How To Install A Car Amplifier

Are you planning to upgrade your car amplifier by yourself?
At first, you would think the process is nothing but a nightmare. But that’s not true. Learn how to install a car amplifier in absolutely no time with the help of this thorough online guide!

1. gmundcars.com

2. gmundcars.com PREPARATION: Tools needed: + Power supplying cable and ground wire + In-line fuse + Speaker wires and RCA cables + Turn-on switch/wire 2. Safty rules: + Disconnect the power + Keep the fuse handy

3. II. HOW TO MOUNT THE AMPLIFIER AND DISASSEMBLE THE PANEL gmundcars.com Step 1 – Disconnect the car battery You can use a  socket wrench  to loosen the negative terminal of the car battery. The terminal will be marked with the symbol  “–” , so it is easy to be located. With the negative terminal cable set aside, you can begin the mounting process. If the battery is still attached while working on the car stereo, you might get an electric shock. So, pop the hood and locate the battery to disconnect it.

4. II. HOW TO MOUNT THE AMPLIFIER AND DISASSEMBLE THE PANEL gmundcars.com Step 2 – Drill the holes You can use your power drill for this. The steel drill bits used should be at least 1/8 th  of an inch smaller than the mounting screws. The edges of the drilled holes should be coated with a layer of protective paint to stop any rusting.  Some cars come with a designated space for an amplifier, while others do not. In case there are no existing factory holes to fit the amplifier, you will need to drill it yourself. The holes will be drilled right where you marked the amplifier mounting location.

5. II. HOW TO MOUNT THE AMPLIFIER AND DISASSEMBLE THE PANEL gmundcars.com Step 3 – Position and screw in the amplifier You should position the amplifier in a way that its mounting holes align with the drilled holes. The screws are twisted through the holes by hand. Then, tighten the screws with a screwdriver and make sure they are not coming out. Before mounting the screws, use rubber grommets if you have any. Rubber grommets make sure that the screws do not move around once they are tightened to mount the amplifier.

6. II. HOW TO MOUNT THE AMPLIFIER AND DISASSEMBLE THE PANEL gmundcars.com Step 4 – Remove the trim panels You can remove the interior trim panels either by unscrewing them or prying at them with a trim prying tool. In case you are using a prying tool, just slide it underneath the panel. To pop off the panels, raise the handle of the prying tool, and you will be good to go! The interior trim panels may be disassembled so you can see the wires underneath. These panels are placed along the lining of the car’s floor.

7. II. HOW TO MOUNT THE AMPLIFIER AND DISASSEMBLE THE PANEL gmundcars.com Step 5 – Remove the head unit First, you have to unscrew the screws on the panels. Once the panels are loose, slip in the prying tool underneath the stereo trim panels. From here on out, the instructions are the same as those for removing the interior trim panels. If the battery is still attached while working on the car stereo, you might get an electric shock. So, pop the hood and locate the battery to disconnect it.

8. III. HOW TO RUN WIRE gmundcars.com Step 1 – Find or drill a hole in the car’s firewall The hole can be either unused or one that already has wires but with enough room for the power wire. To find the hole, first look for the battery on the driver’s side. You can check the footwell for the hole as well. The footwell is on the same side as the battery. In case you do not find any holes in the firewall, you can always drill one. Your steel drill bit will do fine for drilling through the metal panel. With the amplifier mounted, your next job is to install the  proper wiring . You have to route  the power wire, ground wire, remote wire, and speaker wires. Let’s get started! Before you start drilling, make sure you are not drilling through any important wires in the engine bay. 

9. III. HOW TO RUN WIRE gmundcars.com Step 2 – Add the fuse holder You can anchor the fuse holder with a cable tie or a screw, so it does not get loose. After that, cut a short piece from the end of the power wire. This will be used to cover the distance between the fuse holder and the battery. With a wire stripper, strip the insulation from the ends of the newly cut power wire. Your wiring kit should have a ring terminal. So, crimp that to one end of the short wire and attach the other to the fuse holder. This step is for those whose power wire does not come pre-installed with a fuse holder. A fuse holder prevents a fire in case the wire short-circuits. The fuse is placed close to the battery while still maintaining a distance of 6 inches or less.

10. III. HOW TO RUN WIRE gmundcars.com Step 3 – Run the power wire To run it, pull back the carpet lying along the driver’s side. The rocker and kick panel should have been taken out for this.  For a top-mounted battery, crimp the ring terminal onto the end of the power wire. First, remove the battery terminal’s nut. Then, slip the power wire’s ring over the blot securing the battery terminal to the battery post. Last but not least, you replace the nut.  You need to run the power wire by feeding it from the interior of the car. The power wire is typically red, although the color varies depending on what installation kit you use.

11. III. HOW TO RUN WIRE gmundcars.com Step 4 – Run the ground wire You can begin by looking for a bolt or screw on the car’s metal frame, as close to the amplifier as possible. In case you cannot find one, drill a hole for it and bolt it yourself. However, ensure that you do not accidentally drill any existing wires or lines. Once you finish drilling, compress a ring terminal to the ground wire. The bolt location is cleaned thoroughly, so the ground wire connection is to the bare metal. As a last measure, bolt the terminal to the car’s metal chassis tightly. The ground wire is perhaps one of the most important connections for your amplifier. So, make sure to follow the instructions to the dot!

12. III. HOW TO RUN WIRE gmundcars.com Step 5 – Run the remote wire The remote wire is usually blue and white. It goes behind the stereo. So, you will feed this wire through the hole in the dashboard behind the stereo. You keep feeding in the wire until you see it coming out from the foot-well below. After this, both the remote and power wires are lined up together to tuck them in. They are tucked along the same side that is covered by the interior trim panels. It is important to remember to run the wires of enough length that they can reach the amplifier.

13. III. HOW TO RUN WIRE gmundcars.com Step 6 – Run the RCA cables The process of running these cables is the same as remote wires. You push it through the hole in the dashboard, and eventually, it will come out of the foot-well. It is pulled until it reaches the amplifier. You need to ensure that the RCA cable runs along the side of the vehicle. The side should usually be covered by one of the trim panels you took out earlier. + There is an easy way to identify RCA cables. They are blue or silver in color with red and white inputs attached to each end. + Before running the RCA cables, make sure to do so on the opposite side of the power wire. This is to avoid any future amplifier problems.

14. III. HOW TO RUN WIRE gmundcars.com Step 7 – Connect speaker wires to the amplifier     Another thing to remember is the polarity of the speaker wiring. You must keep in mind that the amplifier’s positive terminal will be connected to the positive terminal of the speaker. The same principle applies to the negative terminal connection. This ensures that the speaker will sound right during the time of use. You may need to take out some more trim panels. This is in case the speaker wires cannot be pushed in the already open panels. The speakers receive the music through the amplifier. So you run the speaker wires from the amplifier output and attach them to the speakers. Before doing this, take out any old speaker wires if still attached.

15. IV. HOW TO CONNECT THE AMPLIFIER TO THE POWER gmundcars.com Step 1 – Secure the connection between remote wire and amplifier turn-on wire For this, make sure you have the turn-on wire – a blue and white wire attached to the stereo. The turn-on wire remains plugged while you remove the insulation from its other end. ½ of an inch will be enough. To ensure a strong connection between the two wires, crimp the butt connector with a wire crimper.

16. IV. HOW TO CONNECT THE AMPLIFIER TO THE POWER gmundcars.com Step 2 – Plug the RCA cables into the port The ports for RCA cables are available behind the stereo system. They will be marked in red and white, making it easier for you to distinguish. Once you identify them, plug the red cable into the red port and the white cable into the white port. As a final check, push in the RCA cables into the port to make a firm connection.

17. IV. HOW TO CONNECT THE AMPLIFIER TO THE POWER gmundcars.com Step 3 – Add an in-line fuse to the power wire This in-line fuse is just a measure put in place to prevent the risk of fire. If possible, use an in-line fuse with 30-amp. To attach the in-line fuse, you will need a fuse holder as well. The fuse holder is slid onto the end of the power cord inside the engine. Then, screw it in, so it holds a secure position. You should keep pushing the in-line fuse inside the holder until you hear a click sound. The last step is to connect another power wire to the other end of the fuse holder. With that done, you can finally tighten the screws in.

18. IV. HOW TO CONNECT THE AMPLIFIER TO THE POWER gmundcars.com Step 4 – Tighten a ring terminal on the power wire There should not be any exposed wires coming out. That is why a 10-gauge ring terminal is used to cover the end of the power wire. A pair of wire crimpers will help in securely positioning the ring terminal on the power wire.

19. IV. HOW TO CONNECT THE AMPLIFIER TO THE POWER gmundcars.com Step 5 – Attach the power wire to the car battery 4-5 inches of the power wire is pushed in through the inside before you pull it from the outside. You should pull a few inches of the wire from the engine bay so it can connect to the battery. It is attached to the positive terminal of the battery. First, loosen the positive terminal so you can remove it. Then, add the ring terminal to the battery port. The positive terminal is put back in its place tightly. There should be firm contact between the positive terminal and the ring terminal.

20. V. HOW TO SET THE AMPLIFIER’S FILTERS AND GAINS gmundcars.com Step 1 – Reconnect the battery After installation, you can use the socket wrench to reconnect the battery. Ensure to tighten the terminal. Then, you can start your car and begin to set the amplifier’s filter and gains.

21. V. HOW TO SET THE AMPLIFIER’S FILTERS AND GAINS gmundcars.com Step 1 – Set volume Start by switching off the stereo, followed by disconnecting RCA cables. Without playing any music, turn the volume all the way up on your system. Turn the radio equalizer to “flat.” You can then switch on your amp’s gain and switch crossover filters off or full-on it along with bass boost at zero. Plug the RCAs back in and adjust the gain until all distortion is gone from the audio. The amplifier filters and gains are two critical components that determine the quality of audio in your stereo system. The gains, when correctly adjusted, reduce any distortion or disturbance in the quality of the sound. While the filters are essential, they can pass higher or lower signals than the required minimum or maximum value.

22. V. HOW TO SET THE AMPLIFIER’S FILTERS AND GAINS gmundcars.com Step 2 – Tune the frequency Pick low-pass filter (LPF) for subwoofers and a high-pass filter for speakers. Choose the full or off position and ignore the tuning. If you have picked high-pass filter (HPF), then you will be aligned at the lowest frequency on the dial. On the other hand, if you select LPF, the frequency dial alignment will be at the highest frequency. Boost the bass depending on your liking. You might have to try a few times to get it right, as all subwoofers have different capabilities. Step 3 – Boost the bass Step 4 – Focus on the gains Once it is all aligned, you can play music between 80% to 100% volume and turn the gains back on. After this, you will have to check if there is still any distortion. You can switch up the tuning to remove the distortion after this. You can reconnect the wires and connect the amplifiers. Make sure not to exceed 80% volume on your speakers when you are listening to the radio! Step 5 – Patch it up!

23. gmundcars.com If you like to read more, click into this link: https://gmundcars.com/car-amplifier-installation/ Feel free to contact with me: Website: https://gmundcars.com/ Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/autozik