Recalcitrant LE85

[Chef Henry]

I am attempting to remove the LE85s from my Olympus cabinets in a minimally invasive way. After removing the LE15As to gain access to the interior, however, it appears that to remove the LE85s, I have but 2 choices: saw the front-to-back brace that supports the driver and horn, and remove them in one piece; or take the driver and horn apart. With the screws that secure the horn to the front baffle removed, there is almost no wiggle room front to back-much too little to clear the internal bracing of the cabinet. It may be enough room, however, to ease the driver and horn out separately. I am hoping that somebody will be able to offer me the simple solution that I am missing.

[Earl K]

Hi Chef Henry

Someone here at this forum went through this exact dilemma. The solution didn't involve any sawing or slicing. Option #2 was the choosen approach. There was still grief involved because the driver gasket to horn flange holds such a positive grip ( especially true with passing time ) that a rubber mallet is required to persuade the two - to separate & slide. It seems the friction fit over time becomes so positive that it's beyond ones belief that it will ever loosen. Apparently it will with a lot of persaverance. Just my memory.

Hopefully someone with actual hands on experience will chime in now .

regards <> Earl K

[4313B]

My actual hands-on experience consisted of leaving the horn securely bolted to the baffle, un-bolting the compression driver and using a rubber mallet. Put the enclosure on it's back.

[Chef Henry]

Dear Earl and Giskard: Thank you for your replies to my query. They were both timely and helpful. I hadn't screwed around with my Olympuses for a long time. But after reading your posts, I decided to take one more stab at removing the driver and horn through the woofer opening in one piece. 'I . . . think . . . if I can just . . . yes . . . almost . . . No cigar. I can visualize that Giskard's advice to keep the horn mounted to the front baffle, and tapping on the up-ended driver with a rubber mallet will work. Fortunately, I keep a couple of rubber mallets in my chef's armamenarium to use in conjunction with my big 14"-bladed knife for splitting pumpins, melons, live lobsters (preferable, I think, from the lobster's perspective, to being plunged alive into boiling water), etc.

[4313B]

It's almost surreal how that thing just won't quite come out in one piece. I worked on one for awhile simply refusing to believe it could be that close and not slip out
Undo the hardest to get to bolt first.

[rgrjit8]

I went through something similar with my 4355s. The manual says that the 2441 driver should be unbolted from the horn and taken out.
I don't know where the clearance is supposed to be to bring out the driver. It's too damned heavy to screw with for one thing. All it took was one good scrape against the brace for me to say to hell with it.

I unscrewed the brace screws then took my wood chisel and busted through the glued joints holding it together.

I don't regret it a minute. I still can't believe that those drivers are meant to come out without removing the brace.