I have my car apart now for a new amp and speakers. I want to run all the cables back to the amp down the passenger side to the trunk. Is there any problem having all the wires next to each other with ties? Is there some rule for power wire on one side and speaker wire on the other? The following wires are all together:

- Left speaker to amp
- Right speaker to amp
- Power to amp
- Power (on) signal from the deck to amp
- RCA cables from the deck to amp

Also, is there any particular place that is good to ground the amp to? Should I scratch the paint off the area I put the ground on?

Also, is it tough to get through the firewall for the amp power cable?

Also, my speaker does not easilly fit into the stock speaker holder. I am going to have to cut the back out to get the speaker in. Is there something I should put over the back of the speaker to protect it from dripping water? Are those foam speaker cover things worth while?

Also, when I put the positive feed back on the battery, is there anything to be aware of? I know the radio has to be enabled with the key card, but does anything happen to the cars computer?

I am installing a PPI 2100 amp and 6-1/2" Eclipse 89640 point source speakers.

thanks,

-matt

 

It's generally considered best to leave as much room as possible between wires carrying power and wires carring sound. This helps keep the sound signal from picking up noise. I'm planning on adding an amp today and I hope to be able to do one down the side and the other near the console.

Interesting question. I'm not doing speakers right now. If I were in this position though, I'd probably try to put a sheet of plastic or something (baggie?) over the speaker to try to protect it a bit.

 

Do try and seperate signal from power. If you connect your system and its noisy you are going to have to reroute all those cables.

The foam things are ok. Cut the bottoms out to allow the speaker to breath. Getting the speaker wire in the door is the most challenging thing to do.

I found the power line through the firewall to be pretty easy. Make sure you have a fuse near the battery.

 

Y2K++S2K,

So where did you go through the firewall? I see a place where the positive/negative battery cables go through the firewall, but in Helms it does not look like that goes into the car. Looks like that winds around to the starter or something.

Did you remove the dash to get the cable through the firewall? I looked under the dash (by sticking my head in the floor board) and there are some cables that go towards the battery.

Why does the amp fuse need to be near the battery and not in the car near the amp?

Any help would be great.

thanks,

-matt

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dirt
[B]Y2K++S2K,

So where did you go through the firewall? I see a place where the positive/negative battery cables go through the firewall, but in Helms it does not look like that goes into the car. Looks like that winds around to the starter or something.

Did you remove the dash to get the cable through the firewall? I looked under the dash (by sticking my head in the floor board) and there are some cables that go towards the battery.

 

I used a piece of large heat shrink I had around, slit lengthwise and then taped in place as a shield. It's probably not absolutely required, but it made me feel better.

 

After moving the battery aside you'll see a gromment:



dont waste you time with 10 gaug wire, go 8 or wider! In that photo I used 10 and then had to put in 4 gauge a week later because i changed amps!

Power wire should always run the side of the battery. If the power line is too close to speaker lines it will cause alternator noise.

You'll need to take off the passenger kick panel, door sill, rear side lining, rear right panel.

I cant recommend adding an amp to the stock anymore. I think if you go this far (adding an amp) you should put in a new head unit with RCA outs. If you need help with the PAC (dash controls) I'll help

 

I did my own install a little less than a year ago (same amp, Focals instead of Eclipses). Here's what I learned:

1) If you can snake the power wire through the below-the-battery grommet, it's your best bet. Either through my impatience or incompetence, I couldn't do it and ended up drilling a hole in the firewall and used a rubber grommet I found at Home Depot that fit the power wire. Drilling was a pain because most power drills aren't small enough to fit in the space left vacant by the removed battery.

2) Running the wire through the doors did take some patience. My wires were heavy enough guage to be snaked through on their own, but others have suggesting fastening them to a long tip-tie or wire hanger which you snake through then pull the wire after. The harder part of this step was simply removing a couple of wire connectors on the drivers side, removing the block of foam, and then removing the electrical tape around the stock wires. (I didn't bother re-taping, would have been a PITA...)

3) I ran all my signal wires (speaker, RCAs, and power-on) down the passenger side console, under the carpet. Be carefull removing the plastic fasteners, as they can be ruined pretty easily. They run a buck or two each from Honda (I had to replace a few...). Don't bundle all the wires together in a bunch, since the carpet won't lie back to it's original position. You might want to try to lay them flatter, or run the speaker wires down the drivers side, and the RCAs and power-on down the passenger side (or vice-versa).

4) The power wire came in the near the same place it will if you use the passenger side grommet pointed out in the above post. I worked it behind the kick panel, door sill panel, rear side panel, and back up into the right side of the trunk. You'll need to remove the cargo accessory hooks on the panel behind the passenger seat to remove that panel -- all others simply snap off.

5) I mounted my amp (same as yours) on a piece of felt-covered plywood inside the spare tire. I have a scroll saw you can use if you want to go this route. (Houses are still being built in my neighborhood, so the plywood is free for the taking, too...) It's definitely a stealth location, but if you ever have to use the spare tire, it's not the easiest thing to deal with having the amp in there.

6) Given the amp location, I ran the short ground wire to an angled mounting/brace bracket found immediately below and to the right of the spare. Definitely sand away the paint to get to the bare metal. Also, before you screw the wire down, block the bottom of the hole with a sponge or portion of a towel -- if the screw or nut falls in there, you're not getting it out.

7) Lastly, my speakers were just barely too big to fit in the stock baskets, even with the entire back portion removed. I initially cut some brackets out of wood I found at Home Depot (I don't remember the type, but the thickness was about perfect at just around 3/4"). These, however, have since cracked thanks to the rains we've had, etc., so I'd recommend going with MDF (medium density fiberboard), or plastic, depending on your speaker depth (the plastic only comes in 1/2" or 1" think. I need 3/4", so I'm still working on shaving mine down to the correct thickness). I'd recommend Regal Plastics on Metric.


If you want to stop by sometime, I can show you my install, and I'd love to help you out if you need it when you install yours.

Good luck!
Dave

 

inYou only need to separate the power cable and speaker wires from themselves and all internal wiring if you are wiring up full range speakers. If you are doing a sub type application, I wouldn

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dirt
[B]Y2K++S2K,

So where did you go through the firewall? I see a place where the positive/negative battery cables go through the firewall, but in Helms it does not look like that goes into the car. Looks like that winds around to the starter or something.

Did you remove the dash to get the cable through the firewall? I looked under the dash (by sticking my head in the floor board) and there are some cables that go towards the battery.