Wiring in the trunk

[patsissons]

Hey guys, I'm planning on dumping a an amp and sub box in my trunk in the next few days. I was wondering if there is a best place to connect the +12V lead and the ground lead. I also plan on purchasing this RCA+remote lead cable that I will run up to the new deck i just put in. So I'm also wondering what is the best way and where is the best place to run this cable. Thanks for the info guys, whatever i come up with I will be posting on my mazda guide wikibook.

 

[GhostMercury]

well you run the power to the battery from the driver side of the car. ground the amp in the back of the car. (there are some bolts under the carpet in the trunk to ground it off of) the run the remote and speaker wires on the passanger side of the car so there is no interference between them and the power wire. its a reall easy install. o and have the fuse as close to the battery as possible

 

[patsissons]

any tips on threading the wires under the fabric? I would like this job to look as nice as possible.

 

[GhostMercury]

all my wire are hidden under the moldings. you can pop the moldings off rite by the door and hide all of the wires under there. they come off real easy just give them a tug.

 

[patsissons]

thanks man, i'll give that a go sometime in the next few days

 

[branden]

i grounded mine to the bolt that's holding the bench part of the back seat. it's very easy to get to and you can hide the wire under the carpet if you want, or just leave it under the seat. also dont forget to run sound and power on oposite sides of the car. if you dont there is a posibility of feedback in the sub. i'll take some pics of my routing for the power if you want, i ran it from the battery, into the fender, and then into the car with the rest of the wires in the door, then hid it all under the moldings (it's much easier than running it under the carpet).

 

[patsissons]

pictures would be great if it's not too much trouble.

 

[jasony88]

yay pics...i was about to post something like this too....cost too much to pay ppl to wire it for u ^.^

 

[THE Phen]

I usually put my fuse within 18" of the battery. Last I knew that was an IASCA regulation too...

But if you can't, and you aren't competeing...then it really doesn't matter.

 

[Shasta]

Heres an interior pic with no carpet. Gives you at least an idea of the floor plan.

 

[branden]

i'll have some pics for you after i get out of my classes today.

 

[Mr.Ames]

(uhm) its kinda hard to hide a 1/0 power wire under the trim panels
doesnt tuck under the carpet very nicely either

 

[jasony88]

hey..is it hard to take everything out like that?

taking out the panels and carpets and stuff....is there a how-to somewhere like where to get started

cuz honestly if i had to du this i have no idea where to start >.>

 

[Beau M]

Sounds like you should take it to a shop. Its better to pay for clean install than to pay to fix your screwed up ride.

 

[branden]

(uhm) its kinda hard to hide a 1/0 power wire under the trim panels
doesnt tuck under the carpet very nicely either

then you would have to run it under the center console. and then drop it down under the carpet on either the passenger or driver side under the seat, then run it along that little lump in the middle of the floor. and then under the back seat.

 

[GhostMercury]

omg the wires will fit under the panels by the door. I KNOW because thats where mine are. run it through the firewall. and then run it through the panels by the door all the way to the back

 

[patsissons]

The power wire will be 8AGW (from the package that I'm buying). I have already wired the interconnects (and remote lead) on the passenger side, they fit very easily under the pannels. I have never worked with such thick wiring before, so I'm not quite sure what to expect for 8 guage wiring. But Im sure I can fit them along the driver's side.

Edit: I just looked up 6AWG wiring on wikipedia, its only 0.162in / 4.115mm thick. It should be very easy to fit that under the pannels, the interconnect cable was much thicker than that.

 

[chuyler1]

This thread belongs in the CA&E section.

Connect your power wire to the battery and place a fuse within 12" of the battery.

Connect your ground wire to one of the seatbelt bolts. It is probably one of the most secure places to use that doesn't require drilling your own hole (which may lead to drilling a hole in the gas tank).

Run wires under the plastic door jam panels. They pop right off and have plenty of space for up to 4ga wire, maybe even 1/0ga wire. Run the power wire through the firewall using one of the existing rubber grommets. Carefully cut a new hole on the side and feed your wire through.

What is this mazda wiki that you speak of?

 

[patsissons]

I thought about posting in the CA&E but i was hoping to get responses from other P5 owners who have done the same install. If there is a generic install tutorial in CA&E please link it so i can agregate its information into the tutorial on the wikibook. oh and the wikibook url is Mazda Guide Wikibook .

 

[chuyler1]

This thread pretty much covers everything:
How To: Install Amp Wiring Kit