I am working on list of commonly asked questions that I have collected over the years.
I have ALOT of info some of it that needs to be revised/updated.
I will keep this thread up to date as I compile more info.

If you have information that you think is relevant to this thread and would like to contribute, then please send it in a pm.

1. Using Steering Wheels Controls With An Aftermarket Head Unit
2. Monsoon Amp Location
3. Replacing Factory Speakers To Get Better Sound
4. Installation Parts For A Aftermarket Head Unit
5. Disabling Daytime Running Lights
6. Progressive Door Lock Bypass
7. Theft Loc Bypass
8. Stealth Boxes
9. Stock Wiring Color Codes
10. TRANS-AM: Replace or Upgrade Stock Monsoon Speakers(Long Thread)
11. CAMARO: Replace or Upgrade Stock Monsoon Speakers(Long Thread)
12. How to make A Fiberglass Enclosure: F-Body
13. Difference Class AB vs Class D amplifiers
14. Which Radar Detector Is The Best
15. Auto Door Locks. (Lock Key on, Un-Lock key off
16. Understanding Ohms Part1 Part 2
17. Replacing Power Window Motors
18. Trans Am Headlights Making Noise Or Not Working
19. Box Building Program.
20. Replacing Lights On Steering Wheel Controls
21. Great source for Fiberglassing
22. Part #'s for Monsoon speakers
23. Reprogramming Another Keyless Entry Remote
24. Upgrading Your Electrical System
25. Key FOB Part Numbers
26. How To Remove the Stock Radio
27. Replacing cluster with aftermarket gauges
28. How To Relocate Climate Controls 97-02
29. How To Replace Factory Camaro Monsoon Subs with 6.5" Elemental Designs EU-700
30. How to fix your radio/door locks/windows etc from flickering, cutting in/out - Link 1
31. How to fix your radio/door locks/windows etc from flickering, cutting in/out - Link 2
32. Lighting FAQ
33. Fan Switch Mod Write-up
34. BIG 3 Write-up
35. DIY Pass Window Fix Step by Step PICS!l
36. Installing power antenna on a Camaro
37. 99-02 OEM odometer swap for smd leds or custom OLED screen
38. Rear Shock Sensor Fix

 

Can I use my steering wheel controls with a afermarket head unit?

Yes the steering wheel controls can still be used as long as the aftermarket head unit uses a infrared remote control.
The most common interface is made by pac called a SWI-X

 

Where is the monsoon amp located?

You can find it in front of the spare above the wheel well mounted to a plastic plate on the fender side.

 

Can I replace the factory monsoon speakers to get better sound?

The factory monsoon speakers have a resistance of 2ohms.
Replacing it with a 4 ohm speaker will basically cut your power in half as your resistance of electron flow is doubled.
Soundstream makes 3 ohm speakers which would work better in theroy but I have yet to test them myself.
As it stands the best solution is to buy a small 4 channel amp.

Image dynamics now makes 2ohm speakers

Infinity also makes 2ohm speakers

Look to #10 and #11 for more indepth info on How To Change them out.

 

Parts needs for head unit installation.

Every GM car will need
40-GM10 - GM factory antenna adapter for aftermarket head unit

Then you will select one of the following kits (adapts 1.5 din to 1 din)
99-3300 - Camaro 97-02 dash kit
99-3009 - Camaro 93-96/Firebird 1993 and UP dash kit
99-4544 - '82 and UP GM multi-kit with 1/2 DIN EQ option

Wiring harness to adapt the back of the radios wires to the factory plug
(highly recommended that you use this but not required)
70-1858 Pro Wire harness for 1993-02

 

Disabling day time running lights

Method 1) This method requires no cutting. First, pry up the dashboard near the blinking LED with a small screwdriver.
Near the LED, you'll see the light sensor. Twist the sensor about 1/4 turn and remove it from the dash.
Detach the sensor connector from the wires. Place a small wire or a 10k resister where the sensor was.
Now they won't be on for staging, only when you want them on. You will still have amber running lights.

Method 2) Take your left side vent out. Take the two screws holding your light switch out.
Find the orange/redish wire going to G, cut the wire about 2 inchs from switch. In case you would like to put it back.

 

Progressive Doorlock bypass

mightymouse reported that these instructions are not correct for his 98.
Use with caution
If anyone can confirm please send me a pm

Progressive door locks is a term used for when you hit the unlock button on the remote once to unlock the drivers door and then hit it again to unlock the passenger door.
The following instructions will allow you to unlock both locks on the first press. The second press will give you the abitlity to control anything that can be activated with a pulse.

Under the glovebox You will see a black panel that covers everything above it.
Remove the two clips right at the base of the glovebox, that hold the front side of the panel up, so that the panels hangs down giving you access to the wires above it.
There will be a green plug with five wires (Orange/Black, Red/black, Grey/Black, Tan, Grey).
Unplug the female side (light green) of the harness and cut the grey/black wire. Splice the side going back into the plug with the Tan wire.
The other wire going back into your car is now the extra channel.
Remember this wire sends a +12volt pulse, not a constant signal. Also remember to use a relay for high amperage draw applications.

 

Theftloc Bypass

1. Press and hold presets 2 & 3 for about 10 seconds until the first 3 digits of the display code are displayed
2. Write the numbers down.
3. Press the AM FM button, write down the next 3 numbers
4. Call 1-800-537-5140, when asked, enter 202107 (ive been told that 202108 works also), press the “button” and enter the 6 digit code from the radio, you will get an unlock code, write it down.
5. Go back to the car, press the HR button and set the first 2 numbers, then press minute button and set the next two last numbers, press AM FM button, SEC should be displayed, turn on radio
To remove customers code, repeat step 5. you should see --- on radio face, the code is now out of the radio.

 

Does anyone make stealth or boxes that will fit our cars?




JL Audio Stealth Box




Sub Thump - Stealth




Sub Thump - Rear Well




Sub Thump - T-Top Box




Sub Thump - Mil House Box

 

Submitted by whitebird00

There are three connectors on the back of the radio. The two 10-pin connectors are clipped together and plugged into the same socket on the back of the radio so that they look like a single 20-pin connector.

C1 is the black 10-pin connector and the pins are number 1-10. C2 is the black 9-pin connector for the CD changer and the pins are numbered 7-15. C3 is the gray (or white) 10-pin connector and the pins are numbered 11-20. All these connectors are numbered from right to left when looking at the connector with the locking tabs on top and the wires coming out the back.

C1 - Black 10-pin connector
1 - GRAY - left front speaker negative
2 - TAN - left front speaker positive
3 - DARK GREEN - right front speaker negative
4 - LIGHT GREEN - right front speaker positive
5 - BLACK - ground
6 - BROWN - parking light input (lets the radio know when headlights are on so it will dim the display)
7 - GRAY - dash light dimmer input (controls brightness of radio control illumination)
8 - PINK - (Firebird) power antenna output
9 - YELLOW - ignition controlled power
10 - ORANGE - battery power (for radio memory)

C3 - Gray (or white) 10-pin connector
11 - GRAY - (Convertible) amplifier sensor
12 - not used
13 - not used
14 - DARK BLUE - steering wheel controls input
15 - not used
16 - DARK GREEN w/WHITE - (Camaro) vehicle speed sensor input for automatic volume
17 - LIGHT BLUE - right rear speaker negative
18 - DARK BLUE - right rear speaker positive
19 - YELLOW - left rear speaker negative
20 - BROWN - left rear speaker positive

C2 - Black 9-pin connector for CD changer
7 - not used
8 - not used
9 - Bare - drain wire
10 - DARK GREEN w/WHITE - right audio signal
11 - BROWN w/WHITE - left audio signal
12 - BLACK w/WHITE - audio return
13 - BLACK - ground
14 - DARK GREEN - power
15 - not used

Link Here: http://www.houston-f-body.org/tech/monsoon/index.htm

 

Makeing your own Fiberglass Drivers Side enclosure

Thanks to Snootch and 00PewterSS!!



00PewterSS http://www.nitro-nights.com/2000ss/sub/index.html


Snootch http://www.fbodyaudio.com/gallery/Sub-Box
http://www.snootch420.freewebspace.com/photo4.html

There is alot more than meets the eye. The above are good pictures that show some of the steps to making it. Snootch'es being better because he is explaining the steps.

This is a recent thread that disusses it. https://ls1tech.com/forums/wiring-stereo-electronics/308162-anyone-make-their-own-stealth-box-results.html

I'd say on a level of 1-10 this is a 8-10. It requires you to know how to make a fiberglass mold. Not too difficult once you have done it, but is tricky and seems exotic to the inexperienced.

Here is a link for Making a Pass. Side Enclosure

http://www.fbodyaudio.com/articlevie...tealthbox.tech

I will post more info as I find more links on making molds and I will try to type up a walk thru.

My recommondation is to try and link up with someone that has experience and to Learn these Tricks.

 

Class AB Amplifiers

All votage is 12volts. Wattage is total through all the channels. The higher the Voltage the lower the Amps. The lower the Voltage the Higher the amps.

Class A/B amplifiers (50%-65%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
100w= 15-20 amp fuse (12.8amps)

150w= 25-30 amp fuse (19.8 amps)

200w= 30-35 amp fuse/fuses (25.6 amps)

250w= 35-40 amp fuse/fuses (32.0 amps)

300w= 45-50 amp fuse/fuses (38.4 amps)

350w= 50-60 amp fuse/fuses (44.8 amps)

400w= 55-65 amp fuse/fuses (51.2 amps)

450w= 65-70 amp fuse/fuses (57.6 amps)

500w= 70-75 amp fuse/fuses (64.0 amps)

600w= 80-90 amp fuse/fuses (76.8 amps)

700w= 95-100 amp fuse/fuses (89.6 amps)

800w= 110 amp fuse/fuses (102.4 amps)

900w= 125-130 amp fuse/fuses (115.2 amps)

1000w= 140-150 amp fuse/fuses (128 amps)

1100w= 150-160 amp fuse/fuses (140.8 amps)

1200w= 170-180 amp fuse/fuses (153.6 amps)


As you can see that is a lot of juice. A bigger alternator and extra batteries become almost a deffiniate at the 500w + range. That is why there are Class D amplifiers. Fuses are usually set to be about 15-20% over the draw at 12v to account for the draw at 10v.

 

Class D Amplifiers

All votage is 12volts. Wattage is total through all the channels. The higher the Voltage the lower the Amps. The lower the Voltage the Higher the amps.

Class D amplifiers (80%-97%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
100w= 15 amp fuse (9.3amps)

150w= 20 amp fuse (14 amps)

200w= 25 amp fuse/fuses (18.6 amps)

250w= 30 amp fuse/fuses (23.25 amps)

300w= 35 amp fuse/fuses (27.9 amps)

350w= 35-40 amp fuse/fuses (32.6 amps)

400w= 45 amp fuse/fuses (37.25 amps)

450w= 45-50 amp fuse/fuses (41.9 amps)

500w= 50-55 amp fuse/fuses (46.6 amps)

600w= 60-65 amp fuse/fuses (55.85 amps)

700w= 70-75 amp fuse/fuses (65.15 amps)

800w= 80-85 amp fuse/fuses (74.45 amps)

900w= 90-95 amp fuse/fuses (83.75 amps)

1000w= 100-105 amp fuse/fuses (93.05 amps)

1100w= 110-115 amp fuse/fuses (102.35 amps)

1200w= 120-130 amp fuse/fuses (111.65 amps)


If you compair any 2 wattages from the class a/b amp to a class d amp you can easilly see which is more efficient. Class A/B amps are good for Full range and Class D is only good for Subs. (only JBL makes a full range Class D amplifier for Pro-Audio only (concerts ans stuff). They start around $20,000)

 

Class D vs Class AB Amplifiers


These are the 2 most common types of amplifiers that can be found on the market: Class D and Class AB.

How to tell the difference?

Not really able visually tell the difference from the outside of the amp. Usually you have to know the Brand and Models to tell the difference. Once running, you will know because the Class D is usually limited (right now) to 20-600hz range, so it won't work as a full range amp.


What is the Bennifit?

The bennifit of the Class D design can really only be aplied to Subwoofer use. This is because the Frequency range of the amp limits it use.

It is extremely more efficient. Usually on the range of 80-97% efficiency
Class AB is around 50-65%. The Percentage works like this: (I.E 100 amps in, Class D uses more for Wattage out rather than wasted heat. Go here to see the big difference. Class AB Current Class D Current Find the same wattage and look at both the Class AB and then the Class D)

This is where the bennifit comes into play.

Because of the efficency:

1. Smaller Amplifiers take up less space
2. Cooler running Amp means longer playing time due to staying out of thermal shutdown.
3. Less current draw:
   1. Less stress on Cars electrical system
   2. Smaller power cables needed
   3. Smaller Capacitors/filtering needed
   4. Allows you to make the same power level without needing to upgrade your alternator
4. Overall it's cheaper to get the sames amount of wattage in Class D than in class AB

 

The top two radars on the market right now are the Valentine1 and the Escort Passport 8500 X50. Both are good radars and both detect pop. The V1 allows you to upgrade your radar as new technology comes out but it also cost around $100 more.

Car And Driver
Radar-Detectors
Radar Test
Radar Busters

 

Understanding what ohms are and how they relate to car audio is most helpful when trying to determine optimal wiring configurations for connecting multiple speakers to an amp. There are some basic electrical engineering formulas I will use on this page. Fortunately they are fairly simple.

Ohm's law: Current = Voltage / Resistance or I = V / R
You can rearrange this formula in a couple ways: V = I * R and R = V / I

Power equation: Power = Voltage^2 / Resistance or P = V^2 / R
Rearranging this formula gives us: R = V^2 / P and V = SQRT(P * R)

Using Ohm's law we can derive some more power equations: P = I^2 * R
Rearranging gives us: I = SQRT(P / R)

Abbreviations used on this post are:
I : current, measured in amps
V: voltage, measured in volts
R: resistance, measured in ohms
P: power, measured in watts

With that out of the way we can get down to business. As stated earlier, ohms are a measure of electrical resistance. It helps in this discussion if we consider amplifiers to be perfect voltage sources.

Consider this 25 watt amp:

P = V^2 / R

Most amps are rated into 4 ohm loads so we now have:

25 watts = V^2 / 4 ohms

Solving for voltage we get: V = SQRT(25 * 4) = 10 volts

So our 25 watt amp can be considered here to have the ability to produce up to 10 volts output.

Now let us consider what happens when we connect two speakers in parallel to the amp. At this point I am going to introduce some more formulas. We are considering speakers to just be simple 4 ohm resistors for this discussion. There are formulas which dictate what happens when you combine resistors in various ways. Before that we need to explain what is meant by parallel and series ConneXions.

Each channel of an amplifier has a positive (+) and negative (-) connection. The amp develops a voltage between these two terminals and this voltage is what drives the speakers. The equivalent resistance of what you connect to the amp is referred to as the load.

Normally when connecting a single speaker to a single amp channel you merely connect the "+" terminal of the speaker to the "+" terminal of the amp. Then do the same thing for the "-" terminals. Things get more complicated when you are connecting multiple speakers to a single amp channel. In a parallel configuration you connect both "+" terminals of the speakers to the "+" terminal of the amp. Then do the same thing for the "-" terminals.

A series connection is a little more complicated. First, you connect the "+" terminal of the amp to the "+" terminal of one of the speakers (let us call it speaker A). The next thing you do is connect the "-" terminal of speaker A to the "+" terminal of the other speaker (speaker B). Lastly, you connect the "-" terminal of speaker B to the "-" terminal of the amp. You can see in this connection that power from the amp goes through both speakers one after the other, hence the name "series."

Finally, here are the formulas that tell you what resistance load you end up with when wiring multiple speakers:

For two speakers in parallel:

1 / Rt = 1 / Ra + 1 / Rb

where Rt is the total equivalent resistance or load and Ra and Rb are the resistances of the two speakers. You can see that you can use speakers of different resistances but there other implications of doing that which are usually undesirable because the power will not be spread evenly between the speakers.

Working through the math if you put two 4 ohm speakers in parallel you get:

1 / Rt = 1 / 4 + 1 / 4 = 1 / 2, Rt = 2 ohms

The equivalent resistance is exactly half of what we started with. We will look at the implications of this a little later. Let us do another example first with three 4 ohm speakers in parallel:

1 / Rt = 1 / 4 + 1 / 4 + 1 / 4 = 3 / 4, Rt = 4 /3 = 1.33 ohms

You can see that as you put more and more speakers in parallel the equivalent resistance will drop further.

Next lets look at the equivalent resistance for speakers in series:

Rt = Ra + Rb

Now that is easy! You just add the resistances for each speaker so putting two 4 ohm speakers in series will you give a single load of 8 ohms.

With that background out of the way we can look at what effect these different wiring combinations have on the amplifier. Going back our 25 watt (10 volt) amplifier with a single 4 ohm speaker we have:

Current = Voltage / Resistance = 10 / 4 = 2.5 amps

So when this amp is producing maximum power (25 watts) into a 4 ohm load, the load will draw 2.5 amps from the amp.

Now let us look at what happens when we connect two 4 ohm speakers in parallel (which gives us a 2 ohm equivalent load) to this amp:

Power = Voltage^2 / Resistance = 10^2 / 2 = 50 watts

This is seems great! Our 25 watt amp is now producing 50 watts but there are some complications. Let us see the current now:

Current = Voltage / Resistance = 10 / 2 = 5 amps

Even though our voltage is still the same (10 volts) our current has now doubled from 2.5 amps to 5 amps. If the amp has the capability to produce this much current and dissipate the heat that this will generate then everything will be fine. One way to determine if your amp is capable of this is to look for power ratings that are given into 2 ohms in addition to the normal 4 ohm rating. Further if the power doubles into the 2 ohm rating then the amp has ample current capacity. Another clue to tell whether the amp will work with 2 ohm loads is look for the phrase "2 ohm stable." Being 2 ohm stable only means that the amp will function with 2 ohm loads; it does not necessarily mean that the amp will produce more power into 2 ohms. If you attempt to use a 2 ohm load with an amp that cannot handle it a well designed amp will shut itself off or blow a fuse and a poor one could be permanently damaged.

 

Next let us look at a series connection with two 4 ohm speakers. This will give us an 8 ohm load and we will use our 25 watt (10 volt) amplifier again:

P = V^2 / R = 10^2 / 8 = 12.5 watts

Our amp is now producing only half its power rating! And the current is:

I = V / R = 10 / 8 = 1.25 amps

The current is 1/2 its original value as well. Series ConneXions are not used as often as parallel ConneXions because they reduce power. However, they are easier for your amp to drive since they draw less current.

Another option that is often available is to bridge an amplifier. This process takes 2 amp channels and combines them to act as a single more powerful amp channel. How to do this to an amp and wire everything varies so please do not ask me how to bridge your amp. I can explain the effects of it though.

What typically happens when you bridge an amp is that the voltage it can produce doubles. Our 25 watt (10 volt) amp can now produce 20 volts. Let us look at how that affects power:

P = V^2 / R = 20^2 / 4 = 100 watts

This is 4 times the original power of the amp but let us look at the current situation:

I = V / R = 20 / 4 = 5 amps

So now we see even with a regular 4 ohm load the current is already double what the normal value (2.5 amps) was. For other reasons the power usually does not usually quadruple when you bridge an amp but will typically at least double. Connecting a 2 ohm load to a bridged amp raises the current requirement even more. However, if your amp can handle it then you will be squeezing a lot of power out of the amp.

In fact, many people use that kind of setup in competition where the classes are judged by the power rating of the amps in the system. A 25 watt amp can produce many times more power when bridged and driving low resistance loads so the competitor gets more power than what appears on the surface. Zapco and Phoenix Gold make amps which are able to drive such low resistance loads (sometimes as low as 0.5 ohm!)

Some final notes:

In this I have considered amplifiers to be perfect voltage sources. They are not though and they have some internal resistance which lowers power output slightly.
I have also considered speakers to be perfect 4 ohm resistors. In actuality the resistance of the speaker depends on the frequency the speaker is playing. For example, a speaker may have a 3 ohm resistance at 80 Hz and a 9 ohm resistance at 300 Hz. If you were to make a plot of resistance versus frequency you would get what is called the impedance curve of the speaker. Also, speakers act in some ways as inductors and capacitors so a true model of a speaker must include those components as well. How does this affect the sound you ask? Well if you have an amp that has very weak current capability it may work fine into perfect 4 ohm loads but when you connect our real speaker which has an impedance dip at 80 Hz the amp may have difficulty and smear sounds that have 80 Hz components. These are minor but audible effects. This is why it is good to get a 2 ohm stable amp even if you never plan on running 2 ohm loads.
Placing speakers in parallel and bridging amp channels are effective methods for increasing the power in your system assuming your amp can handle the increased demand.
Use a series configuration when you need to raise the effective resistance of the load. This occurs more often when you are using dual voice coil speakers.
Dual voice speakers have two speaker ConneXions on them. This typically increases power handling capability and gives you more wiring options. For example, if you have two dual 4 ohm voice coil speakers you can get a single 4 ohm load which is suitable for connecting to a bridged amp. You would do this by connecting the voice coils on each speaker to each other in series. This would give you two 8 ohm speakers. Next you put those two 8 ohm speakers in parallel and this will give you a single 4 ohm equivalent load.
Be aware that using lower resistance loads and bridging produces a greater load on the amp. Well designed amps that cannot handle the demand will either shut themselves off or blow a fuse. A poorer designed amp can permanently damage itself. Also, even if an amp works in these configurations it will probably generate more heat so ventilation is even more important.
As mentioned earlier ohms are a measure of electrical resistance. You should be able to understand why resistance changes affect the amp power as it does. If you raise the resistance the amp is not able to drive as much current through the load and thus you get less power. If you lower the resistance of the load math says that more current will be drawn from the amp. Assuming the amp can handle this you get more power.
To understand why series and parallel configurations have the effect on resistance that they do consider this. When you connect speakers in series current must flow through both speakers and so it hits the resistance of both speakers. When you have speakers in parallel, the current has multiple paths since it can go through either speaker so the equivalent resistance is always lower than that of either speaker alone.

 

Thanks to VIP1 and glitch77.

Here is a Written overview from glitch77:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...t=window+motor




And these are links with Pictures that VIP1 found:

Camaro
http://shbox.com/page/windowmotor.html

FrieBird
http://www.metalreviewcentre.com/window.htm

 

Usually because the plastic gears wear out or break.
Brass gears can be bought and sometimes you can flip the plastic
around for a temporary fix. Heres more info.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/pontiac-firebird-1967-2002/177470-firebird-headlights-all-comments-questions-regarding-headlights-go-here.html

 

This is Really good Box Modeling program I have been using. Download the WinISD Pro version of the software.

It is a tool and shouldn't be the end all spec you can use. Manufactures can also recommend box's based on their programs also. It has a decint Sized Library for reference and you can add in your own speakers. MAKE SURE to follow the process of which parameter to enter 1st. You will then see that Manufactures round up/down their specs and some flat out lie.

For car aplications, You should add roughly and extention down into the 25-30hz range and about 12dB. This makes a normal sub flatten out, and can make others louder at their freq's. Soon to come from the Designer is a function to allow you to see this.

Here is the Link to WinISD.

http://www.linearteam.dk/


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2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

My favorite box building program is called TermPro. Same program used by professionals and competition sanctions. Unfortunately its not free.
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