I would like to know HOW to wire your remote turn on lead into the fuse box and how did everyone wire their power leads. As many details as possible please. Thank you

 

I did my amp turn-on to the switched power at the factory head unit. I don't like it as I have a pop every time I turn the truck on and off. But, I am using a cheap line level converter. I am going to get one of these which is supposed to be perfect. I hope so.

 

99Whtlghtnng -

First you need to determine which radio wiring style you have. Compare it to what you see on this page: Ford Radio Wiring

If you are lucky and yours is there, you are halfway there.

As far as a power lead for an amplifier, you need to install a fuse holder near the battery and at least #8 wire to the amplifier. Be sure to use the same size ground cable as well. Try to keep the ground cable short as possible.

In the link I posted, the section for 1998-1999 Fords shows a connector with 16 pins, labeled A-P. You would connect a wire from Pin O to your amp's remote turn-on terminal. Be aware that this will power the amp whenever the truck's ignition is on, not just when the radio is on.

If it were me, I'd check the pins labeled E, F and G to see if any of them provide +12VDC when the radio or CD is turned on. That would be a cleaner installation than using the ignition on circuit.

Good luck !!

 

First, thanks for the good info guys. I am going to put in an amp and sub in a month or so also. APT I found that converter thingy cheaper HERE I haven't bought anything there so I don't know anything other than the price. Might be worth looking into though. It sounds like you wired your amp in to one of pins B-man mentioned in his post? I wouldn't like the popping either but I've lived with worse.

 

Thanks, BigC. For the amp turn on signal, I spliced into the I pin on the on the 98-99 Ford connector in B-man's link. For the speaker signal, I cut into the line in the passenger footwell for the sub. I also want to power my front components, but need to splice into the left front speaker wire which doesn't look too easy. Now I am thinking why not do it at the back of the HU? Once it warms up I'll get to that.

I have a source for that PAC OEM 2 for a less than that through another car forum. I can get you his e-mail address if you'd like. I am paying $72 shipped for two. I'll probably order tomorrow.

The popping sound I could handle, but my wife drives the truck every day and every day I get a complaint about it.

Aaron

 

Aaron,

That's good info, thanks. Actually splicing in at the back of the HU sounds like a great idea. I have an Expy and was going to mount the amp under the passenger seat. Splicing behind the HU will make for a much cleaner setup than I was thinking about.

I'll try going without the PAC OEM 2 and see whether it's acceptable or not. That is a great price though. My wife doesn't drive the Expy very often so needless to say I won't have to endure the same amount of grief you are over it. I'll let you know if I need that email address. I see you post very frequently so I know how to find you.

Thanks again!

Brent

 

BigC -

I helped a friend of mine install a 4 channel amp for the doors and a mono amp for a new sub in a 2000 Explorer. His connector was like the one I mentioned earlier. (The A-P labeled connector)

We wired the "O" terminal to the amp's remote turn-on, and I have not heard a pop or any other annoying noises because of it. Since you said you are going to be installing it in a month or so, does this mean you have not purchased yet? If not, be sure to get an amp with a "turn-on delay" or "soft start" circuit.

BTW, my friend used Pioneer amps and they seem to work great...

Good luck !!

 

I found some more information on the PAC OEM 2. I believe it has a low voltage turn on feature that senses when there is a signal on the speaker lines, then delays the turn-on 1 second. A similar feature is on many home subwoofers with auto-turn on.

 

Oh, I'm glad I haven't bought the amp yet. I picked up THIS sub yesterday off Ubid for $38 shipped and I was looking at amps to drive it. Since you mentioned Pioneer B-man, do you guys think THIS one would drive that 8" sub ok? I was going to put bass blockers in my door speakers to make the stock HU watts go farther. I apologize for being cheap but my house suffered lots of foundation issues last summer with the drought and I'm spending thousands to fix it. Thanks for the help guys!!

Brent

 

If you want cheap, but good and I bet you do if shopping at Ubid, check out this Bazooka amp for $29. It is refurbished, but should be perfect for you. You can get more information on the product at Curtchfield's site. I know a few people who have purchased some Bazooka amps form Returnbuy as well as other products and have good feedback. Looks like it has speaker level inputs, but it may pop.

You may be able to turn down the bass on the HU and turn it up on the amp (with low pass crossover) to a satisfactory level. Or, the bass blockers work too.

 

APT and B-Man, thanks for the good advice. I am being very frugal here and did just purchase the Bazooka at ReturnBuy.com. That looked like a great deal to me, thanks Aaron! I sifted through their offerings and found one that had all the cables and a manual. If it pops, then I guess I'll get the PAC unit. I wonder how pissed off my wife will be when she see's the mastercard bill. Oh well, if you don't mix things up a little bit then lifes' no fun right?

Brent

 

BigC -

Good luck and be sure to post your results so we can all learn from your experience.

Enjoy the sub...

 

Will do. I appreciate the input. I know I'm not buying premium equipment but then I guess it's all in where you want to spend your money. I have a garage full of tools that make most folks drool as I don't spare any expense in that area.

I feel like I completely stole this thread from 99Whtlghtnng. SORRY! I hope you found your answer.

Brent

 

Update:

I recieved my PAC OEM2 Line Output Converters yesterday and replaced the cheap one I was using before. I also spliced the left front speaker so I can use my amp to power my components. I did only some very rough tuning by ear with the relative levels and crossover points, but the PAC OEM2 works as advertised. The instructions are not the most explicit, mainly because it is rather felxible how you want to wire it up. You give it a speaker wire input (high or low) as well as a switched power and ground and it delays the turn-on output about a second. No popping for the sub. So far no alternator whine though the tweeters either so I think I have a good ground.

I'm happy and so is the wifey.
Aaron

 

Good deal Aaron. I was wondering how well that solution would work. It always better when the wife's happy too.

I got my sub last friday but I'm still waiting on the amp. Supposedly, ReturnBuy is doing such a good business that they had to move to a bigger warehouse which delayed the shipment of the amp.

Brent