Where to run amp power wire

[ozzie_online88]

Hey y'all,

Getting my new deck in a couple of weeks, and just setting up the ground work, i'm a fair novice and this will be my first sound system install.

I want to run the amp power cable down the drivers side of the car, is there an easy way of getting from the engine bay into the cabin and down under the carpet/side plastic? Any hints/tips?

Removal of the glove box? (for rest of the cables)

Is removing the back seat going to be the same as removing a VR one? Push forward n pull up.


Thanks

[CANYONERO]

do a search and you will find all the info your after. thats what i did. i ran my amp wire down the drivers side no probs and the back seat is simple enough to do. good luck on your mission.

[Benboy]

If you've got an auto, have a look on the firewall, engine side down below the brake booster and in toward the rear of the engine. You should find a rectangle shaped rubber plug. If you lift the carpet in the footwell you should also be able to see it. Just push it out - toward the engine and then drill a hole in it, the size of the cable(s), feed cables through and seal around them with a good silastic type sealer. Replace the rubber plug making sure that it is correctly seated (to keep water and fumes from entering), replace carpet and route the wires along under the door sills - after having removed them. The rest should be easy.

[andyman]

i used the rubber grommett shared with the cars wiring harness, just behind the drivers side strut tower, ive got 3 lots of wiring running through there and will be 4 soon....


after that just lift up the sill covers remove the screws (they use a torx bit head), you will also need to remove the black piece of trim under the seat belt and the cover plate between the seat and sill panel.

the glove box is removed by lowering it to its normal position, on the sides there are rubber sqaures that acts as mounts, remove these then lower the box more and pull it directly outwards to release the pivot mounts

[cpbait]

yeh i went through the firewall where the main harness is (passenger side), i ran mine through the same crommet, u will see it come through underneath near the kick panel, remove the under dash trim(under glove box) and u will be able to see with a light. i used 4 gauge wirring and ran it inside 13mm conguete, protects the wirring from the heat of the engine bay and from picking up interference in the main hareness, bit of a pain running it sometimes but it is better and looks alot neater in the long run, i'll try and get some pics up.

goodluck with which ever way u decide, also if u don't want to go through the grommet on the passenger side with the main harness theres an opening in the firewall just below it that u can go through, might be a bit easier if u don't want the ****ing around

[adamc11]

Just another point dude.. you should run your power wiring down a different side to your speaker wiring. I did an amp and speaker install about a 2 months ago for my vy... took me ages to do it (hours and hours).. if you need any help with it pm me, i should be able to help you with any questions you have.

[cpbait]

yeh i ran my speaker wirring and ampwirring(rca's) and remote wire down the right hand side of the vehicle and my power cable for the amp down the left hand side.

[adamc11]

i did it the other way around... power and amp trigger wire down the right side, speaker wire and rcas down the left side.. doesn''t matter which way as long as they're kept seperate...

[Flat_White]

drill thru the firewall,

if there is already a big enough hole then use that.

thats wat i did.

[Flat_White]

plus i ran the power wiring under the centre console and stored the amp under my seat.

just an idea for you.

[ozzie_online88]

Cheers for all the info, I will hopefully get the cables all done this weekend so its all nice and ready for my deck

[steve40]

Hsa anyone tried running wire through the bonnet cable gromit? it seems very easy to get to.

[adamc11]

I mounted my amp on the rear parcel tray... open the boot and you can't even see it unless you stand a distance back or put your head down and look up at the tray.
Pictures...

[CANYONERO]

the problem with having it like that is amps like air, and they dont like being upside down, because your trapping the heat in and eventually will burn out your circuits. in theory its really good, takes no room, nice and tidy. but in my experience with amps the more air the better. you see in some sound off comps, people packin dry ice around there amps to keep em cool and running as efficient as possible.

just my 2c.

[WK Woody]

the problem with having it like that is amps like air, and they dont like being upside down, because your trapping the heat in and eventually will burn out your circuits. in theory its really good, takes no room, nice and tidy. but in my experience with amps the more air the better. you see in some sound off comps, people packin dry ice around there amps to keep em cool and running as efficient as possible.

just my 2c.

Are you saying amps don't like upside down air?? I think it'll be just fine.

[Flat_White]

Are you saying amps don't like upside down air?? I think it'll be just fine.

I doubt that an amp being upside down will affect it at all.

besides, from the look of that picture it appears to get plenty of air.

[adamc11]

It gets plenty of air... if anything it gets more air than it usually would... It is on a flat metal surface, as opposed to sitting carpet...
Also, it runs very very cool... did some reading online and people do make commets about how cool it is.

[CANYONERO]

heat rises does it not?? so when an amp is upside down, all thet heat is trapped inside of it. it cant vent the heat out .

[CANYONERO]

Are you saying amps don't like upside down air?? I think it'll be just fine.

upside down air? thats not what i was sayin. have another beer woody lol.

also, you doin much this weekend? might come round and have a beer lol.

[stoged]

heat rises does it not?? so when an amp is upside down, all thet heat is trapped inside of it. it cant vent the heat out .

I would think it all depends where the fans are on the AMP. My old Boss amp had 2 fans on the bottom of it.. so i flipped it upside down... ran fine

[CANYONERO]

yes, if you got fans for airflow you wont have a worry.

[Phreddy]

I think the reasoning is that in some cases amps are designed so that as the air around the components is heated it rises, and if the chassis ventilation is only designed to allow the rising air escape in one mounting position only, if other than that position is used the warmed air can be trapped and this is what causes things to overheat.

Really though, unless you are out to wow 'em in the competitions, most decent quality amps won't be too bothered by being upside down unless they're running at close to their limit all the time. I've mounted several amps in this location, never had a problem.

Oh, your point about the fans is a fair one Stoged, although the majority of amps don't have fans. I actually disagree with the use of fans in amps because if the fan is needed that means the heatsinks can't cope - therefore if the fan fails, it won't be too long until the amp DOES cook.

Anyhow, we're jackin' Ozzie's thread here! As has been pointed out already mate, just choose whichever is more convenient for you. Just to throw this idea in the ring, I generally run the power feed down the left side, the speaker wires down the applicable side, and the RCAs along the transmission hump under the carpet. I also run the remote wire with the RCAs - a lot of people disagree with this, but I haven't had a scientifically explained reason why it's a bad idea. The RCAs can then sneak along under the back seat, and then rise along the edge of the centre fold-down section and are easy to conceal under the trim - they pop out real neat just where they're needed.

Cheerz bloke, best of luck with the job. (now you ARE going to put a fuse in the main battery feed, aren't you?? Nice and close to the battery, right?)

[ozzie_online88]

Thanks for all the great info, just finished running all the cables + installing my sub and amp..now just awaiting my deck from the US

FYI Ran the remote wire down the drivers side with the power wire.

Next project is to do the blue/white dash conversion, so hopefully hear back from you soon Greg regarding that

[trentvy]

lol phreddy to the rescue

[Phreddy]

Hey ozzie - sorry Mate, I've been hell busy the last couple. I will get back to you soon...