When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Here's what it looks like back there. You can see the Amp/DSP (a zillion wires in and out). You can see the 4 wires from the DSP/Amp to the actual sub. It goes into that green harness as purple, yellow, green, and grey. It comes out as red, black, white, and green. So, the wiring diagram I linked to above reference the first set and you'd have to inspect the harness to see how they match up. But, those are the wires carrying the signal to the speaker and the wires you need to run into the LOC.
Oh, and that is wood back in there at the base of my cab wall (left of the speaker, behind the insulation). My truck apparently is constructed from at least a little wood. WTF?
Alternatively (to LOC), you could try an amp that accepts high level speaker inputs directly. For example, Kicker's amps have supposed technology (FIT and FIT2) that handle amplified speaker-level inputs better than if you dropped the signals down with a LOC. Here's how Kicker describes it:
No, I don't. But, I'd modify that long post above with a speaker-level install. Too much stuff is running through the amp/dsp to try to grab a signal before the factory amp. Dropping in an amp and sub is not really much more technical than replacing speakers ... just a few more steps and you have the PITA of running a thick power cable.
If you tilt your seat back forward, you can easily see the wiring harness for the factory sub (lots of good videos on how to lower your driver side seat back). Anyway, there's a bundle of 4 wires that come out of the DSP/Amp. For ease of installation, these 4 wires have a connector/harness and, in my case, it changes the colors. Anyway, the four wires are for the factory DVC sub ... +/- for each channel. The wiring diagram I posted earlier shows the +/- colors for each channel. But, as mentioned immediately above this post, you must grab the signals off the factory subwoofer channel. Otherwise, the factory DSP will have already removes most of the bass frequencies and there won't be much left to amplify.
That's all you need. Cut those wires and use them for your signal. It will be a moderately amplified signal, but nothing to worry about. You'll run those speaker level wires into the line converter. It's a mono signal, so don't worry about left or right when tying into the line converter ... which just steps the signal into an RCA signal suitable for an amp input. I'd use something like the Scosche LOC90, as it also gives me a remote signal that I can run to the amp.
So, for car audio, that's all you need to do. Grab those sub audio lines, run them into your line converter, run the RCA cables into your amp input, and then run the amp's speaker outs to your new aftermarket sub. Connect your amp to your battery using 8 ga OFC or 4 ga CCA (assuming a smallish 200-400 W RMS). Find a nearby ground for the amp. Connect a proper remote turn on for the amp (some can also use the speaker signal as a turn on). That's all the car audio stuff.
The rest is just mechanical and has nothing to do with car audio. For example, you have to run a thick power cable from your battery back to your amp. That has nothing to do with understanding car audio. It's just figuring out how to run the cable, where to punch through the firewall, how to run cables under sill plates, etc.
Reusing the factory enclosure is also mechanical. Disconnect the sub wiring by disconnecting the wiring harness I mentioned above. Remove the bolts that hold the factory sub enclosure in place and drag it out of your truck. You may have to finesse the new speaker into the factory sub cutout. Also go to walmart's crafts section and grab a bag of Polyfil (synthetic pillow filling batting). Stuff that into factory enclosure.
Follow one of about 974 available online subwoofer wiring diagrams to properly wire your aftermarket sub ... depending on SVC, DVC, and desired impedance. Most people shoot for a 2 Ohm load onto the amp. So, depending on the number of speakers, coils, etc., you will wire your speakers in various configurations. You don't need to become an electrical engineer and learn about the nuances of parallel vs serial resistances; just pick the scenario you want and wire according to the diagram. Here's a good place to start.
Anyway, this is the beauty of the mod. If you stay simple (single 8" sub, reusing factory enclosure), it's a fairly easy $300-$400 mod that will improve your audio by 10x. Again, too many people tend to think subs are for 16 year old kids driving crappy hatchbacks around the block. Nope. They make all music sound fuller, deeper, and just plain better.
Quick question, I found the green plug to factory sub and I have a set of bare wire to rca plugs to convert. I’m using a kicker amp with FIT so don’t need a Loc. But the 4 wires going to factory sub do I use both negatives and both positives to the rca plug wire? Thanks
No, I don't. But, I'd modify that long post above with a speaker-level install. Too much stuff is running through the amp/dsp to try to grab a signal before the factory amp. Dropping in an amp and sub is not really much more technical than replacing speakers ... just a few more steps and you have the PITA of running a thick power cable.
If you tilt your seat back forward, you can easily see the wiring harness for the factory sub (lots of good videos on how to lower your driver side seat back). Anyway, there's a bundle of 4 wires that come out of the DSP/Amp. For ease of installation, these 4 wires have a connector/harness and, in my case, it changes the colors. Anyway, the four wires are for the factory DVC sub ... +/- for each channel. The wiring diagram I posted earlier shows the +/- colors for each channel. But, as mentioned immediately above this post, you must grab the signals off the factory subwoofer channel. Otherwise, the factory DSP will have already removes most of the bass frequencies and there won't be much left to amplify.
That's all you need. Cut those wires and use them for your signal. It will be a moderately amplified signal, but nothing to worry about. You'll run those speaker level wires into the line converter. It's a mono signal, so don't worry about left or right when tying into the line converter ... which just steps the signal into an RCA signal suitable for an amp input. I'd use something like the Scosche LOC90, as it also gives me a remote signal that I can run to the amp.
So, for car audio, that's all you need to do. Grab those sub audio lines, run them into your line converter, run the RCA cables into your amp input, and then run the amp's speaker outs to your new aftermarket sub. Connect your amp to your battery using 8 ga OFC or 4 ga CCA (assuming a smallish 200-400 W RMS). Find a nearby ground for the amp. Connect a proper remote turn on for the amp (some can also use the speaker signal as a turn on). That's all the car audio stuff.
The rest is just mechanical and has nothing to do with car audio. For example, you have to run a thick power cable from your battery back to your amp. That has nothing to do with understanding car audio. It's just figuring out how to run the cable, where to punch through the firewall, how to run cables under sill plates, etc.
Reusing the factory enclosure is also mechanical. Disconnect the sub wiring by disconnecting the wiring harness I mentioned above. Remove the bolts that hold the factory sub enclosure in place and drag it out of your truck. You may have to finesse the new speaker into the factory sub cutout. Also go to walmart's crafts section and grab a bag of Polyfil (synthetic pillow filling batting). Stuff that into factory enclosure.
Follow one of about 974 available online subwoofer wiring diagrams to properly wire your aftermarket sub ... depending on SVC, DVC, and desired impedance. Most people shoot for a 2 Ohm load onto the amp. So, depending on the number of speakers, coils, etc., you will wire your speakers in various configurations. You don't need to become an electrical engineer and learn about the nuances of parallel vs serial resistances; just pick the scenario you want and wire according to the diagram. Here's a good place to start.
Anyway, this is the beauty of the mod. If you stay simple (single 8" sub, reusing factory enclosure), it's a fairly easy $300-$400 mod that will improve your audio by 10x. Again, too many people tend to think subs are for 16 year old kids driving crappy hatchbacks around the block. Nope. They make all music sound fuller, deeper, and just plain better.
quick question, I found the green harness to the stock sub, I have the bare wire- to rca plugs going to a kicker amp with FIT so don’t need a Loc. My question is the 4 wires going to the sub, do I put the 2 negatives together and 2 positives together to the rca wire converter? And also do you know the colors that go together to connect. Thanks
