If you're powering more than one subwoofer or looking to power subwoofers and your regular speakers, you may need more than one amplifier. While you will need to seriously consider adding capacitors or even a second battery (for amplifiers that do not overly exert your car battery), you can still connect two amps using a standard amplifier kit and other materials. This will still take slightly more work than installing one but is not as intensive as it may seem.
Instructions
1. Find a hole in the heat shield between the inside of your car and under the hood. If you cannot find an existing hole on the side near the battery, you can drill a hole just large enough for the amplifier kit power wire to fit through. Also, loosen the door trim inside the car on both sides so that you can feed wires back underneath the paneling and trim.
2. Feed the amplifier kit power wire---using the end that does not have the fuse box---through the hole in the heat shield and under the carpet to the paneling on the side of the car. Continue feeding the wire back until it reaches the backseat. Feed the wire under the backseat and locate a path to the trunk. You may have to lift the backseat to find an opening. Feed the wire to the trunk.
3. Connect the RCA wires to your receiver. If you are using both amps for the same thing, you can run one RCA to the back of the car and use Y-adapters to split the signal in the trunk. If you are going to use them for different signals---or if you are planning to use a four-channel amplifier---connect multiple RCA wires to the preamp outputs on your receiver. Run these wires straight down from the console and cut a small hole to feed them under the carpet.
4. Run any RCAs to the side of the car opposite of the power wire. Run the wires under the paneling and trim to the backseat. Feed the RCAs back to the trunk. Make sure you can tell which RCA goes to which output---the outputs will be marked at the receiver. Color coding should help you keep right and left connectors separate.
5. Connect the remote wire from the amplifier kit to the remote wire from the receiver. This wire is often blue; if it isn't, check the manual for your receiver to determine which color to look for. Solder the wires together or twist and use electric tape. Run the wire through the same hole as the RCA wires in the carpet. Feed the wire to the same side as the power wire. Continue to run the remote wire alongside the power wire to the trunk.
6. Solder one end of the amplifier kit ground wire and one end of your extra ground wire to the frame of your trunk. You will need to pull up a corner of the carpet in order to do this. Simply push the carpet back down when you are done.
7. Connect the end of the power wire to the power supply terminal on the distributor block. Tighten this connection with a screwdriver (or hex tool if your block uses one). Cut your additional power wire into two equal pieces---long enough to reach the amplifiers. Connect one end of each piece to the distributor block and tighten the connection.
8. Connect the RCA ends to the appropriate amplifier. On some amps---if being used for the same signal---you can connect one RCA pair to the amplifier and connect the second amp by using an RCA output on the first amp.
9. Connect a power wire to each amplifier. Tighten the terminal connection using a screwdriver. You will need to cut two lengths of remote wire. Connect these two pieces to the remote wire by twisting them together and using electric tape or by soldering. Because the remote connection does not need to be strong, as long as the wires maintain contact there will not normally be a problem. Connect the two ends to the remote terminals on the amplifiers.
10. Connect your speakers. If you are connecting subwoofers consider bridging connections on your amplifier. Use the provided speaker wire and connect the wires to the speakers themselves or to an enclosure that is wired to the speakers.
11. Connect the ground wires to the amplifiers. While you can do this prior to connecting the speakers, it is always good practice to connect ground wires last.
12. Make sure the fuse is not in the fuse box. Connect the ring terminal on the end of the speaker wire to the battery terminal by removing the terminal nut. Place the ring over the bolt and replace the nut.
13. Connect the battery. Attach the positive connection first. Then secure the negative terminal.
14. Turn the car power on and make sure everything is functioning properly. If so, turn off the car and insert the fuse into the fuse box. Secure the lid on the fuse box. Start the car and test your stereo. After you are sure everything is working tighten the door trim and make sure to put the heat protective coiling on the power wire under the hood.
Tags: power wire, remote wire, Feed wire, will need, your receiver, amplifier power, amplifiers Connect