vandyman Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 I would like to know of anyone that could repair the passive radiators on a pair of Fortes. The dust cover is pushed in on both, and I would like them replaced or repaired. I don't think the part is available from Klipsch anymore, but does anyone know of a reliable service or member who has the ability to do this ? I'm located in the greater Chicago area. Thanks for helping out. Vandyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roc Rinaldi Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 For some reason lots of fortes have their dust covers dented in on the passive radiators. I'm not sure it is worth fixing. I doubt if it actually affects the sound and it is in the back of the speaker box. However, if you are a perfectionist........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Is the pushed in area the size of a dime or the size of a half dollar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 EDIT: Link did not work. Go to www.partsexpress.com and search for "dust cap" Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandyman Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 Bob You have a pm Vandyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 You might be best off doing nothing by way of repair. Let it be, if there is no air leak. The "clown nose" dust cover is part of the acoustic seal of the box and passive and direct radiator. You don't want a leak because this will change the bass response for the worse. But the dent doesn't mean you have a leak. Cutting out the old one and glueing in a new one might be more than you need. You can test for a leak by pushing in gently with spread fingers on either the passive or the woofer and seeing if the other moves accordingly. I.e. push in about 1/8 to 1/4 inch and see if the other moves out. You'll have to take off the front grill to see this. It is secured by magnets. A butter knife or putty knife will do the job around the edges. I've used a bent paper clip to get behind the frame also. It is cool to see the horns and bass driver, in any case. People have suggested you can pull out the dent with the business end of vacuum cleaner hose. Good results are reported, but I've never done it. Other people suggest the use of a sewing needle to tease out the dent. This leaves a hole which will have to sealed up with a dab of glue. Overall I'd say that if you have no leak and only a cosmetic condition, live with it. You could buy a grill from Parts Express to cover up the passive in the back and prevent future damage. Particularly if you have rug rats around. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Is the pushed in area the size of a dime or the size of a half dollar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandyman Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 They are rather large,closer to the half dollar size. Vandyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efzauner Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 The PR on the Forte is in the rear... no one sees it? why fix it? It is cosmetic only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandyman Posted April 26, 2007 Author Share Posted April 26, 2007 My wife is a perfectionist, and after 17 years of marriage, I think that I have picked up some of her habits. She would probably agree with you on this one too, but I can always put the dust cover on later if I choose to. By the way thanks to Harry and Bob for the help. Vandyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsch Employees Trey Cannon Posted April 26, 2007 Klipsch Employees Share Posted April 26, 2007 As that is a paper cone, gluing another dust cap on the passive can be done. The difference will be that it does not have the PWK logo on the new one. I have used black thread and super glue. One drop on the dent and let the thread harden in the glue. onece dryed, pull the dent out and cut the thread. If you use a small enough amount, you may never see the glue after the repair. In the end, it will make no difference in the way the speaker works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplummer Posted April 28, 2007 Share Posted April 28, 2007 Will McDermot is correct, the canister vac is the best way to repair the dent. I've personally used this method on my SW10II numerous times and also on a pair of MTX terminator subs. Just place the cansiter vac hose end on the dustcover and turn it on. Cup your hand around the end of the vac to help with air loss. keep working the vac around in circles. in no time flat the dent will start to pop out, continue to work the vac around until the dent is no longer noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klipschaholik Posted April 28, 2007 Share Posted April 28, 2007 I've heard the vacuum cleaner tool will pull the dent out. Can't hurt to try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mas Posted April 28, 2007 Share Posted April 28, 2007 As that is a paper cone, gluing another dust cap on the passive can be done. The difference will be that it does not have the PWK logo on the new one. I have used black thread and super glue. One drop on the dent and let the thread harden in the glue. onece dryed, pull the dent out and cut the thread. If you use a small enough amount, you may never see the glue after the repair. In the end, it will make no difference in the way the speaker works. How can you say that Trey!? I can certainly hear a significant and much improved difference, but only when I employ my $2000+ Audio Research tube amp. The strange thing is that I cannot hear it when I use SS amps costing more than the tube amp. I guess I will be needing to buy more expensive SS amps. And that is just when I swap the Klipsch pie logo on and off! By the way, do La Scalas have a dust cap? It is hard to get my head far enough inside the cabinet to see. But I will definitely keep trying... I already have an appointment to have my ears pinned to help... [][] [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Vandyman "They are rather large,closer to the half dollar size." Thats to big for my super glue tooth pic to dented dust cap and pull it out trick. Works like an auto body dent puller except you glue a tooth pick to the center of the dent. I use a pepto serving cup with a small hole in the middle to center the tooth pic til the super glue dries. Once you pull it out, all you need to do is rotate the tooth pick to seperate it from the dust cap. But, your dent is too big for the tooth pic approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roc Rinaldi Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 As that is a paper cone, gluing another dust cap on the passive can be done. The difference will be that it does not have the PWK logo on the new one. I have used black thread and super glue. One drop on the dent and let the thread harden in the glue. onece dryed, pull the dent out and cut the thread. If you use a small enough amount, you may never see the glue after the repair. In the end, it will make no difference in the way the speaker works. How can you say that Trey!? I can certainly hear a significant and much improved difference, but only when I employ my $2000+ Audio Research tube amp. The strange thing is that I cannot hear it when I use SS amps costing more than the tube amp. I guess I will be needing to buy more expensive SS amps. And that is just when I swap the Klipsch pie logo on and off! By the way, do La Scalas have a dust cap? It is hard to get my head far enough inside the cabinet to see. But I will definitely keep trying... I already have an appointment to have my ears pinned to help... [][] [] Mark, you can probably tell "live" from Memorex too, but most of us can't. I guess that there are some benefits to being a little hearing challenged. It's a passive radiator. No electrics. How much can it matter? None, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roc Rinaldi Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 This thread just amazes me. Why are so many people having dust cover dents at all??? I have 18 year old KG-4s and Forte IIs and not a dent to be found. Don't you keep people away from your prized speakers? Don't you not allow anything near your speakers? If they are important to you it has to be "Hands off - for wives, kids, visitors and dogs/cats". Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandyman Posted May 2, 2007 Author Share Posted May 2, 2007 Dear Roc, I purchased the Fortes used in Iowa. They came with the dents in the passive radiators,from a really nice guy who had children. I'm sure they were the source of the dents. They appeared to be a normal kids with normal parents, accidents happen, and life goes on. As I grow older, and hopefully wiser, I find that the most important things in life are the loved ones that surround us. I would trade my 4 Fortes,Vandersteen 3A signatures, and all my beloved childhood comic books, to spend one day with my departed grandfather. I love music and movies, and enjoying them with my kids is something that I cherish. The speakers are a means for me to bring that magical moment together, but without the kids and my loving wife, I'd be sitting all alone in a room. So if the kids get curious as to how one of dads toys works, and damages something, big deal. I can always fix it ( I hope), but if I keep them away from my pride and joy, they may never want to know why they sound better than most other speakers. They may grow up thinking that the IPOD and MP3 player are the only ways to listen to music. That is a scary thought ! I think most members here feel the same way, I'm sure you do to. How many innovators in this industry tore up speakers and amps to figure out how they worked. Some how I think Paul W Klipsch would have loved to see kids crawling all over one of his Klipschorns, looking at the next generation of Klipsch lovers. I'm getting off the soap box now. Thanks again to all the members for their insightful comments and the good feedback. That's what makes this a great forum, the members here. Sincerely, Vandyman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roc Rinaldi Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Dear Roc, I purchased the Fortes used in Iowa. They came with the dents in the passive radiators,from a really nice guy who had children. I'm sure they were the source of the dents. They appeared to be a normal kids with normal parents, accidents happen, and life goes on. As I grow older, and hopefully wiser, I find that the most important things in life are the loved ones that surround us. I would trade my 4 Fortes,Vandersteen 3A signatures, and all my beloved childhood comic books, to spend one day with my departed grandfather. I love music and movies, and enjoying them with my kids is something that I cherish. The speakers are a means for me to bring that magical moment together, but without the kids and my loving wife, I'd be sitting all alone in a room. So if the kids get curious as to how one of dads toys works, and damages something, big deal. I can always fix it ( I hope), but if I keep them away from my pride and joy, they may never want to know why they sound better than most other speakers. They may grow up thinking that the IPOD and MP3 player are the only ways to listen to music. That is a scary thought ! I think most members here feel the same way, I'm sure you do to. How many innovators in this industry tore up speakers and amps to figure out how they worked. Some how I think Paul W Klipsch would have loved to see kids crawling all over one of his Klipschorns, looking at the next generation of Klipsch lovers. I'm getting off the soap box now. Thanks again to all the members for their insightful comments and the good feedback. That's what makes this a great forum, the members here. Sincerely, Vandyman Wow, what touching and reflective comments. Your's is a truly wonderful post. BTW, my wife plans to bury the forte IIs and KG-4s with me at the end. She will be upgrading at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mclin Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 (edited) I have a hole in my passive radiator cap to one of my Forte ¡¡ and needs recommendations on repair kit or if someone in the Dayton,OH area that can fix it? Edited March 20 by Gary Mclin Needed add someone to work on passive radiator cap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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