JBL Lancers vs. exploding water heater

Bill in MD

So we got back from a week away last night and the Lancer S99s that I had in the basement, waiting for me to sell them, were standing in water from the dying water heater. Hot water had also sprayed onto the tops. :mad: I assume they're history, but before they go to the dump I'd like to find out if anything might be salvageable...part 'em out if I can. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks! Bill

mmadden28

So I'm just curious--you signed up for an account on the Polk Audio forums, and your first post is asking for suggestions about how to salvage parts in a non Polk product?

George Grand

Damn shame son, those are fairly rare JBL. Better luck next time. If the drivers weren't physically in water they should be okay.

Bill in MD

mmadden28 wrote: »

So I'm just curious--you signed up for an account on the Polk Audio forums, and your first post is asking for suggestions about how to salvage parts in a non Polk product?

Sorry, I was madly posting to all the sites I could think of, and obviously included this one by mistake. Very sorry.

[Deleted User]

Hey Bill,
Don't worry about it, stick around and have some fun. Some members get a little grumpy when they haven't had their coffee. Let us know how things are going with the speakers.
Best regards, Ken

gdb

Maybe you keep the "guts" until you've taught yourself to make new enclosures..... or ebay them. Definitely, from now on, keep moisture sensitive items away from the plumbing and out of the basement!:eek:Good Luck !:)

jrgoswick

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Some members get a little grumpy when they haven't had their coffee.

Ken's right, and some is REALLY doesn't matter. BUT in your case, dude THAT SUCKS!

mmadden28

Geez guys I wasn't grumpy--just curious-that's all.

nooshinjohn

Polk SDA-SRS will make your day much better. After five minutes with them, you will say JBL??? never heard of 'em.:D;)


Some pictures of the carnage might help us better help you.


Welcome to CP!

Bill in MD

FYI here are three I'm uploading to show some of what happened over the weekend. Thankfully, the cones seem dry as a bone.

zingo

Ouch... Terrible news. Have you tried powering them now that they are dry?

gdb

Whereabouts in central MD are you located ? Anywhere near Lisbon? PM me when you are up to the requisite number of posts.:)

Bill in MD

Okay, I think things are now under enough semblance of control that I can begin to think about disassembling the boxes and extracting stuff. I've never done anything remotely like this before, so since I don't want to damage anything further:

1. How do I proceed? Just start prying them apart, or what?
2. What tools might I need?
3. What will I find when I get them opened up?
4. Exactly what am I trying to save, aside from the drivers themselves?
5. How would I test anything I find?
6. Do I cut wires I find or do I detach them some other way? (I have never soldered anything in my life so if that's involved I'll have to get outside help.)

Etc. Sorry to be dense but this is completely uncharted territory for me. My thanks in advance for your patience, and for all suggestions.

Bill in MD

P.S.: Here's a little history on these: My father bought them in 1970-71, when I was was in 9th grade and had completely fallen in love with music (I tagged along when he went to the store to pick out the whole system; the salesman laughed when I said I liked these speakers the best, and said, "You have expensive taste!"). They have not been used at all for a long time, probably ten years anyway; the woofers undoubtedly would need some sort of overhaul based on what I've read about the foam surrounds getting stiff over time.

John30_30

Have you found the Audiokarma site yet? They love situations like yours. And there's plenty of JBListas there too.

snow

Bill in MD wrote: »

Okay, I think things are now under enough semblance of control that I can begin to think about disassembling the boxes and extracting stuff. I've never done anything remotely like this before, so since I don't want to damage anything further:

1. How do I proceed? Just start prying them apart, or what?
2. What tools might I need?
3. What will I find when I get them opened up?
4. Exactly what am I trying to save, aside from the drivers themselves?
5. How would I test anything I find?
6. Do I cut wires I find or do I detach them some other way? (I have never soldered anything in my life so if that's involved I'll have to get outside help.)

Etc. Sorry to be dense but this is completely uncharted territory for me. My thanks in advance for your patience, and for all suggestions.

We need to find out which model Lancer these are to provide accurate help in removing the components. JBL made the 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 99, and 101 Lancer models some have a single woofer and a horn others have two woofers and a non horn tweeter etc. odds are that you wont have to unsolder anything JBL used either clip on connections or stick in connections, you should in most cases simply be able to unscrew all the screws holding the drivers in place out then simply unplug the wires, as far as getting at the crossovers go if they have foilcals on front with brilliance and presence controls there is a good chance that their will be screws behind them in which case you need to take a hair dryer or something similar and heat the foilcal up to loosen up the glue then take a thin putty knife or simiilar tool and slowly work it off to expose the screws which hold the crossover in.

If the crossovers are in back where the speaker terminals are at usally it is a matter of unscrewing the screws and pushing them forwards and pulling them out the hole where the woofer used to be.

REGARDS SNOW

Bill in MD

snow wrote: »

We need to find out which model Lancer these are to provide accurate help in removing the components. JBL made the 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 99, and 101 Lancer models some have a single woofer and a horn others have two woofers and a non horn tweeter etc.

They're S99-s as I recall (not at home right now).

Bill in MD

John30_30 wrote: »

Have you found the Audiokarma site yet? They love situations like yours. And there's plenty of JBListas there too.

Yes I have, and they are very interested as you noted. Thanks!

Bill in MD

To clarify: They're definitely 99s, and I'm fairly sure there's an "S" before the digits.

jcaut

Sorry to hear about the mishap. I'm betting the drivers and electronics are salvagable, and just the boxes are ruined. I'm not familiar with those speakers and I imagine that the cost to rehab them, if you're paying someone else to do it, could be substantial. But I bet they can be saved.

snow

Ok your speakers should have the LE-14 woofer and the L20 tweeter and the LX4-1 crossover. I dont think either of the drivers have soldered wires, if the tweeters do you can simply cut the wires. It should be pretty straight forward removing the components, the woofer has 4 screws in front holding it in place simply remove the screws and you might or not have to use a putty knife to pry a little bit to get it come out enough to detach the wires, I believe the screws holding the LE20A in place are hidden behind the foam ring, once you get those out the same proccess should hold true, on the LX4 -1crossover I cant rememeber for sure but I think the screws holding it in place are in the cabinent and should be easily accessible once the LE-14 woofer is out you may have to lightly tap on the crossover outside surface after the screws are out to get it to come forward and loose, then simply pull it out through the opening where the woofer was. Here are a few pics that should help you if in doubt.
















REGARDS SNOW

decal

There is a valuable lesson to be learned here.Don't put anything you don't want damaged anywhere near water!!Just a thought.

George Grand

decal wrote: »

There is a valuable lesson to be learned here.Don't put anything you don't want damaged anywhere near water!!Just a thought.

I would like to add, not near roaring bonfires or meteor showers either.

Bill in MD

Well! I managed to get some time this evening to deal with these, and with many thanks for everyone's input it was close to a piece of cake. Everything came apart in what I think is pretty grand shape.:D

So, what I now have are:

1. A pair of LE14A woofers
2. A pair of LE20-1 tweeters, along with their near-mint metal foil doughnut covers (I don't know exactly what to call those); I clipped the wires from the crossovers as close as I could to the soldered connections on the tweeters themselves
3. A pair of LX4-1 network crossovers
4. Screws for all the above
5. The grilles from the front of the cabinets, including the little JBL insignias in the corners
6. The metal plates that had been stapled to the backs of the cabinets, with the model and serial number information for the speakers

I have no idea what these things might be worth, or the best way to sell them (Audiokarma, eBay, Audiogon, etc.) and so am now asking for some guidance on that front. Many thanks for everyone's help up to now!

Bill in MD

Okay, I plan to put all the parts on eBay in the next few days, but before I do, would it be worth my while to refoam the woofers? What kind of an effect would refoaming vs. not refoaming have on the price? And if I do refoam, what's the recommended source for the materials and instructions? Thanks!

snow

Bill in MD wrote: »

Okay, I plan to put all the parts on eBay in the next few days, but before I do, would it be worth my while to refoam the woofers? What kind of an effect would refoaming vs. not refoaming have on the price? And if I do refoam, what's the recommended source for the materials and instructions? Thanks!

Unless you have refoamed woofers in the past I wouldndt advise attemping to do it yourself most people would rather purchase these as is and refoam themseves or have it done by their tech knowing who did the work.



REGARDS SNOW