^The name pretty much says it all. i havnt bought it yet but its on gumtree and its a fusion sub with a built in amplifier.

Wondering how to install it and what do i need to install (Does my headunit need anything on it so that it will work). Its a sony Xplod headunit.

You need to run RCA leads and a 'remote' (or 'trigger') wire to from the headunit to the amplifier. Anything will do for your remote wire - leftover speaker wire is definitely sufficient. As long as you don't have another amp connected to your headunit, you shouldn't have any dramas installing - I haven't seen an a name-brand aftermarket headunit with at least one set of RCA outputs.

You will also need to run a power wire from your battery to the amplifier, and a ground wire to run from the amplifier to a grounding point on the car.

Something like this (http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/SCA-Amplifier-Wiring-Kit-2-Channel-8G.aspx?pid=224465#Description) would do the trick. It's only basic, but I wouldn't be going overboard for a cheapo sub/amp. You would be better to go for something else if you're planning on adding an additional amplifier or upgrading the stereo later down the track.

Okay thanks I have bought it now, it has a remote plug hole that kind of looks like a telephone input plug. Also to connect the power to amp do I have to go through the firewall or is there an easier way

On my old Response amplifier, the telephone input plug was for a remote gain/bass controller. I imagine it'd be for something similar on yours too.

The 'remote' is a screw terminal just the same as your power and ground terminals - for example, you can see one to the left of this pic (http://caraudiomag.com/sites/default/files/images/00000/10/72/07zoom_alpine_pdx_4_150_close_up_terminals.jpg).

Power has to come direct from the battery, so it's going to have to be run through the firewall. On automatic Magna, there's a hole in the firewall roughly behind the centre console- that's where I've run mine (see this pic (http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd31/89djm/?action=view&current=P1030622.jpg). There's a couple of other places you can run it tho.

The wires connected to this amp look nowhere near long enough to run from the battery to the boot.
I will go down and take some pictures of it and then PM them to you. i have absolutely no idea what im doing here. ive looked at many tutorials and i cant get my head around it.

1) You need to run a power wire (fused) from the battery to the amp.
2) You need to ground the amp to the chassis of the car, shorter the ground the better.
3) You need to run a pair of RCA's from the head unit to the amp input
4) You then need to run a remote (turn on) wire from the back of the head unit to the amp aswell.

If you need more info i will chime in with more when i get back.

When you say Fused, there is a fuse in my amp next to all of the plugs for the wires. Is that what you mean?

http://imageshack.us/g/37/20110613145837.jpg/

Fusion will sell you an 'install' kit, costs approx $80 and gives you rca leads, power lead, remote wire as well as a remote bass control box. Is it long enough? Not sure, in my TH I had a 12" Fusion tube (fits perfectly between the wheel arches, use the back wall to tie it down with the straps), mine came without the install kit (what happens when you buy something second hand and its advertised as new :() but it was a simple matter of buying the components seperately.

From your photos, you have the remnants of a Fusion kit, probably the one that came with the sub originally.

fused does not mean the fuse on your amp panel, you need to run an inline fuse on the power wire, put it as close to your battery as you can. The ground wire you should attach as close to the sub as possible, there is a good bolt inside the boot, on the floor on the left hand side, sort of below the antennae mount.

Mine is second hand also, its the fusion tube with built in amp. All i need is a longer power lead i think, Maybe i should go down to supercheap auto and have a look for an AMP install kit

as in an inline fuse in the power wire. like this http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RAPTOR-FPC4G-FUSE-HOLDER-/300550569880?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45fa35bf98#ht_500wt_922

Oh okay, they have them in supercheap auto :)

were you located someone might be able to give ya a hand or pointer at least

I live in goldcoast, i think i have got the basics into my head now anyway though. I will write what i think i need to do.


So ive got my RCA cables connected to the back on the headunit and to the back of the amp.
Now i have to remove my (Neg) power from battery.
Now i need to make a hole in the firewall, (or find one :S) dont know where to look.
Then i have to connect my power to the battery (Pos) then i have no idea how to install the inline fuse. do i cut my wire so that there is a gap, then solder the fuse wire to the power wire ?

Now i need to make a hole in the firewall, (or find one :S) dont know where to look.
Then i have to connect my power to the battery (Pos) then i have no idea how to install the inline fuse. do i cut my wire so that there is a gap, then solder the fuse wire to the power wire ?
Check the photo I sent you dude. Easiest thing to do is run the cable through from the cabin, and you'll see it poking out in the engine bay. If you're going to run your wire down the left hand side of the car, search the forums, as there's an alternate hole you can use.

The few fuses I've used have all had 'screw' terminals at either end of the fuse - no soldering required for the engine bay fuse. Just cut the wire and remove some of the sheathing.

Okay sweet thanks, i looked at that photo its confusing because i looked in my car before and couldnt find where it was.

Okay so i went down to supercheap and bough a wire that is WAY thicker than the power lead already connected **OOPS** is this a big problem? or does it matter at all

Okay so i went down to supercheap and bough a wire that is WAY thicker than the power lead already connected **OOPS** is this a big problem? or does it matter at all

Ok so your amp has a plug input for the power, remote and ground wire. Which means you will need to attach your wires to the current wires that are already coming out of the plug. So you need to get your power wire from the battery to the boot and then attach it to the current wire that is coming out of the plug, and if the wire you now have it much bigger you will have some difficulty, so you will need to get something close enough so the point where solder and heat shrink will suffice.

I have included some photos that might help you aswell.

Below is a pic of my inline power fuse (mine is 0 gauge so yours wont be this big), now the fuse splits the wire into 2 parts and each part is attach into the fuse block via grub screws. After that my wire comes into the wheel well behind the strut tower and then into the cabin.
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/4051/dsc00484ca.jpg
By peaandham (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/peaandham) at 2011-02-04
http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/7250/dsc00450.jpg
By peaandham (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/peaandham) at 2011-01-31

This is a ground of one of my amps in the boot of my car. The surface underneath must be thoroughly sanded.
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/1345/sany0942.jpg
By peaandham (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/peaandham) at 2011-06-14

These are my rca's that come from the back of the headunit into the amp (the remote wire takes the same route but then connects into your clip)
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4930/dsc00824nj.jpg
By peaandham (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/peaandham) at 2011-06-11

Okay well, i have the same power wwire size as you do, but the one coming out of the plug is alot smaller, can i connect them together, or do i have to get new wire the same size.

Also, my fuse is 60amp, is that enough for that size wire?

Mine is actually probably thinner wire but it is quite thick

Ok if its 50-70mm thick in diameter it would be 0 gauge which mine is. The grey cables that i have coming out of the distro are 4 gauge, so my bet is you will either have that or 8 gauge.

If you can physically join the wires together you should be alright but it would be overkill for your situation, if you must join them instead of getting smaller stuff the ground wire will need to be the same size, if not bigger than the power.

Edit: If you have 8 gauge power wire, a 60 amp fuse will suffice.

I have 4 gauge, wire, will 60amp still be okay?

Normally it would depend on what you amp is drawing but i would suggest around 120-150amp to keep it simple.

:S
i have bought a 4 pack of 60 amp fuses because thats all that they had left. Will it work, or just blow straight away? The amplifier is like 350-400 watts i think

What amp fuses are on the amp? and how many?

Good luck blowing a 60a fuse on a 400w amplifier. I would think 60a should be plenty. But as peaandham has suggested check the fuses if any on the amp itself then add up the fuse values and there is an easy total

When you run your power lead to your battery make sure you run your rca and remote wire down the adjacent side
if not you can get static electricity distortion and thats shit.

14.4V X 60A = 864W to blow the fuse. The fuses on the amp protect the amp from overloading itself, and the big fuse on the (+) battery wire is there so that if your amp power wire accidentally comes in contact with the body somewhere (accidentally drop the end with power connected, or the body(-) cuts into the insulation somewhere that it goes through a hole etc) the fuse will blow instead of the whole wire heating up and setting things on fire. This is why you put the big fuse close to the battery, because anything on the battery side of the fuse could potentially short out and catch fire. Also, make sure that your power cable can handle more than 60A if you use a 60A fuse, if you use thin cable that catches fire at 50A of current draw, the 60A fuse won't blow and the risk of something going wrong comes back.

Okay, well i just read what wagonPOWER wrote, and realised why one thing isnt working, haha. but also, The amp only powers on when i go to the source "Tuner" (radio) on my headunit. Aux and CD and the amp just shuts off. Also when i turn the volume up (even when on CD so the amp isnt on) It just cuts out and turns the cd player off. then it starts up again ? is this because the RCA and power are next to eachother.

(Also the RCA leads and power come from the same place(through the center consol, is that okay if they are just near eachother from the headunit to the back of the centre consol?)

You have connected the amp remote wire wrong thats all. You have connected it to the power antenna output on the head unit instead of the amp remote output. Change them over and that will be fine

As for the head unit cutting out may be a dry connection between the head unit and car loom. Power cable may not be strong enough aswell for the head unit itself. It has nothing to do with the RCA and power being close together that will only cause interference and ground loops. Sounds to me you have connected the speakers to the wrong polarity ( +, - around the wrong way) or you have connected to many speakers to one channel. The impedance protection is cutting the head units power

Try and keep the RCA and positive cable seperate when possible

I have 6 speakers on connected to the radio (4 of them are hooked up together because there was no other ports).
Also, For the connection of amp remote, i have connected Blue to blue, and the only other wire there is black, and thats earth or something, because that doesnt work with it either :\

I have 6 speakers on connected to the radio (4 of them are hooked up together because there was no other ports).
That's not good lol Go back to 4 speakers.


Also, For the connection of amp remote, i have connected Blue to blue, and the only other wire there is black, and thats earth or something, because that doesnt work with it either :\
Check your headunit manual. MR SPL's dead correct - your remote is hooked up incorrectly.

Okay thanks guys! il look at it all in a bit and reply with how i got on.

Okay, well i just read what wagonPOWER wrote, and realised why one thing isnt working, haha. but also, The amp only powers on when i go to the source "Tuner" (radio) on my headunit. Aux and CD and the amp just shuts off. Also when i turn the volume up (even when on CD so the amp isnt on) It just cuts out and turns the cd player off. then it starts up again ? is this because the RCA and power are next to eachother.


To clear one thing up, running the RCA's next to the power wire will not cause anything to cut out, the RCA's are a signal cable so they could pickup interference from the power wire if run too close.

As for the amp only turning on when you are on "Tuner" makes me believe that your head unit has an option for an electric antenna and that is what you are spliced into. See the antenna wire on the back of the head unit (not to be mistaken with the antenna input "black female plug" cable) causes the antenna to extend (if automatic) when the radio is on and detract when it is off. That means unless your in "tuner" the wire isnt getting any power.

As for the speakers, run no more than four of the head unit and do not bridge the connections, just leave one channel for one speaker.

What "6 speakers" are you running from the headunit?

If they are 6 individual separate speakers like everyone else is assuming, then you may have 2 of them wired in parallel which will make the headunits amplifier work too hard and over heat. This will cause a good headunit or amplifier to shutdown and cool down.
A lesser headunit or amplifier would simply melt something inside and become a brick. :)
If you wired those speakers in series instead, then the amplifier won't work as hard, but they will each receive half the power that one speaker would receive.

If you've simply got a set of splits or component speakers which have a separate woofer and tweeter, then this should be OK and it might just be that the Sony headunit's amplifier can't handle high volume for long and is going into thermal shutdown anyway.

Sounds like you're having fun at least :)

I have removed 2 speakers from the headunit so it shouldnt still be cutting out should it? But it is.
Also, I have moves the RCA so it runs along the side of the car and the power runs through the centre consol. When i touch the RCA the subwoofer goes NUTS and is so loud. But when they are left it is minimal sound and hardly any bass (from the woofer) The speakers all work fine though.