4th Gen 4Runner Subwoofer and Stereo

[J.Derrick86]

2003 Toyota 4Runner Limited V8

For all intents and purposes, this is meant to be a compiled version of what is out there in so many places. This will also be (to some extent) a re-hash of a problem that has already been gone over in all of those places.

I have a 2003 4Runner Limited with the factory JBL stereo system (NOT impressed...). From what is gathered from my readings as well as owning the vehicle, the JBL system is terrible. Hopefully, others that have this system have found the opposite. I did not. The Head Unit (HU) had both tape CD capabilities which were both not functional and out of the 10 speakers in the system, 3 were not blown or deteriorated beyond function.

Stereo system going in:

• Alpine ILX-W650 (Head Unit)
• Alpine KTA-450 (Speaker Amp)
• JL Audio C1-690 (Front Component Speakers)
• JL Audio C1-650x (Rear Coaxial Speakers)
• Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8 (8" Subwoofer - 2Ohm)
• Rockford Fosgate R2-250X1 (Subwoofer Amp)

List of accessory components:

• Rockford Fosgate RFK8-i (Subwoofer Amp wiring kit)
• RadioPRO ADVANCED TY1A-RS (Steering Wheel Controls Adapter Kit)
• PAC BKTOYK961 (HU Mounting Adapter kit and Bezel)
• Metra 70-8117 (Wire harness to tap into factory output of the factory amp to speakers)
• Metra 82-8146 (Front 6x9 Speakers, door adapter mounts)
• Metra 82-8148 (Rear 6.5x6.5 Speakers, door adapter mounts)
• Stinger RKFR69 (Foam kit for front speakers)
• Stinger RKFR6 (Foam kit for rear speakers)
• Stinger X Damping Material (Inside door and around speaker mounts)

Now comes the fun part! Here are the pictures that were part of the build. I didn't take as many as I would have liked to. Once I get going on something, I can lose track of some of the other items I meant to do. In this case, it was more pictures!

This is the beginning of tearing everything down:

Condition of the factory Subwoofer:

Everything in the back torn out, back passenger door panel, and front panel:

Only just the beginnings of the interior trim pieces coming out:

Shot of a JL Audio front tweeter mounted in its custom 1/4" MDF adapter:

Before shot of the driver's front door with factory components in:

After shot of the driver's door with JL Audio components installed:


Unfortunately, I did not get shot with the speaker out, damping mat in, and foam kit installed. I did need to do some trimming of the interior foam piece that went in the door to fit around a cross member and so the windows wouldn't hit anything on the way down. Did this on all doors.

Close-up shots on the front 6x9's and tweeters (needed to be mounted on the backside of the factory brackets to clear the door panel):




Next few are of the center console panels removed and ready to take out the old HU:





Because I was doing more to this than just an upgrade on the HU, I opted to remove everything out of the center of the vehicle so I had options of where I could run my wire for the subwoofer amp. I had originally planned on placing it in the spot where the factory amp was but it didn't fit. Instead, I mounted it under the passenger front seat.

HU came with a USB port and the subwoofer amp has a remote level controller, I mounted them in the "hidden" glove compartment:



HU removed and steering wheel control adapter placed (I had to take this back out and "update" the harness that it came with so everything would turn on and function properly):



I ran my RCA, Amp remote, and Amp remote level cable where the yellow cable sheathing comes down the center console:




Continuing this on another post because of too many pictures...

 

[J.Derrick86]

2003 Toyota 4Runner Limited V8 - Continued

Images of where I ran my subwoofer amp positive line from the battery (no capacitor in this system. At least yet...):

I removed the factory grommet from the sub box, removed the stubborn old wires out, placed it back in the box, and ran my new speaker wire through:

Shows where my speaker wires and the positive line ran to the subwoofer amp:

Subwoofer amp mounted and wired up:

Fancy adapter plate I made to be able to mount to the factory box screw holes and line up with the sub screw holes. I used some #10 1-1/4" flat head wood screws to attach the plate to the box (thread pattern matched the closest with the factory screws) and some 1/2" - 5/8" 10-32 pan head screws to mount the sub in place:

Filled the box with some synthetic fiber batting to get the volume of the box closer to the .25cuft ideal the subwoofer likes:

Shot of the subwoofer and interior panels mounted:

This subwoofer fit great into the factory box with the adapter plate and behind the factory panels. It did not sit deep enough in the box to add the speaker grill or fancy bezel plate... Oh well, hopefully no one sticks anything through the factory panel!

HU installed and paneling back in:

I did not keep the center tweeter in the dashboard and removed the bracket to help with giving a little bit more room for wires.

The system sounds great! The sub bumps pretty well for only being an 8" and (thankfully) I don't hear any panels rattling around when music is playing. If I am outside of the car while something is turned up, there are a few things that do, but nothing that I can hear inside.

Hopefully, this will help someone in the future with a system build of their own. I didn't have any issues with windows hitting speakers or door panels hitting speakers. The only hiccup was making sure I got the wiring correct between all the different components that were put in. Unfortunately, this is the part I wish I would have gotten pictures of!

Hope this helps, cheers!

 

[Wild Thing]

Thanks for a great pic-rich write-up of the process. Before and after, with parts used and everything exposed, really helps. Have Infinity Kappa 6x9s to install in my front doors, after they worked so well in my F-150. But you make me want to check my subwoofer. Sheesh, that was shot!

 

[silver_03]

Great write up and pics - I have the same '03 Limited w/JBL and added the Alpine HU last summer, intending to add the rest this winter - perfect timing.

 

[J.Derrick86]

Sheesh, that was shot!

No joke... I thought it would be attached somewhere but the rubber surround was split all the way around!

 

[djkurious]

Nice install. I installed mine in the same area.

 

[PatronT4R]

Awesome post! Quick question about your subwoofer. A month ago I replaced the factory JBL sub with the same rockford sub that you posted. When volume on the stock headunit is around 40, it makes a knocking sound (almost like 2 wood blocks clanking together) when the beat hits. I contacted crutchfield and they had no answers for me as to why this is happening. I am wondering, have you experienced a similar sound with your install?

Also, I replaced only the subwoofer nothing else. Before purchasing, crutchfield recommended it as a direct replacement to the factory subwoofer. Stock headunit and amp all remain.

 

[J.Derrick86]

Awesome post! Quick question about your subwoofer. A month ago I replaced the factory JBL sub with the same rockford sub that you posted. When volume on the stock headunit is around 40, it makes a knocking sound (almost like 2 wood blocks clanking together) when the beat hits. I contacted crutchfield and they had no answers for me as to why this is happening. I am wondering, have you experienced a similar sound with your install?

Thanks! The system does what I want for sure.

How did you mount the sub in? Is it tight in the box, no air gaps? I made my adapter plate so it would seat really well with the factory mounting holes in the box and stay tight. I added some weather stripping in between layers to help with air tightness. I could only hazard guesses as to why your setup sounds the way it does.

Also, I replaced only the subwoofer nothing else. Before purchasing, crutchfield recommended it as a direct replacement to the factory subwoofer. Stock headunit and amp all remain.

Did you wire the sub up to work on the 2 Ohm impedance the factory system is setup for? I know if I turn the gain up too high on the amp and crank the RLC for the amp, it will overdrive the sub and cause some major distortion. I don't know what the factory system is driving either, wattage wise.

 

[702tripgen]

Just curious if just replacing the factory JBL sub would be an upgrade?

 

[Tironeous]

Just curious if just replacing the factory JBL sub would be an upgrade?

Replacing just the JBL makes a night and day difference. Even in the factory amp. Just look at the difference in quality (granted mind was blown). I ended up changing all my speakers shortly after.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[702tripgen]

Replacing just the JBL makes a night and day difference. Even in the factory amp. Just look at the difference in quality (granted mind was blown). I ended up changing all my speakers shortly after.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

NICE! Do you remember the model number for that sub?

 

[Tironeous]

NICE! Do you remember the model number for that sub?

Pioneer TS-SW2002D2

There’s a newer model that handles more power. I don’t plan on replacing the factory amp though so this one was fine for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PatronT4R]

Thanks! The system does what I want for sure.

How did you mount the sub in? Is it tight in the box, no air gaps? I made my adapter plate so it would seat really well with the factory mounting holes in the box and stay tight. I added some weather stripping in between layers to help with air tightness. I could only hazard guesses as to why your setup sounds the way it does.



Did you wire the sub up to work on the 2 Ohm impedance the factory system is setup for? I know if I turn the gain up too high on the amp and crank the RLC for the amp, it will overdrive the sub and cause some major distortion. I don't know what the factory system is driving either, wattage wise.

Yes the mounting is tight with no air leaks. Do you have any pictures of how you wired it? The way I wired it was exactly the same as the factory speaker I replaced.

 

[J.Derrick86]

Yes the mounting is tight with no air leaks. Do you have any pictures of how you wired it? The way I wired it was exactly the same as the factory speaker I replaced.

I would fact check this: the factory system should be wired for working with a 2ohm load from the factory sub/amp combo. It seems to me that it may be wired up with two separate channels going to the sub, each with a 2ohm impedance... I don't know what the factory circuit for the factory sub looks like because I didn't use the factory amp...

Here is picture of how mine is wired up. I bought the 2ohm DVC version of this sub so that I would be able to wire it for a 4ohm load so the I wouldn't be overdriving the sub from the amp with to much output (250w RMS vs 150w RMS):

 

[DASYOTA]

nice write up and install. I put the ILX-W650 in my 05 a few months back and have been pretty pleased with it besides android auto acting up sometimes. It was considering getting the kta 450 when I upgrade my speakers. Does it power yours pretty well? thanks for the install pics, hope to get mine going soon as I have some blown door speakers as well.

 

[J.Derrick86]

Does it power yours pretty well?

Currently I have the gain turned all the way down on the KTA450 and it still can hurt my ears on some songs! Definitely a lot of power coming from the system.

I need to dig back into behind the HU and turn off the filters from the output on the KTA450 and turn the gains up a bit so I can control everything from the head unit... One day.

 

[riverwolf]

Awesome post! Quick question about your subwoofer. A month ago I replaced the factory JBL sub with the same rockford sub that you posted. When volume on the stock headunit is around 40, it makes a knocking sound (almost like 2 wood blocks clanking together) when the beat hits. I contacted crutchfield and they had no answers for me as to why this is happening. I am wondering, have you experienced a similar sound with your install?

Also, I replaced only the subwoofer nothing else. Before purchasing, crutchfield recommended it as a direct replacement to the factory subwoofer. Stock headunit and amp all remain.

Patron, it's likely one of 2 things. Either you're clipping the JBL amp's subwoofer channels or you're bottoming the driver.

Years ago, someone did a tear down and identified the output chips in the JBL amp. IIRC, I think realistically, they only produced a clean 20-30 wpc into 2 ohms. The 45wpc claimed by Toyota was at 10% THD. So, as you can see, it wouldn't take much to run out of steam with the JBL amp.

The other problem might be the accuracy of R-F's specifications for the driver. Car audio marketing often plays fast-and-loose with specs. Assuming things haven't changed since I did the same JBL<>R-F driver swap 4 years ago, R-F claimed a little over 8mm of Xmax. There's no standard engineering definition for measuring Xmax and R-F doesn't state what they actually mean...so we can only simulate assuming it means usable cone travel. Without definition, they could actually mean peak-to-peak which gives only 4mm of one way (usable) excursion. Anyway. According to software simulations, the R-F should be able to handle about 50 watts per coil before reaching 8mm of one-way excursion in the factory .6 ft^3 box. However, if R-F actually means 8mm of peak-to-peak travel (4mm one way), then the JBL amp is capable of bottoming the driver before clipping.

When I initially installed the R-F, I got some heavy distortion at relatively low volumes. Apparently, the driver needed a little bit of break-in (loosen up the suspension), because the distortion went away fairly quickly, suggesting it was the amp clipping trying to drive the stiff suspension.

I would double check your mounting to make sure the driver seal is air tight. A small leak effectively removes the box's air spring and runs the driver infinite baffle, which it's not designed for and will bottom with very little power input.

I personally never go above mid-30s for volume myself...I'll try to push it next time I'm driving and see if I can drive it into distortion.

 

[Ruttyb]

Thanks for this write up! I am doing my install (on a non-JBL system, but w/e) in a few weeks. Appreciate all the pics and detail!

 

[CheeryBruh]

Awesome information, thanks.

I was looking at the JL Audio C1-650x for the rear speakers in my 2005 4runner. Crutchfield says they don’t fit. You didn’t have any thing written on that install, I assume because it was quick & easy. Did you have any issues sticking them in your door?

 

[drivie]

Awesome information, thanks.

I was looking at the JL Audio C1-650x for the rear speakers in my 2005 4runner. Crutchfield says they don’t fit. You didn’t have any thing written on that install, I assume because it was quick & easy. Did you have any issues sticking them in your door?

Did you ever get an answer regarding the C1-650x in the 4Runner? I'm facing the same predicament.

Thanks!