subwoofer on/off switch wiring? w/pics
11-19-2013, 01:52 AM
#1
subwoofer on/off switch wiring? w/pics I have a subwoofer on my 98 ws6 and it has a switch that doesn't work. Im going to be getting a new replacement switch but had a question on the wiring.
Heres what it looks like
One wire goes directly to the amp. (the blue one)
the other one is also blue but it goes under the dashboard, I'm guessing to the head unit. However it has another clear wire attached to it (see first pic) and its connected to nothing at the other end. Does anyone know where its supposed to connect to?
Heres a rough sketch of the wiring to see if it helps
Heres what it looks like
One wire goes directly to the amp. (the blue one)
the other one is also blue but it goes under the dashboard, I'm guessing to the head unit. However it has another clear wire attached to it (see first pic) and its connected to nothing at the other end. Does anyone know where its supposed to connect to?
Heres a rough sketch of the wiring to see if it helps
11-19-2013, 03:05 AM
#2
I don't know what they were doing there, but that isn't right. The blue wire should be an ignition switched 12V hot to power on the amp. If you are wiring a switch in, then the switched hot should go through the on/off switch and then to the amp.
11-19-2013, 05:35 AM
#3
damn, that is some shady-*** wiring.
That blue wire is the "remote" signal for the amp. It is what "tells" the amp to turn on, and is most likely connected to the remote wire on the head unit (even the stock unit has this if you have a Monsoon system)
The other wire serves no purpose that I could see, unless the car previously had another amplifier that was removed before you purchased it (Most likely for components or maybe amped rear fill... Looks like they would always be on and you'd have the option of whether or not to power the sub(s).
I'm not understanding wire 2, though... Which wire is that?
That blue wire is the "remote" signal for the amp. It is what "tells" the amp to turn on, and is most likely connected to the remote wire on the head unit (even the stock unit has this if you have a Monsoon system)
The other wire serves no purpose that I could see, unless the car previously had another amplifier that was removed before you purchased it (Most likely for components or maybe amped rear fill... Looks like they would always be on and you'd have the option of whether or not to power the sub(s).
I'm not understanding wire 2, though... Which wire is that?
11-19-2013, 06:51 AM
#4
Here are my thoughts:
Wire #1 - Amp remote turn on wire, this is normal
Wire #2 - Is this a RCA cable, not just a bare wire? If so, that's the "sound feed" to your amp
Wire #3 - Continuation of amp remote turn on wire, this is normal
Wire #4 - No clue, looks like he's using that remote wire to trigger/power something else in the car as well. You'll have to trace that wire if you want to know where it goes. It most likely shouldn't be feeding from where it is (the HU)
Wire #5 - Power Feed - should be heavy gauge!!!! What's the output of your amp? That wiring in the pic looks a little small (10 gauge?) for anything remotely powerful
That all being said, that's some shitty wiring job - it'll work and it's not dangerous, but it's ****. Go spend $1 on some crimp-on terminals to clip onto that switch. Ace Hardware, Radio Shack...they'll have them.
Wire #1 - Amp remote turn on wire, this is normal
Wire #2 - Is this a RCA cable, not just a bare wire? If so, that's the "sound feed" to your amp
Wire #3 - Continuation of amp remote turn on wire, this is normal
Wire #4 - No clue, looks like he's using that remote wire to trigger/power something else in the car as well. You'll have to trace that wire if you want to know where it goes. It most likely shouldn't be feeding from where it is (the HU)
Wire #5 - Power Feed - should be heavy gauge!!!! What's the output of your amp? That wiring in the pic looks a little small (10 gauge?) for anything remotely powerful
That all being said, that's some shitty wiring job - it'll work and it's not dangerous, but it's ****. Go spend $1 on some crimp-on terminals to clip onto that switch. Ace Hardware, Radio Shack...they'll have them.
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11-19-2013, 12:44 PM
#8
Here are my thoughts:
Wire #1 - Amp remote turn on wire, this is normal
Wire #2 - Is this a RCA cable, not just a bare wire? If so, that's the "sound feed" to your amp
Wire #3 - Continuation of amp remote turn on wire, this is normal
Wire #4 - No clue, looks like he's using that remote wire to trigger/power something else in the car as well. You'll have to trace that wire if you want to know where it goes. It most likely shouldn't be feeding from where it is (the HU)
Wire #5 - Power Feed - should be heavy gauge!!!! What's the output of your amp? That wiring in the pic looks a little small (10 gauge?) for anything remotely powerful
That all being said, that's some shitty wiring job - it'll work and it's not dangerous, but it's ****. Go spend $1 on some crimp-on terminals to clip onto that switch. Ace Hardware, Radio Shack...they'll have them.
Wire #1 - Amp remote turn on wire, this is normal
Wire #2 - Is this a RCA cable, not just a bare wire? If so, that's the "sound feed" to your amp
Wire #3 - Continuation of amp remote turn on wire, this is normal
Wire #4 - No clue, looks like he's using that remote wire to trigger/power something else in the car as well. You'll have to trace that wire if you want to know where it goes. It most likely shouldn't be feeding from where it is (the HU)
Wire #5 - Power Feed - should be heavy gauge!!!! What's the output of your amp? That wiring in the pic looks a little small (10 gauge?) for anything remotely powerful
That all being said, that's some shitty wiring job - it'll work and it's not dangerous, but it's ****. Go spend $1 on some crimp-on terminals to clip onto that switch. Ace Hardware, Radio Shack...they'll have them.
#4 doesnt go anywhere. It was disconnected when i found it.
#5 is kinda hard to tell what gauge it is. It feels slightly thicker than a 12gauge wire i have laying around, but just barely. It could be a 10. Does it need thicker than that? It goes from the amp straight to the battery.
This definitely was shitty wiring job. The #5 wire goes through the door hinge to reach the engine bay
Check it out
They figured electrical tape would protect it lol
11-19-2013, 01:19 PM
#9
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OK, eliminate #4 completely, you never want a wire going nowhere.
I would go to a larger cable setup (4 gauge) you're current amp doesn't need something that big (since it appears to have a single 15 amp fuse) but when you upgrade to something better you'll need the bigger wire.
since you have your interior out now is a good time to do all this running new wires.
while I've never done something that crazy of running the power wire around the door jamb, I have seen it on countless occasions be done by people I know, I did close to it, when I first setup my system in this car (have since re-ran everything) I was in a hurry and brought the wire thru the fender and down thru the rubber grommet for the door wiring which kept it away from the hinges. now I have it thru the firewall grommet behind the PCM like everyone else.
I would go to a larger cable setup (4 gauge) you're current amp doesn't need something that big (since it appears to have a single 15 amp fuse) but when you upgrade to something better you'll need the bigger wire.
since you have your interior out now is a good time to do all this running new wires.
while I've never done something that crazy of running the power wire around the door jamb, I have seen it on countless occasions be done by people I know, I did close to it, when I first setup my system in this car (have since re-ran everything) I was in a hurry and brought the wire thru the fender and down thru the rubber grommet for the door wiring which kept it away from the hinges. now I have it thru the firewall grommet behind the PCM like everyone else.
11-19-2013, 02:46 PM
#11
Daniel is right about larger wire but only if you plan to go with a bigger amp in the future. If you plan to keep using the amp you have, 10-gauge wire (like what you have already) is quite sufficient and easier to install. Just remember that you will have to do the wiring over again if you should change your mind in the future and want to install a bigger amp.
Only the power and ground wires need to be the larger size. The remote turn-on (blue) wire can be quite small (16-gauge) because it carries only a small signal current.
Only the power and ground wires need to be the larger size. The remote turn-on (blue) wire can be quite small (16-gauge) because it carries only a small signal current.
11-19-2013, 03:42 PM
#12
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I say do it once and do it right (future proof it) while 10 or 8 would be perfectly OK for the current setup, if you have plans of a larger or more powerful system then go for the bigger wire, the amp terminals look large enough that they could take 4 gauge but you might have to use terminals like is on the existing power and ground (but for 4 gauge). bigger wire means less voltage drop over the run of the wire so it's always best to go as big as you can afford to go.
11-19-2013, 06:01 PM
#15
I think i found the problem though. I rewired the amp with a new 10gauge power wire, and new terminals for the ground and switch. However i noticed that it has a little light named "power" which wont turn on when i turn the car on. Im guessing the amp is bad... Is there anyway to check for sure before i buy another one? I might have to borrow one from a friend to see if his works.
If it does happen to be bad, which one would be a good replacement?
11-19-2013, 07:02 PM
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check/replace the fuse that is in the black box that your hand is touching in that last pic ^^^ then check/replace the fuse on the amp, if the amp still doesn't turn on get a volt meter and confirm it's getting power thru the cable and check the voltage on the remote wire (with the car on), also where is it grounded at, a bad ground can make an amp not turn on.
also redo that battery connection properly, it looks like they unscrewed it and just shoved a spade connector in there, get the right battery post with the accessory screw on that looks similar to this.
also redo that battery connection properly, it looks like they unscrewed it and just shoved a spade connector in there, get the right battery post with the accessory screw on that looks similar to this.
11-19-2013, 08:50 PM
#18
the amp in the power wire is still good. I got a hold of a buddies kicker amp and installed it on my car. It powers up, but stays turned on even when i remove the key and open the door. I also noticed the on/off toggle switch doesnt work anymore. The amp will stay on with the switch in on, or off. However, the amp has a little **** that controls the bass level. I gotta admit it sounds like ****, but atleast i know it has power.
Does anyone know how to get the toggle switch to work again? Or should i buy an amp that has one included instead? My buddies amp is a kicker dx1000.1 btw.
Does anyone know how to get the toggle switch to work again? Or should i buy an amp that has one included instead? My buddies amp is a kicker dx1000.1 btw.
11-19-2013, 09:21 PM
#19
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the toggle switch should be wired into the remote wire, if your amp is still on when you turn the car off or toggle the switch off then check and make sure none of the strands from the positive power wire are shorting against the remote lead on the amp, that can cause the amp to always be on.
11-19-2013, 09:58 PM
#20
I flipped the toggle switch and its working properly now. I didnt know the terminal sides would matter on a on/off toggle switch. The amp now turns on and off along with the headunit.
So now i can turn the amp off with the switch, killing the power to the sub, OR, i can just lower the bass level if i get an amp with a bass **** in it.
Thanks for the help guys.
@danile richards, do you have a part # for the battery accessory screw you posted earlier? I couldnt find it anywhere.
So now i can turn the amp off with the switch, killing the power to the sub, OR, i can just lower the bass level if i get an amp with a bass **** in it.
Thanks for the help guys.
@danile richards, do you have a part # for the battery accessory screw you posted earlier? I couldnt find it anywhere.
