Things You'll Need:
- Wire Cutters and Pliers
- Car Manual
- O-ring Ends
- Car Audio Cables and Wires
- Sandpaper
- Utility Knife
- Masking Tape and Pen
- Wire Strippers
- Female Spade Connectors
- Screwdrivers
- Car Audio Amplifier
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Step 1
Choose where to put your new amp. If you are installing subwoofers it's usually best to put the amplifier in the trunk next to or attached to your subwoofer enclosure. If you are going to power your main car speakers with the amplifier then it may be better to put the amp under the passenger's seat.
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Step 2
Purchase the following wiring for the amp: A thick power cable (the thickness required depends on the total wattage of your amp, ask a sales rep or consult your amplifier's manual for the proper gauge) that will have to reach from your battery to the amp (the power cable should also have an inline fuse to protect the amplifier); 3 feet of ground cable of equal thickness as the power cable; an RCA signal cable to carry the left and right signals from your head unit to the amp; a "remote on" wire which can be any thin wire (20 to 24 gauge) that will also run from the head unit to the amp; speaker wire (if you are powering subwoofers you should only need about 3 feet of 12-gauge wire per sub, if you're going to power your main speakers you will need enough 16-gauge wire to reach each speaker from the amp, 12 feet per speaker is usually safe).
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Step 3
Gather the following tools: Screwdrivers, wire cutters, wire strippers, pliers, a utility knife, sandpaper, masking tape with a pen for labeling, 2 crimp-on o-ring ends for the power and ground cables. If you're hooking the amp to your speakers, you'll also need 2 crimp-on female spade connectors for each speaker.
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Step 4
Find a manual with instructions on taking off the dash of your car (not the whole dash--just the head unit, in order to hook wires to the back), and also to get at your car's speakers if you are hooking the amp to them.
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Step 1
Disconnect the ground (negative) cable from your battery. Never work on the electrical system of your car with this connected.
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Step 2
Attach the side with the fuse of the thick positive (+/red) power cable to the connector on the positive terminal of your battery; the o-ring can be sandwiched in the bolt on the connector that connects your car to the battery. Now put the fuse in the fuse holder.
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Step 3
Run the power cable through the firewall of your car (there is usually an opening on the driver's side) and to your amplifier. If your amp is in the back it is usually best to run this wire under the plastic molding that goes along the bottom edge of your car. Be careful where you run the wire because the power cables should never be near the signal or speaker wires.
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Step 4
Find a metal bolt or screw on the metal of your car near the amp to connect the ground cable to. This should be as close to the amp as possible, never more than 3 feet. Unscrew it and clean the metal surface with sandpaper. Attach the ground to it with the o-ring and screw it back down firmly.
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Step 5
Remove your head unit and run the signal and remote on wires from behind the head unit to your amp. Connect the RCA connectors and the remote on wire to the back of your head unit.
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Step 6
(If you are installing subwoofers and not running your normal speakers off the amplifier skip to step 7.) Run the 16-gauge wire from each one of your speakers to the amplifier. On the amp side use the masking tape to label each wire so you know which speaker it is. On the speaker end-strip a 1/4 inch off the ends of the wires and crimp on the female spade connectors with your pliers. Connect the spade connectors to your speakers making sure to match the positive (+/red or white) with the positive terminal and the negative (-/black) with the negative one.
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Step 7
Connect everything to your amplifier. Only strip off as much as you need off the end of each wire to make a solid connection, you don't want any exposed wire hanging out. If you have subs, attach them to the amp with the 12-gauge speaker wire.
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Step 8
Secure your amp to something. If it is in the back you can screw it directly to your subwoofer enclosure. If it is under a seat you may just want to get some straps that hold it down.
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Step 9
Reconnect your car's negative cable to the battery. Test your system and make sure everything works, going around to see that every speaker is on before you put everything back together.
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Step 10
Put everything back together.
Comments
ktd72 said
on 4/29/2009 When installing a 4channel amp. Does the speaker wires on the head unit splice into the set of speaker wires running to the amp, or do you totally disregard the head speaker wires, and only run wires directly from your main speakers to the amp?
myfootnotes said
on 4/3/2009 WHAT ABOUT THE AUTOMATIC ANTENNA RELAY WIRE (BLUE WITH A WHITE LINE)?
fatboysound said
on 3/6/2009 hello i instaled 1 crossover 2 amps 1 for speakers 1 for 4 subs but when i turn on my car it makes a iiiiiiiiiiiiii noise what can i do
i4getlots said
on 2/22/2009 jgblaster in regards to hooking up a second amp. first what size is your power wire from the amp? if its anything bigger than 4 gauge, you will need to up the gauge of your power wire. second you can buy a distrubution block. its around $30. ive seen many ways to hook this up. its like a surge protector...one source of power for multiple items. just rememer to keep the wire size the same through out the whole process. also remember to upgrade the fuse on the main power wire to handle the load of 2 amps instead of 1. hope that helped
i4getlots said
on 2/22/2009 cesar....if its an aftermarket head unit, on the back of your headunit there should be a blue wire or a solid blue wire with a white stripe on it. hook up the blue wire from your amp to it and it should work...if not check your ground fuses, etc