How to Hook an Amp to a Stock CD Player
Car owners who are looking for a more powerful and clear car audio system can replace their factory stereo deck with an upgrade or add an amplifier to their stock CD player. The new amplifier will boost the signal from the CD player to provide much more powerful sound. You can have the new amplifier connected to your stock CD player by a professional installer or do it yourself and save the cost of labor.
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Things You'll Need
- Adjustable wrench
- Vehicle repair manual
- Amplifier wiring kit
- Wiring harness adapter
- Patch cables
Instructions
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1
Raise the hood and loosen the bolts holding each of the battery cable clamps to the battery terminals with an adjustable wrench. Lift the negative battery cable from the negative battery terminal and rest it to the side of the battery.
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2
Lift the positive battery cable from the terminal and place the ring terminal from the amplifier wiring kit onto the terminal post. Return the positive cable clamp to the positive terminal post over the ring terminal. Tighten the bolt on the cable with the wrench. Remove the fuse from the ring terminal fuse slot.
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3
Plug the power cable, included in the amp wiring kit, into the ring terminal. Feed the power cable through the firewall into the interior of the vehicle.
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4
Remove the factory stereo from the vehicle's stereo mounting dock inside the dashboard. Follow the steps in the vehicle repair manual. Disconnect the stereo wiring from the back of the stereo unit. Connect the stereo wiring connectors to the wiring harness adapter leads. Plug the wiring harness adapter lead connectors into the outlets on the rear panel of the stock CD player.
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5
Plug the patch cables into the wiring harness adapter leads. Follow the color code on the adapter's leads for proper connection locations or seek the diagram for amplifier connection in the wiring harness adapter manual.
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6
Route the patch cables through the back of the stereo dock and down to the floor of the vehicle on the passenger's side. Slide the CD player into the vehicle's stereo dock. Follow the instructions in the repair manual for installation steps.
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7
Route the patch cables along the passenger's side of the vehicle to the rear cargo area or trunk. Route the power supply cable from the driver's side to the back of the vehicle.
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8
Connect the power cable to the power input on the amplifier. Connect the patch cable leads to the inputs on the amplifier. See the amplifier manual for connection guidance. Plug the grounding wire from the amp wiring kit into the ground on the amp. Connect the grounding wire to a screw or bolt in the back of the vehicle. Choose a screw or bolt directly connected to the frame of the vehicle and no farther than 20 inches from the amplifier. Return to the battery.
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9
Place the negative cable clamp onto the negative battery terminal post. Tighten the bolt on the clamp with the adjustable wrench. Slide the fuse back into the ring terminal and close the hood.
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