# wiring a new amp



## Guest (Jul 8, 2002)

Just out of curiosity...

I just bought a new kenwood kac929 amp that will go in the trunk. Don't have the power cables yet, but i'm lookin' in the car and seeing that nissan has pretty effectively sealed the engine compartment from the interior. Anyone have any suggestions on how or where to easily pass an 8 guage wire through short of drilling my own hole?

Thanks


----------



## skeeter149 (Jul 4, 2002)

*wiring*

hello friend, i have a mtx 275x and a mtx 500d amp. i used four gauge wire and found the best way to go into the cabin is through the engine compartment on the drivers side. look for a opening that has a plastic lining on the drivers side it is near the fender and has some stock wires running into it. if you take it it leads you straight into the fire wall near the brake pedal you will need two people one to guide one to catch on the other side and may have to poke a small hole. the best way to guide the wire is to tape it to a straight piece of metal like a hanger. good luck and i hope that wasnt too confusing. take care and if i can help any more just ask. remember run power and signal on differnent sides, meaning your rcas cant touch touch the power or you will get engine wine. and use the same gauge ground as your power i think it cant be over two feet. scrape the metal around the ground as well.


----------



## omega (Jun 27, 2002)

well at the shop i just drilled a small hole next the steering column and then used a unibit to get it up enough to fit my 4 guage wiring through it, of course i stuck a grommet in the hole first and siliconed it up. skeeter149 was right about running your RCA's down the other side of the vehicle but if your just running 8 guage or below that then you can run them down the same side, especially if it's just on subs, the only need to run them seperate is if you are running heavy guage power wire like 4 or 2(2 is hard to run, heh ) or you are running it to a four channel that you'll hook up to your cab speakers


----------



## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

drilling a hole is ok, but it isn't clean. I would go through that hole in the driver's side fender. it'll feed right to the bottom of the driver's side step (under the front and back doors) leading directly to the trunk. 

BTW, If I were to get 2 amps, wire one to some subs and wire another to my mids and tweeters, what gauge wire do you recommend I run off the battery before it splits to the two amps?


----------



## omega (Jun 27, 2002)

1997 GA16DE said:


> *drilling a hole is ok, but it isn't clean. I would go through that hole in the driver's side fender. it'll feed right to the bottom of the driver's side step (under the front and back doors) leading directly to the trunk.
> 
> BTW, If I were to get 2 amps, wire one to some subs and wire another to my mids and tweeters, what gauge wire do you recommend I run off the battery before it splits to the two amps? *


first off, i beg to differ, drilling a hole is very clean, you just have to do it right and file it right, with a good sized grommet and a sealent it looks stock, and it depends on the amps, my one amp running the subs has a max output of 1400 watts so i run a 4 guage directly to that, but if i had two amps that were half that then i'd just run 4 guage, if i ran two very high powered amps i'd try running 2 guage, you can run 2 guage for anything you want really, it just might not be ness. for some things, just realize that even if there are only two cars on a 4 lane highway those two cars go fast, but 50 on a one lane maybe fit, they just go slower, just like power wiring.


----------



## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

well, I don't really want to run 1400watts. I'm thinkin maybe 600 between the two. you think I should run 4 gauge from the battery then split it into 2 8s?


----------



## Guest (Jul 9, 2002)

Run 4-gauge to the back, then use a 4-to-8 gauge power block splitter to split the 4-guage into two (or more, depending on what you want to run of it) 8-gauge segments. If you don't wanna run 4 thru the inside of the car, use a garden hose and run it under the car (ensure that yuou don't attach it to anything that it going to move alot), and back thru the leakage plug on the driver's side in the trunk. That setup will allow you to run anything up to about 600w RMS from the amp(s), with a separate EQ and crossover.


----------



## omega (Jun 27, 2002)

I think that 4 into 8 is a good idea, I think a very bad idea is running through garden hose at the bottom, I believe in being inventive and creativity and if anyone out there wants to take shortcuts its up to you but running garden hose under the car, or the people out there that run it through their door jam, this is the same shit i see coming back to the bay and people want me to help them fix it for free, stuff gets sliced and shorted that way and personally if your gonna do something do it right, it may take you more time and be a little more difficult but it's right and it looks professional, back to your question though, if your only running a max of about 600 watts RMS you should be ok with 4 to two 8's if you notice your lights dimming on heavy bass hits, I suggest a cap, you don't need a big one with only 600 watts, a half farad cap i went with a one farad with a digital read out because it helps diagnose problems when i need to. hope this helps


----------



## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

thanks.

Oh, btw, who makes a good capacitor like what you were talking about.


----------



## omega (Jun 27, 2002)

1997 GA16DE said:


> *thanks.
> 
> Oh, btw, who makes a good capacitor like what you were talking about. *


RockFord Fosgate makes a half farad and one farad you can pick up at Best Buy, the half farad is like 90 I think and the one farad is 160 if you want to go in for the money, there is a Lighting Audio(that company started out with caps) that makes a one farad with digital top(i've got one) for 200


----------



## Guest (Jul 9, 2002)

Omega, since you commented earlier that that I didn't know what I am talking about (this would be in reference to the "garden hose" comment), maybe I should take the garden hose that I ran for my power wire WITH the second place IASCA Spring Break Nationals trophy (yeah, you know the slightly MAJOR one that offers double points) that I have and my 6 year MECP memebership and, um, stick it somewhere. Then again, if you SAW what I was talking about, then I don't think you would comment in such a negative manner. But hey, to each his own. And you don't need a cap, unless of course you are planning on running the amps at high volume the entire time. Capacitors electrically cause more trouble than they are worth, especially with a normal car battery. (Kirkoff's Law will explain the current drain).


----------



## superfro86 (May 15, 2002)

can you run 0 gauge through this hole. i don't want to have to remove my fender just to run the power wire through


----------



## omega (Jun 27, 2002)

nashvilleser said:


> *Omega, since you commented earlier that that I didn't know what I am talking about (this would be in reference to the "garden hose" comment), maybe I should take the garden hose that I ran for my power wire WITH the second place IASCA Spring Break Nationals trophy (yeah, you know the slightly MAJOR one that offers double points) that I have and my 6 year MECP memebership and, um, stick it somewhere. Then again, if you SAW what I was talking about, then I don't think you would comment in such a negative manner. But hey, to each his own. And you don't need a cap, unless of course you are planning on running the amps at high volume the entire time. Capacitors electrically cause more trouble than they are worth, especially with a normal car battery. (Kirkoff's Law will explain the current drain). *


nashvilleser, think of it this way, when you say run a garden hose, do people think of a professional clean installation? do people who don't do this often know how to run a power wire through a garden hose, i just think it's a bad idea as advice for people, take it how you want it, and if you have MECP certification fine that's great, i wasn't here to put you down, i'm not into having online wars, we aren't 14 year old kids, we're trying to help this guy and your right in saying this guy really doesn't need a cap, i doubt he will either, now in terms of the cap being more trouble then it's worth, i guess its a matter of opinion, dispite how you back it up


----------



## sentravis (Jul 7, 2002)

*audio 101*

hey guys.. lol there is a lot of stuff goin on with this topic..i dont know enough about wiring. You guys ALL sound like you know your stuff.. i have a question.. and maybe i shouldnt ask it here.. but could you guys email me or write to me about what a capacitor does/what its for.. and of all of you running high powered amps.. do any of you have generators? or are you all running these off of your factory alternators.. my friend has a saab and a 1200 wat amp.. and killed his alternator.. we have warranties on our cars so we care.. but maybe you guys dont have a warranty and you dont.. but could someone tell me whats the best thing to do with a factory alternator and bat. should i get a gel bat. should i keep everything stock and what can i go up to as far as amps.. i currently run a 400.. so its nothing compared to what you all have.. plus im running off factory CD player lol.. so ya know. right now i dont have much aftermarket as far as sound.. but im gonna be taking the new set of 4 POLK 6.5's and my new sony explod 52x4 cd player out of my winter beater and placing them in the sentra.. so what should i do? thanks Travis


----------

