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Installing an Amplifier:
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here to browse our selection of professional quality amplifier
installation kits.
Planning.
1)
Decide where you are going to mount the amplifier(s).
Select a location for the amplifier that gets some air
circulation, such as under a seat or in the trunk.
2)
Decide how much, and what gauge
power cable you will need.
When deciding how much power
cable, think about how you will run the
cables first.
Refer to the owner's manual for the size of the
power and ground cables to use.
We recommend buying a Hooker
amplifier installation kit to make your job easier.
It comes with all the parts necessary to install
you amp, including power cable,
ground wire, connectors,
fuse box, and terminals.
3)
Decide how long your
RCA cables will need to be. You should take into account
that the cable will be running
from the center of the car, out to the side, and around
several bends and curves. If you are installing the amp
in your trunk you will most likely need a 20 ft. cable.
Hooker offers
amplifier installation kits
that include RCA cables
or you can purchase them separately.
4)
It is often easier to just take out the seats,
kick panels, and seal plates before starting. It just
makes it easier to work, and often you need to do all
that anyway. Removing the front seats is optional, but
it gives you more room, easier to lift the carpet, and
it is often best to run the wires there. As you remove
the seats, take note of where they run close to the floor
pan. It's easy to accidentally crush your
wiring when bolting the seat down. Get your cordless
drill and a socket set and your ready to begin.
Mounting
the amp(s).
Find
a good solid, flat surface to mount the amp to. Make sure
it's not in a place that will be hot, and that it has
proper ventilation. Amps can get hot anyway, and you must
help them stay cool. You can mount the amplifier on a
board with vinyl, or carpet on it for cosmetics if you
want. Mounting to an amp board also reduces the amps contact
with metal, which helps to prevent "ground loops".
RCA
Cables
1)
The RCA cable
should be ran separately from the
power wire to avoid possible noise issues from interference.
2)
Connect a remote turn on lead
wire to your "power antenna" or "remote"
lead from the head unit. Run the
RCA cables, and remote lead, from the head unit, down
the middle of the car, or down the opposite side of the
car from the power cable. The
remote lead will serve as a turn-on for your amp(s). This
doesn't have to be very thick wire,
16 gauge is fine. If you have
room, you can usually remove the seal plate, and lift
the edge of the carpet, and run the cable(s) there, proceeding
to the back of the car. Be sure not to put them anywhere
they will get crushed by anything. Run all the wires to
where the amp will be installed.
Positive
Power Cable
1)
Disconnect the battery from the car's electrical system
with the doors open. You could run down the battery and it also helps you to
avoid short circuits or blowing fuses.
2)
Find a spot to go through the firewall. Look for a plug
that's already there. In most cars you should have no
trouble finding one. When you find one, pull it out and
punch a hole through it large enough to fit the
power wire through. If there is none, don't worry.
Just find a place to drill, on the same side as the battery,
and install a grommet. Run the cable
through the firewall, and up to the battery. Don't connect
it to the battery till you are all done. Most cars will
have grommets large enough to use. Don't worry if there
already are factory wires in your
grommet, just be careful not to damage them as you run
the wire through. One helpful
method is to get a long thick probe, tape your
power wire to this probe, and run it through the grommet.
If your wire is fairly large compared
to the grommet, than you may wish to tape a smaller
gauge wire to act as a leader.
3)
Place an in-line fuse
within 6"-18" of the battery. One of these is
included with our Hooker Amp kits.
For most systems, a 50 or 60
amp fuse is plenty. If it's only a small amp 30 or
40 will do. DO NOT skip this fuse!
This one is mandatory! It could stop your car from catching
on fire in an accident. The
purpose of this fuse box
is not to protect the amp, its purpose is to protect the
wire in the event of a short between
the battery and the amp.
4)
With the wire through the firewall,
run the power cable to the back
of the car, staying on the opposite side of the
RCA cables. If you are going to have more than
one amp, you want to install a
distribution fuse block. Connect the
power cable to this fuse
block. You then run another cable
from the fuse box, to
the amps positive (+) terminal.
Be
sure to use split loom tubing to protect your power wire
under the hood. Split loom tubing is corrugated tubing
with a split down its center through which wires are placed.
This is an IASCA requirement. Also, use loom anywhere
a wire runs over a rough metal
edge. Use wire ties to keep the wire
from being drooped over your engine.
Ground
Cable
1)
This is important! First, install a
ground cable from the negative post on the battery,
to the chassis of the car.
If you can reach it, it's best to run to the firewall,
since most cars are a nearly solid sheet of metal from the
firewall to the trunk.
The ground wire shouldn't be any
longer than 24 inches. Make
it the same size, or larger than the positive cable. Depending
on how much current the amp draws, you will need a certain
gauge wire. The
remote wire (usually blue) is run from the
remote wire on the head unit to the
remote wire connection on the amp. This
wire is responsible for turning the amp on and off when
ever the head unit is on/off.
2)
Near the amp, install a ground
distribution block.
3)
Find a spot as close as possible to the
ground distribution block, to connect a
ground cable. If
possible try to use a pre-existing bolt to ground the
wire. Screw,
or drill, and use a bolt, and nut. If your going to drill,
make sure you don't drill into your gas tank!
Whether
you find a suitable bolt to use or if you have to drill
a new hole, make sure you sand
off all the paint, and put it right on the bare metal
to ensure good grounding.
You can use some Vaseline here to prevent corrosion, and
rust.
4)
Now connect the cable from the
chassis, to the distribution
block.
5)
Run a piece of cable from the
distribution block, to
the amps negative (-) terminal.
Final
Steps
1)
Connect the RCA cables
to the amp(s). Do not connect them before you have grounded
your amplifier, and wait till you connect the battery terminal.
If the RCA's are hooked up the first time the amp (s) get
a charge and the outer shield of the RCA's are grounded,
the amp will try to take some of its ground through them,
damaging the preamp of your radio and amplifier.
2)
Connect your remote lead to the amps remote connection.
3)
Connect your speaker wires to
the amp.
4)
Go back and connect the positive cable to the positive
terminal on the battery and reconnect the battery to the
car.
5)
Now, if your amp(s) have gain controls (and most do nowadays)
turn them all the way down to the minimum setting. Now
turn it just a hair the other way.
6)
If you have built-in crossovers, set them the way you
will be using them (hi-pass, low-pass, none, etc.). If
they are adjustable, put them approximately where you
think will be a good starting point.
7)
Turn the key on
8)
Turn on your head unit. Put in a good quality CD, or cassette.
9)
Slowly turn your head unit up to about 80-85% volume.
If you hear any distortion, cut it back.
10)
Go back to the amp(s). SLOWLY raise the gain, and LISTEN
for distortion. If you reach a point where the volume
is louder then you will listen to, before you hear distortion,
then stop there. Otherwise, keep going till you hear distortion,
and cut it back slightly till it disappears. Remember
that volume setting! That is the maximum volume you
will want to play it at.
11)
It's not a good idea to play the head unit at full volume.
That's where most distortion comes in. It may take you
a long time to fine tune the gain and crossover for your
amp(s).
12)
Grab some good CDs and go for a ride. Listen to all types
of music, and stop the car, and make adjustments as necessary.
If you
have multiple amps, and an equalizer, it will take much
longer to get it set the way you want it.
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