then wiped down with alcohol wipes to remove any oils from my fingers and tools. I wanted a very clean surface.

I took some fine sand paper and ruffed up the under side of the rubber surround this would allow the glue to hold much better then the flat smooth shiny surface.

I had my son hold up the surround as i ran a bead of glue around the basket. I lined up the surround and pressing it firmly into the glue keeping track of alignment to ensure a strait fit. I then ran the same glue around the edge of the basket and the retaining ring. I replaced that and clamped it all down. i put the weights in the middle because it pulls own on the surround making for a better seal right on the very edge where the most stress will be

I am proud to say that it works perfect and the problem is solved. Took a few hours a bit of risk and i saved a few hundred bucks. If anyone else has this problem i hope this helps.

 

[peas247 10+ year member]

nice

 

[blindskater1213 10+ year member]

Thats one of the downfalls of square subs, alot of pressure is put on the corners of the surround like that.

Nice repair!

 

[king ranch 5,000+ posts]

yea i have that problem with mine its a new 08 12" i have a pair ported and only in around 5.2net so they arent bottoming out only one does it, so i could get mine replaced since its still under warranty correct.

mine sounds like its slapping something like its hitting plastic or something on high excursion notes

 

[ampresearch 10+ year member]

Thats one of the downfalls of square subs, alot of pressure is put on the corners of the surround like that.
Nice repair!

in this case the L& has the added ribs on the corners to counter that problem and it works great. the corners in this case the glue the was still holding as the corners

 

[mjf 10+ year member]

in this case the L& has the added ribs on the corners to counter that problem and it works great. the corners in this case the glue the was still holding as the corners

just looks like kicker needs to start using a different type of glue

 

[ampresearch 10+ year member]

the glue i think is ok. they used a type or rubber cement which because of its ability to flex and bond is a good choice. i think the problem is two fold.

one the bottom of the surround is very very smooth and even shiney. it does look like it is scuffed up a bit but not nearly enough IMO. also the retaining ring does not really clamp down on the surround very well. it does make contact but IMO it should very firmly make contact and help hold the surround in place as well as the glue. this could be done with a few simple added fasteners. many would say that would be a system like the soloX but it would not have to be that elaborate.

the price i'm sure would go up a bit but not enough to keep me from buying them knowing i had the added security to reduce

failure.

What i will be doing is I plan to modify the rim a bit. I am going to use bolds that have a head to large to fit in the holes. this will bring them down on top fo the retaining ring which will push it down as i tighten. they could also accomplish my simply making a lip inside the hole allowing the bolts to still be flush yet also be pulling down on the retaining ring

 

[tc300 10+ year member]

awsome job there ampresearch!! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/toast.gif.bc0657bf54b9ee653b6438524461341e.gif

 

[defdaboss 10+ year member]

MAD PROP! if i run into any problem like this i wouldnt be scare to do it! thanks for the pictures!

 

[Haunz 10+ year member]

kicker subs = garbage

next you'll be dealing with thier bad solder joints FTL

Nice job on the repair tho...