I just got a Clarion custom formed enclosure with amplified (100w D class) sub (8") on sale from Crutchfield ($199 amplified..usually $450) for my 99 Explorer Sport. Im confused on how to hook it up. I have a Pioneer DEHP4400 headunit which has rear RCA preamp outputs. The sub has RCA jacks on it as well. Im assuming that an RCA cable should go from the head unit directly to the amp/sub, right? The sub came with a big wiring harness that has a black ground wire but if I use the RCA cables then how do I ground it? Do I need to ground it? Please help!! I just dont know what to do.
Thanks!

 

>I just got a Clarion custom formed enclosure with amplified
>(100w D class) sub (8") on sale from Crutchfield ($199
>amplified..usually $450) for my 99 Explorer Sport. Im
>confused on how to hook it up. I have a Pioneer DEHP4400
>headunit which has rear RCA preamp outputs. The sub has RCA
>jacks on it as well. Im assuming that an RCA cable should
>go from the head unit directly to the amp/sub, right? The
>sub came with a big wiring harness that has a black ground
>wire but if I use the RCA cables then how do I ground it?
>Do I need to ground it? Please help!! I just dont know
>what to do.
>Thanks!

The RCA cables are connected to the RCA cables on the head unit, correct...The rest of the wires are for the amplifier in the sub. You will need to supply it power, a ground, and a "trigger" to tell it when to come on..Some models use the presence of signal on the RCA jacks to start up, but check your docs...The trigger is connected to the power antenna hot lead on the head unit, and supplies a signal to tell the amplifier to turn on....

Your docs should tell you about the details of the wiring, and I suspect they would suggest that you run an 8 guage or so wire directly to the battery..If you run directly to the battery, MAKE SURE YOU PUT A FUSE IN THE LINE JUST AFTER THE CONENCTION TO THE BATTERY. Its a very dangerous thing not to...

Lemme know....if you need more help....you can email me...

 

maybe it would be simpler to buy an amp wiring kit? they sell them at wal-mart, 250w for like $10, it already has a fused power wire, ground, and remote start up(to turn tha amp/sub on when tha HU is on so it doesnt drain tha battery). hopefully this should help u out in ur dilema.

 

Good call optikal...

Just follow the manufacturer's suggestion on wire size for power and ground (wouldn't trust the wal-mart specs for what watt output to match up with). If the sub specs don't say, for the best performance/price ratio, use 8ga power and ground wire. That way you should not starve the amp for power on long runs of cable...Trigger makes little difference, as long as its at least 18ga. Use good quality patch (RCA) cables too...every little bit adds up...!!

Does that "big wiring harness" have long lengths of cable?

 

ur right, cant trust wal-mart, my amp kit has 8guage for a 400W amp...i know it isnt the right one, but im getting a new kit soon, so i can wire in to amps with a distribution block, 4 guage to the block and 8 after, wire each amp ground serperatly. how would i do the amp remote wires? do i just run to into one?

 

Yep, the remote wires can just be connected together....

I always used 4ga wire as my standard for multi amp installs...Use the high quality stuff that is heavily stranded and you should be fine...(that stuff has gotten expensive!! I used to buy it from a welding supply house, it was just as good as the street wires or monster stuff, but lots cheaper..just make sure its the stranded type if you try the welding supply route..)

I have seen 2 ga and 0g installs, but that stuff is hard to work with, and those were only where folks had a marine battery for their amps, and a battery isolator for the alternator to charge both...A little over kill

 

Actually it doesnt require an amp wiring kit. The harness that comes with it is basically the same as a headunit harness (its 17 feet long). All the wires are going into one single plastic connector that plugs into the amp on the sub enclosure. There is a connector at the other end that Im supposed to wire into the headunit harness (power, ground, remote) and then connect the two together (if that makes sense). I run the RCAs from the head to the amp. It doesnt say that I need to run a cable directly to the battery. Maybe because its only a 100w class D amp?

 

>Actually it doesnt require an amp wiring kit. The harness
>that comes with it is basically the same as a headunit
>harness (its 17 feet long). All the wires are going into
>one single plastic connector that plugs into the amp on the
>sub enclosure. There is a connector at the other end that
>Im supposed to wire into the headunit harness (power,
>ground, remote) and then connect the two together (if that
>makes sense). I run the RCAs from the head to the amp. It
>doesnt say that I need to run a cable directly to the
>battery. Maybe because its only a 100w class D amp?

Great that it does not need a kit...Those wires are seventeen feet long because they expect you to go to the battery. A 100 watt amp could draw plenty of power. I assume it has a fuse holder and fuse somewhere on the power side too...

So, this is what you should expect...
Power lead (likely RED) will go to the battery
Ground (likely black) will go to a good chassis ground location (with paint scraped off)
Trigger aka amp/power antenna turn on (often blue) will go the head unit
RCA cables will go to the head unit

You could tie into the system somewhere else for power, but I would HIGHLY recommend against it. You may find that you will begin to blow fuses at the fuse block under louder volumes, depending on what circuit you tap into....

Installing an amp is not trivial, but it ain't rocket science either

 

The harness is obviously totally designed to tap into the head unit wiring harness. Its got plastic connectors on both ends with about 6 inches of loose wire to splice into the head unit wiring harness. Its designed specifically for my truck so Ill take their word for it. Anyway, thanks all for the help. Im hooking it up tonite so Ill let you know what I think.