car stereo guys i need your help!

[70chevc10]

i got a new amp for christmas so i can finally hook up my sub in my car. ive never hooked one up before so i have some questions. one, what is the best way to wire a DVC sub? and also, theres the "system remote wire" thing on the amp, the instrusctions say if there isnt a system remote, to hook it up through the ignition wire. would i just be able to hook it up through the power wire to the cd player? my last question is about my cd player its self. right now one wire is hooked up wrong so every time i turn the car off all the presets get lost. can i run a wire direcxtly from the battery to the cd player and not have it drain the battery? right now it was hooked up to a "clock" lead from the old radio, but it didnt work.

[shifty]

1) What do you mean, wire a DVC sub? That sentence made zero sense to me. Hook the positive output of the amp to the positive terminal of the speaker and the negative output of the amp to the negative terminal of the speaker.

2) Every respectable car stereo comes with a "remote turn on lead". Most of the time this is a blue wire or a blue wire with white stripe - depends on your radio. It's important you read the manual on your stereo to make sure you are NOT using the power antenna lead - only use power antenna lead if you have no other choice. DO NOT WIRE DIRECTLY TO A CONSTANT POWER SOURCE - I guess the same power source as your stereo would work, but .... your amp will always stay on even if the stereo is off and that is bad!!

3) Your stereo should have two wires for power - one is a constant power lead that always has power. This allows the stereo to always keep the internal settings. This is often a yellow or orange wire, the manual will say for sure. Then you should have a red wire which is IGN (ignition) power. This will allow the radio to turn on only when the key is in the IGN power.

I DO NOT recommend you ever wire directly from the battery to your stereo with a wire.

The proper way to run your amplifier in a simple way is to go to Best Buy or Circuit City, get an amplifier wiring kit, it will come with a heavy braided 10-gauge or 12-gauge wire and an inline breaker or fuse, along with a good ground wire and all the terminal/connectors you need. Here's the breakdown: Run the power wire from the battery to the amplifier through the firewall of your truck - you must install the fuse somewhere, preferrably within 2 feet of the battery to prevent shortouts and burning your truck to the ground. You MUST put some kind of rubber grommit or some other protection somewhere around the wire where it passes through the firewall to make sure it doesn't short out. Run the dedicated power wire into the amplifier to supply it power - the "system remote wire" will tell the amp when to turn itself on and use that direct battery power.

If you are unfamiliar with any of the above stuff, I highly suggest paying someone $50 at an install shop or store to install it for you. Seriously - you can damage all of your equipment and burn your truck to the ground if you don't understand this stuff. I'll be happy to help you understand this stuff if I can.

Meanwhile, if you don't have a manual for your stereo, give me the model # and show me a picture of the wiring harness - I was a stereo installer at a professional shop for several years and have seen a lot of diff't setups and done thousands of installs.

[shifty]

For reference - some pictures of what I'm saying from the install on my '03 GMC Sierra from last year or whatever.

Here is a picture of the rubber grommit around my power wire coming in from the engine compartment:

http://shifty.org/pics/truck/stereo_...l/IMG_0968.jpg

I used 00 gauge wire because I was powering a couple of large amplifiers that needed the juice. Here is a picture of my fuse that I installed about 20" from the battery:

http://shifty.org/pics/truck/stereo_...l/IMG_0967.jpg

I do not have the power wire hooked into this fuse block (the piece that goes from the battery to the fuse) because I didn't want power to reach the amplifier yet

Two things about running wires: First, run your power wire cleanly through your vehicle where it will not contact metal or short out. Also, never run your speaker wires anywhere near your power wires or you can introduce electrical noise and you'll hear feedback, "alternator wine" or other noise/distortion to your speakers. This is an example of how I ran my wire in the truck:

http://shifty.org/pics/truck/stereo_...l/IMG_0971.jpg

And:

http://shifty.org/pics/truck/stereo_...l/IMG_0975.jpg

Mount your amp(s) somewhere safe where they will:
1) Not get moisture.
2) Have plenty of room to breathe so the amp won't overheat or melt something.

Example: http://shifty.org/pics/truck/stereo_...l/IMG_0982.jpg

Be sure to ground your amp somewhere solid - don't just screw the ground wire to the body - preferrably, bolt the ground wiring with the correct loop/ring to something that attaches to frame. A good ground is essential to complement that solid power wire.

[panhandler62]

Nice bridge there Shifty..

[70chevc10]

this is going into my vw rabbit, not my truck. the DVC sub is a dual voice coil. i found some digrams online that helped me figure that one out.

and i have a pionerr 7400mp. i look at the owners manual from the website, and figured out the remote system control. its the blue/whtie wire coming out of the deck.

the only thing left is loosing all my presets when the car is turned off. when i got the car it had an 80's style aftermarket tape deck in it. the harness i had was a universal harness, so i had to go off the tape deck. the tape deck had a thing on it that said which wire was left front speaker ect. so i got it all wired correctly except the one thats always to constant power. the old tape deck had a wrie that said "clock" so i assumed it always had power, for the clokc on the tape deck, but no such luck. its supposed to be the yellow wire. would i be able to hook that up directly to the battery or where should that get hooked up to?


btw heres the manual from thepioneer website

[68 Stepside]

In an answer to your presets question, yes, hook the yellow wire to a constant power source (IE the battery).

[shifty]

Doh! Sorry, For some reason I read "JVC" and not "DVC".

Wire either in

Series: amp positive output to the positive input of the subwoofer, then from that terminal's negative to the other terminal's positive, then from that terminal's negative to the negative terminal of the amp. This will reduce the load (amperage...in ohms) that the amplifier will see twice the number of ohms oof one voicecoil's rating. In simple terms, if you have dual 4 ohm voicecoil sub, the amp will see an 8ohm total load.

in Parallel: piggyback the positive terminals together and the negative terminals together and plug them into the amp. This will half the amperage. Two 4 ohm voice coils now show a load to the amp of 2 ohms - which means you can effectively push twice the power of the amp into both voicecoils. This can lead to overload on the amplifier and if you are running a stereo channel in mono on the amp, then wiring the sub in parallel, you can drop the load down to 1-ohm as seen by the amp, which is a load that some amplifiers can't take.

As for the stereo...

Track the yellow wire on the wire harness for the CD player. Make sure it goes to an always-hot lead. Look in the fusebox or tap off something that's always hot (sometimes the lighter is always hot) nearby with a proper T-tap. This will solve the memory loss problem.

The red wire of the stereo will trace to an ignition-hot wire.

Use the blue/white wire to run to the amplifier's turn on power.

The manual for the stereo *specifically states* that you will not run the always-hot lead through the firewall and direct to the battery. You will short the wire casing and cause a dangerous short.

Run RCA cables from the rear of the stereo to the amplifier. Using good RCA wires is VERY important - you want something that is shielded very well. This is the core signal from the amp to the stereo and it is very receptive to noise introduction.

Do not run the RCA cables near power wires if at all possible. Definitely do not run them over or with the power wire back to the amplifier. I suggest running all speaker and RCA cables down one side of the car and all the amp power wires (and turn on leads) down the other. Make sure you're not running the RCA's down the same side as any other car power wires. The center of the car is always a good bet.

Always use good, solid grounds and scrape all paint off the grounds. Bad grounds are the #1 cause of noise and interference (alternator whine). The #2 cause is running RCA cables or other signal cables near power sources.

Ground isolators can reduce noise in home stereos - I've never needed to use on in car stereos because I follow the steps above.

Don't skimp on power wire for the amp - buy a kit from the store. See if you can borrow or rent some Greenlee Knockout Punches from the hardware store to cut the firewall hole if you can't find a place to run the power wire.

All of the tips above are things that I've picked up along the way. Follow them and you should be very happy with your end results.

If you halfass your install, you will have halfass sound or destroy your speakers/amps/equipment. I can't emphasize how important it is to spend the extra time to do it right

Go get a good pair of crimpers to do the job right -use butt connectors to join wires. Always tape off any connections if you don't use butt connnectors.

[shifty]

PS - read this post for more information on what good crimpers are, lots of tips on wiring, lots of discussion about the exact same stuff we're talking about :

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...light=crimpers

Pay attention to post #13 - I linked up pics to a "good" pair of crimpers versus a bad pair.

[70chevc10]

thanks i think i got everythingi needed to know. i already have an amp kit, the only thing i think ill still need is some wire to go from the amp to the box, then from the box to the sub. tonight once i finish my dinner im gonan pull the rabbit (of the vw varity) in the garage and try to get the amp all wired up, then wire the sub in once i get back to my appartment tomorrow. thanks for the help!

[rollinlow]

put a switch on your blue wire so you can turn the amp on and off when you want to also

[full foot notch]

shifty, orange is usually reserved for illumination/dimmer, and brown is usually cell phone mute , unless high end or oddball setup, its usually goes along the "industry standard" of color coding

[phantom dually]

Originally Posted by rollinlow

put a switch on your blue wire so you can turn the amp on and off when you want to also

I would never do this within a RELAY to give it a soft turn on. Doing this with simply a switch 9 times out of 10 will give you a loud thump and could eventually lead to problems with your amps turn on circuits.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by full foot notch

shifty, orange is usually reserved for illumination/dimmer, and brown is usually cell phone mute , unless high end or oddball setup, its usually goes along the "industry standard" of color coding

This is true, but the old Pioneer tape deck I got in the truck doesn't conform to this standard. I'm leery about telling anyone about standards when dealing with classic cars simply because they could be using an old stereo manuf'ed before such standards really existed. Hell, it's a Supertuner I or II unit Old schoool.

Illumination and Dimmer are usually orange, but one has a stripe IIRC and you don't want to hook up one in the place of the other

[shifty]

Originally Posted by phantom dually

I would never do this within a RELAY to give it a soft turn on. Doing this with simply a switch 9 times out of 10 will give you a loud thump and could eventually lead to problems with your amps turn on circuits.

I agree - and will lead to speakers blowing.

[70chevc10]

good news and bad news.

good news: lastnight around midnight i got everythigninstalled and cleaned up. it all worked perfect. that is until i tried to start the car.

bad news: i had to jump the car to get it started, and when taking it on a test drive, it felt really really sluggish, because the amp is drawing too much power. the car only goes up to a certain rpm (not sure what, because it has no tach). i turned the stereo off and the car drives like normal. then i turned on the heater, and it had the same effect. the car would barely accelerate.

so it looks like a new battery is in the works? i have a brand new battery in my truck, so im going to take that one out and see if it makes any difference before i go spend the last of my cash on a battery.

[C-10volvo]

i would take out the fuse in the power cable and go on a test drive. if you get the same results with the heater it could be the battery or even the alternator.

[panhandler62]

I used to have a friend with a Yugo. You couldn't use the stereo at night because the headlights would dim.

[shifty]

If you look at this picture, that thing on the right is a capacitor:

http://shifty.org/pics/truck/stereo_...l/IMG_0982.jpg

It's not a traditional tube capacitor....but it is the same general concept - it stores power for your amplifier so it won't wreck the alternator and battery.

I can provide more info if needed. You might as well upgrade to a Optima battery now

[70chevc10]

Originally Posted by shifty

I can provide more info if needed. You might as well upgrade to a Optima battery now

More info would be great. and considering that so far i have only invested about $700 in this car (including the car itself and all the stereo compents, MINUS the amp which was a gift) im not sure if i want to spend $150 on a battery for my pos daily driver with a nice stereo set up. im gonna go try the battery from my truck and see if it makes a difference since it is brand new. if it does, new battery for the wabbit

[shifty]

Capacitors (aka Stiffening Capacitors) are quite simple devices and can be lethal if used incorrectly.

I suggest purchasing from Cardomain if you can't find anything locally - I love this place, good prices, good selection. An explanation from their site:

Most vehicles' alternators and batteries were truly only designed to power the stock electronics. Add a stiffening capacitor between the battery and your amplifier to provide your amp with a lightning fast on-demand power reserve.

...

The general rule of thumb when selecting a cap is 1 farad for every 1000 watts RMS. For example, a 750 watt RMS amplifier requires a 1-farad capacitor.

The concept is simple: Capacitors are energy storage devices. They store power and release when your amp needs to draw it. When you're putting a heavy load on the amp and you have that killer bass hit that would dim your lights or kill the battery, your capacitor will fire the power into your amp so that no draw from the battery and/or alternator.

http://www.cardomain.com/shoptype/Stiffening+Capacitors

I went ballzout on my capacitor. I bought the Phoenix Gold Powergrid. It's a 10 farad capacitor, which is probably ten times what I really need for my amps. I'd rather have too much than too little power though - anything to save my alternator.

If you wanted to go with a setup like mine, you'll need to use eBay because Cardomain isn't carrying it anymore. Just search for "powergrid". Here's one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PHOENIX-GOLD-T-P...QQcmdZViewItem

I think I paid $250 for mine on clearance.

I would suggest going with one of these guys if you can't find a good price on eBay:

http://www.cardomain.com/item/STISWCKH42

It's $279. That's about what I paid for the powergrid...

If you're on a budget, Hooked On Tronics has this respectable round unit (most are round) here for $68:

http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_...s.jsp?cid=6034

It will work as well, but ... I prefer having something that is square and mounts more easily than most caps do. That's just my personal preference. That company (hooked on tronics) and Monster cable are both respectable vendors, so you can buy with confidence.

I recommend using a Gel Cell battery like the entire Optima line. They can handle being run into the ground and back up again. I would also consider buying a beefier alternator, just be sure that you have a suitable voltage regulator for it so you don't overcharge your battery, which could lead to an explosion.

If I were you, I would first replace the battery with a good Gel Cell battery. See if the stalling permissions persist. If so, your alternator might be nuked. Either way, you'll have needed the new battery. Once you figure that part of it out, go out and buy a cap for your amp. Actually - I'd separate the two - buy the cap now, install it, then figure out what's up with the alternator and battery - they're two separate issues.

[shifty]

PS - I said "capacitors can be lethal". I don't want to create an argument, but long story short, this thing holds a ton of power in storage. If you touch the + and - terminals when it's full and discharge it to yourself, it's going blast off power into your body kinda like a defibrilator would at a hospital.

It states in every manual that this is a genuine risk and it can/will be fatal. There are proper power draining instructions given in the instructions. Be sure to read the manual before dorking around with the cap. Also, be smart - don't put the cap terminals near metal or under a seat where someone could reach under it and bump the terminals, electrocuting themselves. There are covers that you can put over the top so this can't happen - I suggest buying one or fabricating one if yours doesn't come with one.

Any other questions or suggestions? Please feel free to ask

[70chevc10]

went and got a new battery. car started fine, drove fine, and stereo all worked fine. turned on all the lights, heater, anything with electricity and the car drove normal. though i did smell something strange, and got worried the battery was getting over charged somehow. then i see a little smoke coming out of the hood.
Sh*t!
I opened the hood and i guess some water fell on the raditor and made some steam casue it wasnt from the battery so far so good. gonna take it for a drive around again later today and see how it all works. and im also gonna see if anything is draining the battery after i re-wired the stereo.
shifty, in the near future if i can put my hands on some money im goign to look into getting a capacitor. if for some reason i still get funky issues going on, ill just have to find the money and go get one now

[70chevc10]

btw you would be amazed how an 8" bazooka tube sounds in a 2 door VW rabbit! i wonder how loud its going to be once i get my 10" sub put in tomorrow when i get back to my appartment.

[shifty]

Should sound killer! Those tubes are great for small spaces...but can't compare to a dual voicecoil sub in fab'd enclosure.

[70chevc10]

Originally Posted by shifty

Should sound killer! Those tubes are great for small spaces...but can't compare to a dual voicecoil sub in fab'd enclosure.

i dont have the money to get one custom made, and i dont have any space at my appartment to make one, so hopefully a dual voice coil in a generic box sounds great too



so far i havent had any issues, seems like a new battery did the trick for me.