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How to run power wire for an Amp.


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Alright guys, It's time to do the sound in my suby. I want to Amp my speaker, so I need some power to my Amp. Where and how do i get a wire from my battery to the amp. I can do most of the stuff, but where would be the best place to go from inside the the car to the engine compartment.

 

In the left side of the car, there are some fuel lines, i think, shouldI stay away from that. Because I was thinking of running it somewhere around there.

 

What have you guys done, what works, what does not work? Any ideas suggestions of pictures would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, Avish

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okay are you putting subs or speakers in the trunk? If you are it is easy, run the power wire from battery around engine bay and into gromet behind glove box, then route it down into the track that is like 3 inches off the floorpan, after removing the plastic foot guards, run all the way to the back and your done, get at least 20 feet of 8 gauge, thats right at least 8 gauge for up to 500 watts of amp power, if your headlights dim, get a damn capacitor.

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I am going to assume you are runing an aftermarket head unit with RCA outputs. If this is so there is one major rule you must follow to ensure you have the best sound possible from your newly installed system....run your power down one side of the vehicle and the audio down the other. This will keep the chances of noise getting into your amps.

 

when it comese to protection for your amp you have a few choices such as circuit breaker (30amp min) and Fuses (go with a large fuse not the tiny ones you find under your dash) 30 amp fast blow minimum. Alot of people get confused when it comes to fuses and place them in the rear of the vehice and this is wrong. You are going to want to place your main fuse under the hood less than 1ft from the battery. This way if there is a short, the current from the battery will not be traveling into the interior of your vehicle. If you plan on running more than one amp then you are going to want to use a distribution block. This will take power (one thick cable) from the battery to the rear and then split it up into 2-4 smaller wires. Most of the time the blocks them selfs will have fuses too (bonus). Be sure to also run a ground wire that is as thick as the power wire from the battery to the dist block. This will ensure proper opperation. If you use too small of ground you could cause a fire in the interior of the vehicle. Always ground it to a very good, clean ground. A large bolt with a terminal ring is your best bet. Might even want to clan the bolt and area with a wire brush to ensure positive contact. If you will be running multiple amps then I would suggest a dist block for the ground as well. Gounding your amps in different places can cause noise as well.

 

 

Hope this helps.

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I appreciate all the responses. You guys are the best. I am pretty decent at doing the install and running wires and all that. My biggest issue is getting positive power from the engine bay to cabin, but now I see that can be done from the glove box.

 

Do I have to remove the glove box? What do I have to move aside to see the gormet?

 

Thanks all you guys, I will have a kick system now....hopefuly. :)

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I used the rubber grommet found on the drivers side firewall, right near the brake pedal. It is about 2 inches round. I just poked a small hole in the center and ran my wire. When I was happy with it, I applied some silicone around the area.

 

You should see the gromet from under the hood. It is usually easier to get to under there.

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I used the rubber grommet found on the drivers side firewall, right near the brake pedal. It is about 2 inches round. I just poked a small hole in the center and ran my wire. When I was happy with it, I applied some silicone around the area.

 

You should see the gromet from under the hood. It is usually easier to get to under there.

Sweet, thanks. Would i be better off getting under the car to get to this, or its easier from the top? Thanks

 

Also, did you have to cut away some of the black padding/fireproof stuff that is under the carpet to see the grommet?

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