Helpful tips for upgrading your Car stereo system.
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Helpful tips for upgrading your Car stereo system.
Helpful tips for upgrading your Car stereo system.
* ALWAYS make the ground connection first. This is a very important rule, as without a ground, electronics (Amps) in particular will search for other ground sources (Through RCAs for example) and cause you big problems.
* OEM Honda Radios are usually always secured by 2 bolts under the radio, to remove, you will most likely have to remove the panel right under the radio.
* New Civics have GLASS MOUNTED POWERED ANTENNAS. Some old Wiring Harnesses did not include these. The power Antenna wire is usually the yellow/green wire in the factory stereo harness. Make sure to connect this wire to the power antenna output (or system remote control output) on the new stereo, this will GREATLY improve reception.
* Some older civics had factory keyless wires tied into the OEM stereo, as wired as it may sound, replacing your OEM stereo outright may cause you to lose your keyless entry.
* Studies have shown that on average, the chassis of most cars amount to a 4awg (Gague) ground.
* When using Aftermarket Wiring harnesses, always zip-tie the factory harness and the OEM harness together, trust me, no one wants to have to rip out their stereo because the plug fell out (Not common problem, but hey, it doesn't hurt)
* When cutting the OEM harness and directly connecting an aftermarket radio's wiring harness, use crimp-on connectors of some sort. Although it may seem convenient, simply taping the wires together will most likely come back to haunt you one day.
* When installing aftermarket head units and amps, run yourself a "source ground" wire. What I mean by this is, instead of using the ground wire provided in the OEM harness, extend the ground wire from the aftermarket radio all the way to the back of the car (Or wherever you are putting the amps) and ground the radio there. You have to run a remote turn on wire to the same general area from the stereo anyways, and this helps to GREATLY reduce engine noise/whine. TRUST ME ON THIS
* Speaking of Engine noise, the most common cause of engine noise is crossing RCA cables. The best way to wire your car is to run all of your RCA wires down one side of the car (In the sills, usually the passenger side) and run all of your power connections down the opposite side of the car (Driver sill). This is really a must when amping non-sub speakers. The general idea is to never cross the RCAs with the power wires. If this means mounting the amps upside down, trust me, you will be better off. DO any and everything you can to not cross RCA wires with power cables. Data cables (Such as CD Changer cables, XM Cables, etc...) Should run down the side with the RCAs, always isolate the power connections. *UPDATE* Recently I attended a Installer conference with the head Installers for JL Audio, and the main Installer shared this little tip with us, he says that running a power(B+), a new Ground from the Battery, and RCAs in a harness down the middle of the car will virtually eliminate all Engine noise. This is achieved by the Ground next to the Power wire canceling out the emitting noise. I have never tried this personally, but it works in theory, and I trust his advice.
* Mount your amps and other electronics onto a wooden amp board instead of directly screwing into the metal of the car. Even if mounting on the back of your seats, this also helps to reduce Engine noise.
* When installing a video system, try to keep the video system's grounds separate from the audio systems, it helps to reduce lines on screens, or "dirtiness", Video RCAs and RGB cords should be run opposite the power wires.
* Soldering, while time consuming, provides the best connections.
* Use electrical tape EVERYWHERE. It never hurts to cover a connection in electrical tape. Some people like to take this a little further and cover connections in insulating heat-shrink tubing, this also works well.
* One of the most common, and unknown, mistakes in replacing factory speakers is under powering them. In fact, this is just as/if not more dangerous then over powering them. You can actually ruin speakers by not sending them enough power, and although you may not want to, it would be best to at least make sure to use an aftermarket headunit, and/or amplify the speakers.
* Always make sure your ground wires are of the same gauge as your power wire, if not bigger.
* Clean all ground areas of paint with a wire brush, and use bolts if possible, make sure to use a ratchet or wrench to tighten your ground bolts (Drills, while powerful, cannot match wrenches and ratchets in torque). If you must use screws, make sure they are chrome, black screws tend to conduct poorly.
* Make sure to have fuses on your power line at the batter connection, and at the amps. If the amps do not have fuses in them, add a fuse holder just prior to the amps B+ or 12 volt connection. Trust me, although a fuse holder and fuse may cost more money, you will be grateful to not have to replace an expensive amp (Rockford's bd series amps do not come with fuses in them, but that doesn't mean they're shitty amps...catch my drift?).
* For bigger audio systems, consider upgrading the ground wire from the battery to the car and the power wire from the alternator. WARNING, do NOT use wire larger then 4 awg (gauge) when upgrading your alternator wire, as the resistance will not be strong enough and you can fry your alternator, and make sure to get rid of the factory wire form the alternator.
* Make sure all connections are TIGHT, it never hurts.
* Try to have the fuse located within 18" of the termination point of the power wire. Basically, try to have a fuse no more then 18" from the battery, or the amp B+ wire.
* To check for engine noise, play a cd, pause it, and then turn the system up. Start the car and rev the engine, listen for whining coming from your speakers.
* Sometimes Engine noise is unavoidable. Most local stereo shops sell RCA ground loop isolators, these are little black boxes that your RCAs plug into right before your connection, that should reduce engine noise.
* When installing multiple amp systems, you may need to use a relay to beef up the remote turn on signal.
* Generally, sending bass frequencies through non sub speakers is a bad thing. It sounds like ***, and can blow your speakers. If possible, filter out frequencies ranging anywhere from 20-250Hz depending on your speakers recommended response frequencies (I generally use 100uf capacitors, available at your local radio shack, these usually do the trick)
* It never hurts to run extra wires. 100 ft of speaker wire only costs about $5, split it into 10ft sections and run half down the passenger side, and half down the driver side (You never know what you might want to install in the future, a 4-channel amp perhaps? Neons? It never hurts)
I will add more as it comes to me, hope this helps some of you have better installs.
I have worked in the car audio/video installation/customization business for around 2 years now. Last year the shop I work for placed 3rd in the Nation for team installs, and we made the cover of the May issue of MOBILE ELECTRONICS Magazine. I am only 19 years old, and I wanted to share just a bit of what I have learned with you guys.
* ALWAYS make the ground connection first. This is a very important rule, as without a ground, electronics (Amps) in particular will search for other ground sources (Through RCAs for example) and cause you big problems.
* OEM Honda Radios are usually always secured by 2 bolts under the radio, to remove, you will most likely have to remove the panel right under the radio.
* New Civics have GLASS MOUNTED POWERED ANTENNAS. Some old Wiring Harnesses did not include these. The power Antenna wire is usually the yellow/green wire in the factory stereo harness. Make sure to connect this wire to the power antenna output (or system remote control output) on the new stereo, this will GREATLY improve reception.
* Some older civics had factory keyless wires tied into the OEM stereo, as wired as it may sound, replacing your OEM stereo outright may cause you to lose your keyless entry.
* Studies have shown that on average, the chassis of most cars amount to a 4awg (Gague) ground.
* When using Aftermarket Wiring harnesses, always zip-tie the factory harness and the OEM harness together, trust me, no one wants to have to rip out their stereo because the plug fell out (Not common problem, but hey, it doesn't hurt)
* When cutting the OEM harness and directly connecting an aftermarket radio's wiring harness, use crimp-on connectors of some sort. Although it may seem convenient, simply taping the wires together will most likely come back to haunt you one day.
* When installing aftermarket head units and amps, run yourself a "source ground" wire. What I mean by this is, instead of using the ground wire provided in the OEM harness, extend the ground wire from the aftermarket radio all the way to the back of the car (Or wherever you are putting the amps) and ground the radio there. You have to run a remote turn on wire to the same general area from the stereo anyways, and this helps to GREATLY reduce engine noise/whine. TRUST ME ON THIS
* Speaking of Engine noise, the most common cause of engine noise is crossing RCA cables. The best way to wire your car is to run all of your RCA wires down one side of the car (In the sills, usually the passenger side) and run all of your power connections down the opposite side of the car (Driver sill). This is really a must when amping non-sub speakers. The general idea is to never cross the RCAs with the power wires. If this means mounting the amps upside down, trust me, you will be better off. DO any and everything you can to not cross RCA wires with power cables. Data cables (Such as CD Changer cables, XM Cables, etc...) Should run down the side with the RCAs, always isolate the power connections. *UPDATE* Recently I attended a Installer conference with the head Installers for JL Audio, and the main Installer shared this little tip with us, he says that running a power(B+), a new Ground from the Battery, and RCAs in a harness down the middle of the car will virtually eliminate all Engine noise. This is achieved by the Ground next to the Power wire canceling out the emitting noise. I have never tried this personally, but it works in theory, and I trust his advice.
* Mount your amps and other electronics onto a wooden amp board instead of directly screwing into the metal of the car. Even if mounting on the back of your seats, this also helps to reduce Engine noise.
* When installing a video system, try to keep the video system's grounds separate from the audio systems, it helps to reduce lines on screens, or "dirtiness", Video RCAs and RGB cords should be run opposite the power wires.
* Soldering, while time consuming, provides the best connections.
* Use electrical tape EVERYWHERE. It never hurts to cover a connection in electrical tape. Some people like to take this a little further and cover connections in insulating heat-shrink tubing, this also works well.
* One of the most common, and unknown, mistakes in replacing factory speakers is under powering them. In fact, this is just as/if not more dangerous then over powering them. You can actually ruin speakers by not sending them enough power, and although you may not want to, it would be best to at least make sure to use an aftermarket headunit, and/or amplify the speakers.
* Always make sure your ground wires are of the same gauge as your power wire, if not bigger.
* Clean all ground areas of paint with a wire brush, and use bolts if possible, make sure to use a ratchet or wrench to tighten your ground bolts (Drills, while powerful, cannot match wrenches and ratchets in torque). If you must use screws, make sure they are chrome, black screws tend to conduct poorly.
* Make sure to have fuses on your power line at the batter connection, and at the amps. If the amps do not have fuses in them, add a fuse holder just prior to the amps B+ or 12 volt connection. Trust me, although a fuse holder and fuse may cost more money, you will be grateful to not have to replace an expensive amp (Rockford's bd series amps do not come with fuses in them, but that doesn't mean they're shitty amps...catch my drift?).
* For bigger audio systems, consider upgrading the ground wire from the battery to the car and the power wire from the alternator. WARNING, do NOT use wire larger then 4 awg (gauge) when upgrading your alternator wire, as the resistance will not be strong enough and you can fry your alternator, and make sure to get rid of the factory wire form the alternator.
* Make sure all connections are TIGHT, it never hurts.
* Try to have the fuse located within 18" of the termination point of the power wire. Basically, try to have a fuse no more then 18" from the battery, or the amp B+ wire.
* To check for engine noise, play a cd, pause it, and then turn the system up. Start the car and rev the engine, listen for whining coming from your speakers.
* Sometimes Engine noise is unavoidable. Most local stereo shops sell RCA ground loop isolators, these are little black boxes that your RCAs plug into right before your connection, that should reduce engine noise.
* When installing multiple amp systems, you may need to use a relay to beef up the remote turn on signal.
* Generally, sending bass frequencies through non sub speakers is a bad thing. It sounds like ***, and can blow your speakers. If possible, filter out frequencies ranging anywhere from 20-250Hz depending on your speakers recommended response frequencies (I generally use 100uf capacitors, available at your local radio shack, these usually do the trick)
* It never hurts to run extra wires. 100 ft of speaker wire only costs about $5, split it into 10ft sections and run half down the passenger side, and half down the driver side (You never know what you might want to install in the future, a 4-channel amp perhaps? Neons? It never hurts)
I will add more as it comes to me, hope this helps some of you have better installs.
I have worked in the car audio/video installation/customization business for around 2 years now. Last year the shop I work for placed 3rd in the Nation for team installs, and we made the cover of the May issue of MOBILE ELECTRONICS Magazine. I am only 19 years old, and I wanted to share just a bit of what I have learned with you guys.
Last edited by justplainbad; Apr 2, 2004 at 03:50 PM.
I was gonna start a new thred but i figure i could ask here first. I want to upgrade my battery, becaus eim installing aem pullies in my car. I have a 400 watt system and they say i can run that much without harming the battery or alt, but i want a bigger one just to be certain. Where can i get one and how much would they be. Ive heard about Optima deep cycle batteries.....are those any good?
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From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Rep Power: 0 We sell Optima batteries at our shop and they're really good battaries. The Yellow-top batteries are the ones we use for big systems we have built. I am not sure where you are from, but if you were in the Milwaukee Area I could point you to some places to get one. I know at MERA's show this year Optima had battaries that were supposed to be replacements for the smaller Honda batteries, but I haven't heard anything about them since.
This is just one website which sells Optima batteries, shop around and find a good price.
http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/
Heh, they even have a yellow top that has 900 Cold Cranking Amps!
Hope this helps
This is just one website which sells Optima batteries, shop around and find a good price.
http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/
Heh, they even have a yellow top that has 900 Cold Cranking Amps!
Hope this helps
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no kiddin... we still gotta use the power antenna wire, no wonder I have crappy radio reception.. I gotta try connecting that wire tonight.. i thouthg a power antenna was the kinda that raised and lowered automatically....
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Great info here! But yeah. I have a decent system and it has less drain than than alot of other electrical controls in the car. Stock batt should be fine. As far as pulleys, you should have just gotten the DH-racing crank pulley. The AEM ones don't give much power anyway. But they won't hurt your system by installing them.
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Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by stupidd
are there any good place to ground behind the headunit? whats that metal bar back there?
are there any good place to ground behind the headunit? whats that metal bar back there?
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Rep Power: 339 Re: Helpful tips for upgrading your Car stereo system.
Originally posted by justplainbad
* Mount your amps and other electronics onto a wooden amp board instead of directly screwing into the metal of the car. Even if mounting on the back of your seats, this also helps to reduce Engine noise.
* Mount your amps and other electronics onto a wooden amp board instead of directly screwing into the metal of the car. Even if mounting on the back of your seats, this also helps to reduce Engine noise.
A guy came into my shop with a 2002 civic wanting a false floor box. We built one for him housing his pair of pioneer speakers and rockford fosgate amplifier. the amplifier had previously been screwed to the frame, now it was screwed to MDF, isolated from the frame of the car. So far so good.
We built him a box. thats all. He had another shop and best buy in his car, too, I guess he wanted to save money wherever he could. We checked the wiring jsut to make sure it existed and stuff, but otherwise, we didnt touch it. it was good enough for him.
the box gets built. it looks good, it sounds good. done, we bill him and send him on his way.
the next week, he comes back, its not working anymore. well thats kinda funny! we pull teh car around back.
when we get into the trunk, theres evidence of moving the box around back there. He says he didnt touch it. We know he is lying. We arent allowed to call him on that, so we have to play dumb to it all. romoving the box properly, we find the ground slipped out. Well, WE cant take the blame for that because we didnt do the ground! furthermore, its him taking the box apart to show his friends that caused the loose ground to come apart to begin with too! we are stuck between a rock and a hard place here. we cant confront him on his ****, thats bad buisness. In the end WE have to eat the cost (because we are nice people) and fix his wiring that best buy did.
NEXT week, he comes back again. MASSIVE MASSIVE alternator whine! like, SERIOUSLY bad! man, noone wanted to be NEAR this guys car by this time, much less to deal with alternator whine! But the box looks fine in the back, he didnt mess with it this time... what is going on? we cant find the source of the alternator whine, the day ends, we suggest it might be the radio, he says we are full of it and takes his car.
the week after that he comes back to us after taking it to both best buy AND the other shop he went to before. both places are at each others throats, each shop is blaming the other, and he says its OUR fault he has whine and it is OUR responsibility to fix it! We STILL know that all this was caused ttwo or threee weeks ago by him ripping apart the box to show his friends, but we take the car again.
At the end of the day, we get a brand spanking new pioneer 6000 TV screen radio head unit (we dont stock them, we are not pioneer dealers) and plug it in to his car while he is watching. VOILA! no more alternator whine! so what happened?
When the ground popped out of the amplifier, the rockford was searching for a ground. It found one! ...through teh RCA cables..... and tried to draw 800 watts RMS of power through the radio!
.....And his $1200 pioneer TV screen protected his rockford fosgate POS class D amplifier by breaking first. He was fuming, and he knew it was his fault. In my eyes, he redeemed himself at this point; he stopped blaming everyone but himself...... and we were able to send the radio to pioneer for repairs (i assume he ate the repair costs on that one)
Now, I'm not saying that its important to ground the amp chassis....I dont ground my amp chassis either!.... But its not neccesarily a DESIREABLE thing, either! I wouldnt worry about it one way or the other, and allow the install itself to dictate whether the sink touches the frame.
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Rep Power: 0 Great story.
I hate that rule....."the customer is always right" BS for the good of the business.
I work in management at a restaurant, it's not what I went to college for, it's just the best paying job i can find at the time, my field is pretty tight right now, waiting for the gf to graduate next semester etc.. so i can move to a better area for my field.....it just drives me nuts the absolutely clueless retarded people that come in and complain about the stupidest things that are at nobodies fault, but since they are the customer "they are always right" It's downright embarassing for me personally to have to deal with these people that have no clue about anything, even though "they are right"....they talk down to me as if i'm some uneducated twerp who actually will "need" my job for my career or something.
Last summer I installed a DSP in my car, worked for a month until i redid my setup, unintentionally fried the DSP by knocking loose my ground wire, my amps grounded through the DSP and fried it, i could have went to the local shop where i got the DSP and told them they were at fault but i knew better, and i learned from my mistake.
OK there's no point to my post i guess, i'm just having a depressing week. Hopefully soon i'll just snap and get fired and give myself a kick in the **** to find something else to do.
I hate that rule....."the customer is always right" BS for the good of the business.
I work in management at a restaurant, it's not what I went to college for, it's just the best paying job i can find at the time, my field is pretty tight right now, waiting for the gf to graduate next semester etc.. so i can move to a better area for my field.....it just drives me nuts the absolutely clueless retarded people that come in and complain about the stupidest things that are at nobodies fault, but since they are the customer "they are always right" It's downright embarassing for me personally to have to deal with these people that have no clue about anything, even though "they are right"....they talk down to me as if i'm some uneducated twerp who actually will "need" my job for my career or something.
Last summer I installed a DSP in my car, worked for a month until i redid my setup, unintentionally fried the DSP by knocking loose my ground wire, my amps grounded through the DSP and fried it, i could have went to the local shop where i got the DSP and told them they were at fault but i knew better, and i learned from my mistake.
OK there's no point to my post i guess, i'm just having a depressing week. Hopefully soon i'll just snap and get fired and give myself a kick in the **** to find something else to do.
Last edited by Tom1178; Apr 2, 2004 at 02:45 AM.
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Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by stupidd
would it be possible for me to drill a hole in that metal bar and use that for ground?
would it be possible for me to drill a hole in that metal bar and use that for ground?
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good of you to put up with so much **** - especially after it was revealed that there was nothing you did wrong. Given the time investment fixing his screw up he should have paid you for it.
I myself would have picked a single reputable installer if I didn't do most ICE audio installation myself.
How was the amp wired? I'm trying to understand how it tried to pull power through the RCA's.....did it have a fuse?
good of you to put up with so much **** - especially after it was revealed that there was nothing you did wrong. Given the time investment fixing his screw up he should have paid you for it.
I myself would have picked a single reputable installer if I didn't do most ICE audio installation myself.
How was the amp wired? I'm trying to understand how it tried to pull power through the RCA's.....did it have a fuse?
Last edited by coop; Apr 2, 2004 at 11:36 AM.
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From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by stupidd
I've got no stereo in my car right now and i'm starting to sing to myself when i drive places. I'm waiting on some feedback from you guys about the bar behind the radio. can i drill it and use it for a ground? anything IN the bar i need to worrry about?
I've got no stereo in my car right now and i'm starting to sing to myself when i drive places. I'm waiting on some feedback from you guys about the bar behind the radio. can i drill it and use it for a ground? anything IN the bar i need to worrry about?
BTW if you really can't find a ground, the Radio will ground itself through the Antenna wire, although this isn't recomended, it can get you along.....
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Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by justplainbad
As for right now, I am unsure about the bar. There should be many other convienant ground places though, or you could even tap into the ground for your cigerette lighter, or other instruments. Just make sure to test the wires first.
BTW if you really can't find a ground, the Radio will ground itself through the Antenna wire, although this isn't recomended, it can get you along.....
As for right now, I am unsure about the bar. There should be many other convienant ground places though, or you could even tap into the ground for your cigerette lighter, or other instruments. Just make sure to test the wires first.
BTW if you really can't find a ground, the Radio will ground itself through the Antenna wire, although this isn't recomended, it can get you along.....
1 - , down behind the cig lighter, theres a bolt with a few stock grounds wired to it. that bolt worked perfectly for me
2 - i installed a deck in a mid 1980's benzo, and the actual ground for the stock deck was through the antenna.
3 - i had no radio in my car from october of last year to last month. by the end i was singing t full blast and drummin on everything. i was my own private orchestra
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Rep Power: 0 Thanks guys, well i ended up drilling a hole in that bar, luckily to find that there seemed to be nothing important inside it. although i probably killed my drill bits. I got a small distribution block today, and i'm going to use that for grounds for my HU, Tv, and anything else. I think it was somewhere up above in this thread that it said things would work better if you didnt use the ground in the wire harness, but a different ground... er i dont know. but thats what i'm doing.
anyways. I actually ALMOST enjoy not having a radio. it's fun singing, although i think my girlfriend would much rather listen to the radio than me. hehe, oh well. thanks again!
anyways. I actually ALMOST enjoy not having a radio. it's fun singing, although i think my girlfriend would much rather listen to the radio than me. hehe, oh well. thanks again!
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Rep Power: 0 Ok, i think i've got one last hope. Just please, reply quick, i wanna get this done today.
Dont ask me why i've still got these wires. i got them to begin with when i was 15 and very naive. stupidd circuit city people....
I'm running i think 4 ga (maybe) wire from my battery to my trunk. It then switches to 8 gauge (via distribution block) and goes to my amp. right now i've got an 8 gauge wire for ground. Would this cause a problem? would it help if i either got a bigger ground wire, or smaller power wire? (i'll be going with smaller power if either of the two.)
thanks in advance!
Dont ask me why i've still got these wires. i got them to begin with when i was 15 and very naive. stupidd circuit city people....
I'm running i think 4 ga (maybe) wire from my battery to my trunk. It then switches to 8 gauge (via distribution block) and goes to my amp. right now i've got an 8 gauge wire for ground. Would this cause a problem? would it help if i either got a bigger ground wire, or smaller power wire? (i'll be going with smaller power if either of the two.)
thanks in advance!
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From: Mighigan
Rep Power: 0 Re: Helpful tips for upgrading your Car stereo system.
Originally posted by justplainbad
Helpful tips for upgrading your Car stereo system.
* When installing aftermarket head units and amps, run yourself a "source ground" wire. What I mean by this is, instead of using the ground wire provided in the OEM harness, extend the ground wire from the aftermarket radio all the way to the back of the car (Or wherever you are putting the amps) and ground the radio there. You have to run a remote turn on wire to the same general area from the stereo anyways, and this helps to GREATLY reduce engine noise/whine. TRUST ME ON THIS
Helpful tips for upgrading your Car stereo system.
* When installing aftermarket head units and amps, run yourself a "source ground" wire. What I mean by this is, instead of using the ground wire provided in the OEM harness, extend the ground wire from the aftermarket radio all the way to the back of the car (Or wherever you are putting the amps) and ground the radio there. You have to run a remote turn on wire to the same general area from the stereo anyways, and this helps to GREATLY reduce engine noise/whine. TRUST ME ON THIS
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