Amplifier Installation

Installing the audio amplifier of your car can be among the trickiest things for a newbie to attempt. Car amplifier installation requires every sort of panel to be taken off and various wires be run all throughout the car. However, it is also a step-by-step process that can be achieved if you have the “do-it-yourselfer” skill and knowledge, and if you’re comfortable with doing the process.

An amplifier installation kit can be bought from electronic shops, and this will provide you with the complete things needed for the installation. Amplifier installation will need a lot of accuracy and patience, as well as the basic electric know-how’s. Assuming that you have all these and that you have already mounted the amplifier on a “solid, non-conductive” or non-metal surface, here are simple steps to follow on how to install a car amplifier:

Step 1

Find out which side of the car the batter is placed. Disconnect its “negative” battery terminal. If the radio has a security feature, know the “reactivation code” before disconnecting it from the “negative” battery terminal.

Step 2

Look for a place to run its “power wire” through the “firewall”. Look for an empty “rubber grommet” that conceals an unused “factory hole” –you may just place a hole on this grommet, then run the wire through.

Step 3

If it does not have a factory hole, then you’ll need to create one. Put out the drill bits and the power drill. Make sure to know where the “bit” will come out once it goes through the firewall before drilling. Drilling a pilot hole first and increasing the size of the bit till the “hole” fits the wire is a good approach.

Step 4

Protect the edges of the hole drilled with paint or similar materials.

Step 5

Install the rubber grommet into the drilled hole to safeguard the wire against chaffing –this is very important. Caulk the space between the power wire and rubber grommet if possible, to avoid water from flowing down the wire.

Step 6

Run its wire from the car’s interior through the “hole”, and to its battery. Be very careful not to pinch moving parts and points in the car’s engine bay.

Step 7

Install an “in-line fuse holder” for its power wire as near as possible to the terminal connection of the battery –“IASCA rule” is within eighteen-inches. This fuse is very important in amplifier installation as it protects the vehicle from blazing up in case of power-wiring short-out. The wire in between the terminal of the battery and the fuse will be “unprotected”, which is the reason why it needs to be as “short” as possible.

The fuse size will depend on the existing power wire carried by the car. Consult the amplifiers “owner manual” for the current draw of the system. If unsure, you may contact its manufacturer to ask for the information. For several amplifiers, adding up the maximum “current draw” of every amplifier is needed.

Once the maximum “current draw” is found out, the right size of the fuse can be determined –for instance, a 50 amp max current draw will need a 50 amp fuse. Never put in the “fuse” until every other connection is made. The power wire should be connected to the battery with the use of appropriate connectors.

Step 8

Pull back carpet on the place where you’d be running the power wire; removing lock panel covers and rocker panel is needed to do this.

Step 9

Snake power wire to the final “termination point” (the place where the amplifier will be mounted).

Step 10

After the power wire is run the way intended, go back and utilize “plastic wire ties” to secure it in place.

Step 11

Run the “RCA cables” and “remote turn-on lead” from the back of the head unit to the location where the amp will be mounted. Follow steps 8 and 9 for this, but run the cables on the car’s opposite side. Use the appropriate connector for connecting the “remote turn-on wire” to the amplifier.

Step 12

Run the speaker wires in between the amplifier and the speakers. If the wires need to be run in the car’s interior, make sure to run them on the side of the car where the RCA cables were run.

Step 13

Connect speaker wires to the amplifiers and to the speakers using appropriate connectors.

Step 14

Connect the “negative” terminal of the amplifier to the car’s “chassis ground”. The “negative power wire” must be short and the same diameter as the “positive power wire” that leads to the battery.

Step 15

After every wire is secure and every connection is in place, the main “power wire fuse” can now be inserted. Then, reconnect the “negative” battery terminal.

Amplifier installation can be made an easier task once you know the important steps to follow, and of course have the basic electrical knowledge and do-it-yourself skill.