Hey guys

I'm in the process of installing my 200 w amp and 10 inch sub behind the drivers seat (inside of a modded box)

Whats the best way to get the power from the batt to inside the cabin to my amp?

Also, it's only a 200 watter and I'm not gonna blast it. Should I place it under the seat? I fear it will get hot without much ventilation down there

thanks in advance

MTB

 

Mine is 800watts under the seat and working fine. I drive 2hrs straight almost every day. It is probably cooler and more ventilated there then in the cubby and plenty of people put theirs in there.

Get a ring connector and connect it to the battery and there is a piece under the black plastic shroud where the wipers sit on the passenger side (directly behind the battery) that has a huge gasketed connector in it. Just cut a little hole in the rubber and run it through there. Make sure to throw a little caulking around it so it doesn't leak though. I had my whole cubby and everything out when I did mine I ran it under the carpet.

 

-remove the battery cover
-than remove the hole plastic trim/cover that the battery cover was placed on
-from there you can get access to the oem harness that runs from the engine bay to the inside cabin.
-cut a slice into the harness grommet and feed the wire in
-lay down in an awkward position on the passenger side floor and stick your hand in behind the dash in the upper corner.
-pull the wire through and run it to the amp

I don't blast my stereo either but I placed my amp in the cubby thing behind the passenger seat and have never had an issue with overheating/lack of ventilation
(Ill try to get a picture of mine later today)

 

awesome thank you guys. I'm going to buy the wiring and install this afternoon pics to come.


Thanks again

 

Don't forget to make sure the fuse is within 6 inches of the battery. The closer the better. Also, make sure your wiring doesn't run over any sharp metal edges without proper protection. Vibration can wear through the coating on the wire and cause a short.

 

alright heres my pics
remove the battery cover

remove the trim that the battery cover clips on to

remove the upper wiper cowl thing. There is a hose attached to it, unclip it first, than pull the plastic down toward the battery and then toward the intake manifold so that the entire piece slides out.

you can see the harness that leads into the cabin. Cut a small slit into it and feed your wire through
CAUTION: make sure you don't cut into the wires from the harness


lay down on the passenger side floor with your head facing underneath the dash, in the upper left hand corner you should be able to see the wire

pull it through and run it however you like.


I ran mine along the passenger side into the rear glove box.

 

That's a super clean install, but I would have ran the power wire slightly differently to reduce the length to the fuse and keep it hidden a little more. Overall, great work.

 

Yeah I thought of that, but figured it's easy access to the fuse in case it blows. Besides, with the battery cover on you can't see any of it. I think I will shorten the lenth as you had said earlier. I wasn't aware that it should be that short from the battery to the fuse but I think I'll do it anyway, it can't hurt

 

Within 18 inches if I am right. Also I thought it is not recommended to tap from the post where the fuses are. Very common for guys to tap into the farthest or middle post. Just my observation but could be wrong

 

Interested in pics of this!

 

well it ain't gonna be much to look at! The entire box will fit in the hole behind the driver's seat but I've cut a whole in the plastic cover to allow some ventilation. pics soon!

 

Thanks... I'm still interested, especially dimensions of the box and how it fits back there. I'm debating going with a pre-fab SRQ box or building my own that is front firing. Just worried about rattles caused by putting a down-firing box in such an enclosed area.

 

Looking at your 1st pic, I'd rotate the terminal 180* and install it on that other stud. The fuse can be zip tied to the battery handle, or if you wanted to get fancy you could drill the side of the battery compartment and mount it there. Another option that would work without re-routing things (depending if you have the slack available) would be to pull some of the power wire back into the engine bay, and just shorten the wire between the ring terminal and the fuse. the fuse could be zip tied to the large loom that's coming off the battery positive terminal.

The reason you want it short is so that in case of a serious wiring issue, you have as little wire as possible that can burn up between the battery and fuse. I've never been in a shop that would allow more than 8" between fuse and power source. My personal rule is 6". Also, I prefer circuit breakers over fuses

Like I said before, the rest of your setup looks good. Your amp looks super clean.

I think you've got the acceptable ground wire length confused with distance between fuse and power source. 18" is a lot of wire. Have you seen what happens to a 4 gauge wire when it shorts straight to ground? I wouldn't want 18" of red-hot metal rod melting through a bunch of stuff on my car. Even 6" of red hot 4 AWG would suck, but 18" is 3x as much trouble. 18" is the general limit for ground wires, but even that is excessive IMO. I'm pretty meticulous when it comes to my wiring though. As far as tapping into the same post as where the fuses are, I've never heard anything like that (or maybe I don't remember hearing it). Any particular reasoning behind it?


For anyone still learning about car audio, this site is an incredible resource:

http://www.bcae1.com/fuses.htm

Also,

the12volt.com

 

One more question:

while i get a new HU i'm also buying some accessories and Imma go ahead and replace the rear speakers.


lookin all day and can't find it online...

what size are the rears?! chrutchfield says that 5.25s will fit the rear. will 6.5s squeeze in? I can fabricate if it's easy enough.

what size are they?

 

people still install amps under their seats?

 

From what I had read way back, replacing the rear speakers is not worth the hassle. Most recommended upgrading the front speaker/tweeter instead.

I have all oem speakers(non boss) with a sub in a Zenclosure box under the strut bar. I don't "blast" my music, but I just wanted a little more bass out of it. After doing this, I would recommend upgrading the tweeters, as the highs don't seem to be clear enough to hear over the bass. Just my advise

 

Ok thanks BB. Pics coming

 

They are all 6.5". It is a pain to change them but I wouldn't say its pointless. Takes about 1/2hr to get to them maybe less if you know what your doing. I will be replacing mine come spring. I will most likely do the fronts as well.

 

I get your point about being extra safe. But I am not confusing the ground wire requirement with fuse requirement as you suggested. I did order some JL Audio Amps and in both manuals on page 5 it states:

FUSE REQUIREMENTS
It is absolutely vital that the main power wire(s)
to the amplifier(s) in the system be fused within
18 inches (45 cm) of the positive battery post
connection.The fuse value at each power wire
should be high enough for all of the equipment
being run from that power wire. If only the
450/4 is being run from that power wire, we
recommend a 60A fuse be used.AGU (big glass
fuse) or MaxiFuse™ (big plastic-body fuse) types
are recommended.
No fuse is required or recommended directly
before the amplifier power connection. If one is
desired, we recommend the use of a 60A AGU fuse
or MaxiFuse™ type

 

Update

Ordered a new HU, amp wires and speakers from Crutchfield.com. site was great. Doing install of amp, HU, and rear speakers tomorrow will take pics

The "altered" box is complete. i used some wood that had been previously ...ahem...grafiti board from a kegger

The box fits now behind the seat. I had already cut a hole in the plastic cover thinking I was going to place the sub in the stock bracket but with some cautionary tales of quality I spend the time modding this box.