Basic guide to installing an amp.

This is a very quick guide to fitting an amp into your car.
Right first of all you'll need a set of screw drivers, some spanners, maybe some connection blocks, maybe some silicone and a selection of connectors.



First job is to lay the wires.

So the + cable goes from the + terminal on the battery to the + terminal on the Amp. Start under the bonnet. Remove the inline fuse (Always buy power + cable's with an inline fuse) Lay the + cable next to the battery terminal so it can reach. But don't connect it yet.

Now find a suitable place for the wire to pass through the bulkhead. You should be able to find wires already going through so just cut the rubber and post your cable all the way through and silicone round it when finished everything else. Now depending on which side your battery is that will be the side the + cable will go_Once the cable has been pulled all the way through you will need to tuck it under the dashboard to the side your going to use. Next is removing the plastic trim that goes down the side of the car and tuck your wire all the way down to your back seats. You may have to look around abit but you should be able to hide it now down the side of the rear seat and into the boot. The remote cable is the cable that goes from the head unit to the amp and it's job is to switch the amp on and off with the head unit and is safe to take the same route as the + cable.

The RCA leads go from the head unit to the amp and these are what carry the actual sounds to the amp. Connect to the head unit. These leads need to go the opposite side to the Power + cable. They will go down the same route as the + cable to the boot but on the opposite side of the car. Ie + cable and remote down passenger side and RCA leads down the drivers side or vise versa.

Next find a suitable earth that will be around 13-15 inches away from the amp if possible. The rear seat bolts are a good choice here. Undo the bolt with a spanner (Usually around a 13mm) attatch the cable to the bolt and tighten back up making sure there is plenty of contact with the cable around the bolt (You could use a connector if you wish).

Find where you will be mounting the amp and mount it.

Connect the Earth cable first. Now connect the RCA leads and the power and remote cable. Now connect the remote wire to the head unit.

Next connect the Power + wire to the battery but leave the fuse out for now. Make sure the amps settings are all the way to minimum and that the amp is connected up to a or some speakers.

Next with the ignition fully off put the fuse in.

Now when you turn the ignition if you have connected everything correctly and if I haven't missed anything out all should work. But don't be alarmed if you don't hear bass from the sub straight away because you'll have to play around with the gain and other controls on the amp.

But there you go a long but quick guide to installing an amp.

If anyone has anything to add or to just ask a question then feel free.

This is a basic guide only. I accept no responsibility for any damage done to your own vehicle. If followed correctly you will have no problems.
 
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got any pics TN to give a better idea,

and haveing the ignition on when connecting the fuse, cant say i do it that way. id fit the fuse 1st then switch the ignition on. that way after fitting the fuse, as long as the rest of the wiring good, the circut wont be completed until the remote wire comes live to switch the relay on.
 
got any pics TN to give a better idea,

and haveing the ignition on when connecting the fuse, cant say i do it that way. id fit the fuse 1st then switch the ignition on. that way after fitting the fuse, as long as the rest of the wiring good, the circut wont be completed until the remote wire comes live to switch the relay on.

Mate read again an it says "With the ignition Fully Off".

I hope to be putting an install in the Ti soon so I'll take pics then.
 
Good simple well explained guide but it could do with some example pictures. I should be able to help with few when I reach 10 posts.
 
Okay, I will try to add a few pictures and keep as best I can to the script as detailed above.
The systems I've installed in the past have been mostly fairly 'high end' and so require some heavy duty '0' gauge power cable, apologies if it looks a little excessive for a basic guide. Smaller amps and shorter distances from the battery to the amp location may only require '8' gauge or '4' gauge etc but always make sure the cable and fuse are sufficient for the amplifier and it's location. If in doubt, consult a qualified expert.

First job is to lay the wires.
So after planning where the hardware will sit and the best routes for the cables, select the cables and connectors etc to complete the install. Sometimes it's possible to find it all (or most of it) in a ready made pack.
 
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So the + cable goes from the + terminal on the battery to the + terminal on the Amp. Start under the bonnet. Remove the inline fuse (Always buy power + cable's with an inline fuse) Lay the + cable next to the battery terminal so it can reach. But don't connect it yet.

IMG_1712.JPG
 
Now find a suitable place for the wire to pass through the bulkhead. You should be able to find wires already going through so just cut the rubber and post your cable all the way through and silicone round it when finished everything else. Now depending on which side your battery is that will be the side the + cable will go once the cable has been pulled all the way through you will need to tuck it under the dashboard to the side your going to use.
IMG_1828.JPG IMG_1832.JPG
In this case, the battery and it's holder were removed to reveal a convenient hole and rubber grommet providing a route through to the passenger cabin.

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Hole cut in grommet to allow the power cable to pass through. When the grommet is pushed back in place the rubber protects the cable from the sharp edges of the bulkhead.

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Removing the glove box to route the cable from the top of the foot well to the side of the car.
 
Next is removing the plastic trim that goes down the side of the car and tuck your wire all the way down to your back seats. You may have to look around a bit but you should be able to hide it now down the side of the rear seat and into the boot.IMG_1847.JPG
Pulling the cable through to the interior

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Removing the front seats to make it easy to safely route the cables. Even with electric seat connections seats are usually a matter of minutes to remove and this provides more room in which to work.

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Laying the power cable along one side of the car
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Loosening the centre console to feed the RCA leads, remote amp lead, camera, USB etc.
In this installation the amp and 2 sub-woofers will be placed in the rear seat area, In other installs the amp would usually be secured in the boot.
 
You may have to look around a bit but you should be able to hide it now down the side of the rear seat and into the boot. The remote cable is the cable that goes from the head unit to the amp and it's job is to switch the amp on and off with the head unit and is safe to take the same route as the + cable.

The RCA leads go from the head unit to the amp and these are what carry the actual sounds to the amp. Connect to the head unit. These leads need to go the opposite side to the Power + cable. They will go down the same route as the + cable to the boot but on the opposite side of the car. Ie + cable and remote down passenger side and RCA leads down the drivers side or vise versa.

Next find a suitable earth that will be around 13-15 inches away from the amp if possible. The rear seat bolts are a good choice here. Undo the bolt with a spanner (Usually around a 13mm) attach the cable to the bolt and tighten back up making sure there is plenty of contact with the cable around the bolt (You could use a connector if you wish).


Find where you will be mounting the amp and mount it.

This is an example of a much older and more complex boot build under construction. Power + is the red cable this time. Earth - negative is the large silver cable. RCA leads for the left, right sub and centre channels, the remote blue lead from the head unit switches the amps on.
Soarer Feb 2006 815.jpg




Back to the build in the rear seat area of the later install under construction.
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The blue power cable terminates in a connector block below the build and from there the positive + '4' gauge blue cable is connected to the amp. The negative - Silver '4' gauge goes from the amp to a solid earth rear seat mounting bolt. The small blue remote lead is between the + and - terminals, the RCA leads (black and red are just providing a subwoofer channel signal in this instance.

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and nearing completion
 
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So for somebody with a battery not under the hood, under the fender, would I attach to the negative and positive jump start posts visible under the hood that connect to the battery?
 
So for somebody with a battery not under the hood, under the fender, would I attach to the negative and positive jump start posts visible under the hood that connect to the battery?

Yes. It's the same 12v DC. Fit an inline fusible link though to the +ve wire, as close as possible to the battery.
 
If you make an AC coupling to earth via a low value capacitor at the equipment end that should sink any extraneous noise. Having a DC coupling to the battery will give the best current delivery.
 
For headunits or amps, you generally want to give them a separate earth. It's by far the best setup.
8-12 inches away from the unit is ideal. Plus it's far easier to install 8-12 inches of wire compared to feeding a longer length to the battery's earth.
With amps the easiest place to earth them I find is the seatbelts under the rear seat. Simple on most cars.
With headunits, I normally earth them to a door pillar. Sometimes a little longer but still easier than going to the battery. With headunits I am going back a few years, these days you don't really have to reinstall the wiring for them. Older cars when someone has butchered the wiring is when I remove and put in my own wiring.
 
Thanks man ! I was looking on youtube to find good tutorial, but no ! I will come here haha. Really good job :)
 

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