Let me start by saying, I know nothing about car stereos, except the basics that have been told to me.

My situation is I have a '97 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, Premium JBL Sound System, factory installed equipment. The subwoofer went out, and based upon a recommendation from the store replacing it, they installed a Rockford Fosgate punch HE 8" (Power handling 400W (Peak) 200W (RMS). Company replaced subwoofer and it worked for approximately one week. Now they are saying the amp is probably burned out. (I did smell a burning smell in the back.)

My questions are these:

if the amp needs to be replaced, what kind of amp should I purchase?

The amp was supposedly burned out because it couldn't handle the
impedance of the woofer. If I replace the amp, do I need to replace the speakers, could the same thing happen again?

Anyone ever replaced an amp in the Ford Explorer? This one person told me it is very difficult to do. I have some concerns about letting the company that originally installed the subwoofer do any further work.

I have also been told it was not a good idea to put another kind of subwoofer in, and I should have stuck with JBL. Is this correct? Will my car stereo ever sound good again if I start "mixing and matching" brands?


Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

Ok, here is my opinions. I currently have 2 12" MTX subwoofers in the back of my explorer. It doesn't matter what kind of subwoofer you put in your truck. I am thinking though the impedence of the subwoofer probably "smoked" your amp. I would get another amp, try to stick with a name brand. Also, get one that is rated to put out the wattage in RMS as the subwoofer recommends. See also what ohm the subwoofer is, usually 8,4,or 2 ohm. I am thinking probably 4 ohm. Just make sure your amp puts out the watts in RMS, not total, to the speaker, you will get the most out of your subwoofer. You will not need another subwoofer unless your's broke for some reason, but I doubt it. The factory amp and subwoofer isn't the greatest anyways in the first place, so replacing it should make it sound way better. Just stick with some name brands, with amps, you get what you pay for I believe. You don't need to spend a ton of money and could possibly find a good amp out on ebay or something.

 

You could purchase a Kicker, MTX, viper, etc., etc. amp. Sony has some goods ones too. As for installing it, it depends how they wire it. If you really want it to sound good I would get a new CD player too. It makes a difference I believe, but maybe not worth the $150 it can cost or so to the average listener. That is your choice. Don't worry about mixing and matching different brands. Unless you are going to replace your whole stereo system I wouldn't worry about it.

 

I recently purchased and installed a Clarion custom sub from Crutchfield (on sale for $200). It went in the empty space behind the cargo net in the rear panel. It has a 10" sub and a built in 100w class D amp. For $200 plus a few extra for some nice RCAs, it was a hell of a buy and sounds great too. I must include that I have a Pioneer headunit with RCA preouts (the stock system does not have RCAs) but you can still wire it in.

 

As a former car audio installer your story sends chills down my back. My first action would be to make the place that installed the Rockford Fosgate sub replace your factory amplifier. Unless you are planning to replace the factory radio you have to use the factory amp (well, one caveat, they do make adaptors to interface the factory radio with aftermarket amps but they are expensive and you would be better off buying a new radio) it is a proprietary design meaning that they have unique connectors for audio in and out puts. The reason your amp probably blew in the first palce is that most "car" speakers are rated at 4 ohms. Well the factory sub is I believe 8, but don't quote me. I have seen as high as 16 ohms used by General Motors. Now ohms doesn't make a difference in the way a speaker sounds but it makes a huge difference in how it works electrically. Basically the higher the impedance (ohms) the more restrictive to electricty flow. So if your amp is designed for an 8 ohm speaker and you put a 4 ohm speaker on it, the amo is overworked. This means it will overheat and die.
After you get your factory amp replaced you can then go to a knowledgeable car audio shop and have them install a system that will work with you truck, like the Clarion setup mentioned in another reply. Several companies make something like this and a good shop can install it properly. As for a decent shop look for MECP certification. That stands for Mobile Electronics Certification Program. Kind of like ACE for mechanics. The installer has to pass a test (and it's not easy) that proves he/she knows what they are doing. I like small shops because of the personal attention you get but you have a bigger risk of being taken advantage of if you don't know much about stereo's. Of the big stores I like Circuit City (yes I once worked for them) All of their installers are either certified or in the process of getting certified. It is a requirement of employement there.
One last piece of info. With the JBL system once you start replacing one item, be it the radio, amp, or speakers, it becomes a whole lot easier if you just replace the entire system. It is difficult, at best, to integrate the aftermarket with the factory system. Good luck to you in your search for better music!

just for info I have
Eclipse AM/FM CD player
Eclipse EQ
Sony Mobile ES 4ch x 150 watts
MTX Class D 1ch x 1500 watts
MB Quart highs and Mids
Eclipse Aluminum Cone 12" subs
Optima Red Top Battery

 

I want to thank you for the recommendations I've received so far. I feel more knowledgeable about this now. I don't know how much luck I'm going to have trying to get the shop to pay for a new amp, but I do think they are responsible since they are the "professionals" and this subwoofer was their recommendation.

 

I have one more question - is there any way to know what kind of amp is installed in the model SUV I have?

 

I am not sure what type of amp is installed...It might possibly be a JL type amp. I would take it back to the stereo shop too and put up a fuss. They should've known when they sold you the sub. If not, I would replace at least the cd player in the dash and then get a new amp if you want to spend that much money.

 

I assume you are asking what kind of factory amp is installed. All stereo equipment in Ford vehicles is manufactured by JBL. A very good company. There are different levels of stereo, though. Your factory amp is located behind the palstic panel on the right hand side in the cargo area. This thing is a pain to get out b/c it goes from the rear of the truck all the way to the passenger's door. Not difficult, just a pain. It is pretty much on top of the wheel well and it will have cooling fins on the sides. If you are asking about an aftermarket amplifier the brand will be on it somewhere. Companies have no problem identifying themselves.

 

I want to thank everyone that posted the helpful information about what caused my amp to blow. We took the car back to the shop this morning, and of course they are insisting that could not possibly be the problem. The installer claims that because he went to school five years and he does this, he could not have made a mistake. He knows what he is doing. The amp just blew on its own according to them.

Anyway, they have the car and are looking at it now. I have shared this information with them (minus any names, e-mail addresses or other identifying information), but I seriously doubt if it's going to do any good. My husband ended up in a shouting match with the installer, who is also the owner I believe. This company came highly recommended from some folks I work with. I'm really dissappointed. Now my husband is talking small claims court, he's fired up. I'm not ready to proceed to that point yet.

Thanks again

 

Since I seemed to get such a good response from this group, may I pose another question. The installer/business owner said that if the amp and the sub were not compatible electronically, then it would not have worked at all, as opposed to working one week and then stopping. Is this true?

 

Go ask him to hook up a subwoofer to get like a 1 ohm load to a cheap amp that doesn't accept that kind of load. You will get sounds I believe but pretty soon it will fry. Tell him to hook one up for you and see if it doesn't play to prove his theory, and we he says no, ask why he won't do it. hehehe

Make sure you find out what kind of impedence the subwoofer was you bought. Do you still have the box or receipet. Find that out first. Then go to a place like www.crutchfield.com and maybe give them a call and tell them what you got, the sub with the impedence and the factory amp. They will tell you if that was the problem. They are really really good. It is free and you can also get a good amp or whatever from them if you want. check them out. Call them and ask if they think that is what happened.

 

duketter is exactly right with 1 ohm impedance scenario. There are so many variations in the wiring of a stereo. And yes it could work fine today and die next week. I've done it to myself a few times in competition. Amplifiers are designed to work within a certain range of impedance loads. They will work beyond that range, but not for long. As the impedance drops the amplifier has to work harder to drive the speakers. At moderate volumes and/or seldom use you could go for a long time and never know that there was a problem. As he volume goes up and/or extended periods of listening the heat will continue to build until something lets go and the amp dies. Resources like Crutchfield are great. They will answer questions even if you have never bought anything from them. I would try to find out EXACTLY what the impedance rating of the factory sub is (I don't have one or I would measure it for you) and compare it to the sub the impedance of the sub you bought. Just remember you can't just put an ohm meter on a speaker and get an impedance measurement, it's a little more involved than that. I would try the dealership or Crutchfield to find out. As always...good luck.

 

Mine is blown too. I contacted my local Ford dealer. They keep a replacement speaker for the subwoofer in stock! This must be a regular problem. They want about $80.00 for it. This seems less expensive than the alternatives.
The reason your amp blew is that this subwoofer is a 2 Ohm speaker. See above for reasons why the amp blew. If your installer put in a 4 or 8 ohm speaker, that's why it blew. You should get your old piece back, the amp is inside the sub enclosure, and just replace the speaker (driver).

 

>Let me start by saying, I know nothing about car stereos,
>except the basics that have been told to me.
>
>My situation is I have a '97 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer,
>Premium JBL Sound System, factory installed equipment. The
>subwoofer went out, and based upon a recommendation from the
>store replacing it, they installed a Rockford Fosgate punch
>HE 8" (Power handling 400W (Peak) 200W (RMS). Company
>replaced subwoofer and it worked for approximately one week.
> Now they are saying the amp is probably burned out. (I did
>smell a burning smell in the back.)
>
>My questions are these:
>
>if the amp needs to be replaced, what kind of amp should I
>purchase?
>
>The amp was supposedly burned out because it couldn't handle
>the
>impedance of the woofer. If I replace the amp, do I need to
>replace the speakers, could the same thing happen again?
>
>Anyone ever replaced an amp in the Ford Explorer? This one
>person told me it is very difficult to do. I have some
>concerns about letting the company that originally installed
>the subwoofer do any further work.
>
>I have also been told it was not a good idea to put another
>kind of subwoofer in, and I should have stuck with JBL. Is
>this correct? Will my car stereo ever sound good again if I
>start "mixing and matching" brands?
>
>
>Any help or advice would be appreciated.