R31 speaker replacement parts question

[antigen]

Hi, I'm trying to find out some info and the steps I need to rectify my current problem.
I was watching a video lecture dvd earlier today, and all of a sudden, I heard a "pop" sound.... then some crackling and then silence from the video. I have been using the same sound/volume settings and player (VLC media) without any speaker connection for many months.

Can overheating cause such damage? My thinkpad is on my wooden table and is usually plugged in. This is my laptop which I use when studying. I blew some compressed air into the front speaker grills and surprisingly the sound came back, but still crackled.

The headphone jack output works when I plug in the headphones.

What replacement parts would you think I might need? I have an IBM Thinkpad 2656-E5U notebook. Is it just a speaker with a wire and plug connector? as such :



from IBM : part #21 : http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 41266.html
part : 02K5989

** I was directed by a few sites to pick up part 08K4618 for my R1 but I made a mistake and purchased via ebay (was searching for a R31 speaker.) Apparently, the part listed in that same category : 08K4618 was for a series II/III where mine turns out to be a series I.

Now I am trying to get a hold of the seller that I bought the wrong one. What would the major difference be? Structural? Connection?

From the IBM website, I saw the Hardware and Maintenance Manual for the R30/R31
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-39797
and took a look at it. Is this a difficult process? I've never opened or worked on a laptop before and from the schematics, it appears that I might have to strip down quite a bit! Any other alternative guides? How long does the process take? ("generally") that is, since many factors can be involved in that last part.

Thanks for your suggestions and time reading this! I really like this laptop and don't want it to go to waste. I have a wireless card plugged in via PCMCIA and 512mb ram with a 30gb hdd running a dual boot OS, ubuntu & winXP pro. It's basically my home study laptop. I think I am going to buy a notebook cooler too.

Is this a common thing to happen to older notebooks?