M35 2008 Trunk Subwoofer Rattling

[mnathan]

Hello fellow M35 enthusiasts.

My beloved stock M35 has developed a terrible rattle in the trunk subwoofer. It occurs at all volumes.

I dismounted the little mesh that covers it from above in the backseat as well as the carpeted panel in the trunk that hides it from below. I couldn't find anything loose jumping around in there.

I did, however, find a small area on the moving part of the subwoofer that I can press on from below that makes the sub sound normal. That makes me think that perhaps something is loose inside the subwoofer. When I look at that spot from the back seat, I do not see the object in question.

Any tips? I'm currently thinking about how I can get inside the sub without damaging it. Should I dismount it from my car first?

Thanks,
treefarm

[Ilya]

I would definitely dismount it, but based on the age of the car and therefor sub, it may be worthwhile just replacing it with a similar Ohm'ed sub that is low profile.

[mnathan]

Do you have any tips for dismounting it?

To me it looks like the screws to unmount it are located below the rear window under that mesh I removed. The only issue is that the actual screw heads are blocked by the fabric/board that is behind the back seats.

I wonder if there's some sort of diagnostic that I could run on the sub after dismounting it to see if I actually need to purchase a new one.

[VStar650CL]

Mechanical issues with a speaker can't be diagnosed electrically except by running a tone through it that induces the noise. That still won't tell you where the noise originates without getting at the tympanum and magnets. Loose hardware is usually pretty obvious. Tiny cracks in the tympanum can make some awful noises, but they're usually more like farting than rattling. Some Nissans have the same arrangement with screws under the back deck, there's usually no short cut for that. You need to pull the rear seatback and the deck cover.