Two weeks ago, I replaced the blown 8" factory Subwoofer (Speaker) in my wife’s '98 navigator with JL Audio 8WO 4. What a difference! The factory Sub never sounded that good. Several different custom shops told me that this was the best replacement speaker to use with the factory amp and enclosure. However as they had cautioned, it is a little deeper (about 1/8 inch) than the enclosure. They advised that the factory box (thick semi-pliable plastic) should be cut and then sealed in the back. After I removed the box, I saw that the box is not to shallow but there is a "mound" directly beneath the center of the speaker with a hole where the factory speaker is bolted to the back. Instead of cutting, I used my trusty heat gun and warmed the "mound" up until it started to blister. I them flipped it over and pushed the mound down on an upright 4X4 post with aluminum foil on the top to avoid sticking. It moved easily and the speaker dropped in with no problem. I had to drill new holes but I used the same 8 self-tapping screws that held in the factory unit. The Sub cost me $75 at a local stereo shop but I have seen it for less on the web. Here is a link with a price of $52 before shipping and handling.

http://www.carstereostation.com/product/8wo-4.html

Good luck and drop me note if you have any questions!

Barnacle Bill
bill.fleming@charter.net

 

Bill did you use the factory amp on this system? And how would you say it sounds better? Is it louder,clearer or what? Is it definately a noticable difference.
-Any PIcs?
-Bill

 

He did say with factory amp and enclosure, but I am also interested on how much better it sounds. My 03 EB sound like **** almost like the sub is out of phase?

Eric

 

hey guys! i did the same upgrade about a week ago. i did not have to do any cutting or heating of the factory enclosure. the jl w804 subwoofer comes with a rubber bezel gasket that is thicker on one side. all you have to do is reverse the gasket so the thicker side acts as a spacer for the needed clearance. no new holes were needed to be drilled either. all of the factory holes were used, but just make sure you put each screw in a couple of turns before tightening them.

as far as the sound, you get cleaner bass, but the factory amp is not powerful enough to really put the jl subwoofer to work. i ended up getting a 50x2 channel amp and bridged it for a power output of 125 peak watts. now the jl subwoofer/factory enclosure rocks! im sure its not as good as the custom 10" enclosures by jl and mtx, but the upgrade cost me a mere $75 for the subwoofer and i had the amp lying around.

hope this helps. feel free to email me or reply with any questions i can help you guys with.

 

Has anyone done this on the '03?