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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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