Audiophile and aftermarket sub?
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: Mississippi
O6 lariat f150
Well, first off, I wasn't smart enough to take pictures of what I did. 
First, you're gonna need the harness that plugs in to the back of the head unit for the sub. This provides sub signal out, as well as remote turn on for the amp. I pulled this Ford part number from a previous thread, so I hope it's correct:
3U2Z-14S411-DLA: Connector w/ leads that plugs into head unit
I ended up buying a full set of three plugs (Main, Sub, and DVD) because I wanted to tap into some speaker leads in the main harness, but I didn't want to alter the factory wiring. The set I purchased is here:
Factory Radio Harness
The plug you're looking for to control a sub is the one on the far right (smallest). If I were you, I'd take that picture to the dealer when you order/pickup your part, just to be safe.
Once you have your plug, you're home free. The rest is pretty easy.
Now you'll need some wire to feed the sub signal back to your amp. I ended up using a shielded microphone cable because I initially intended on hooking up the stock sub and amp. The wire I used can be found at http://www.mcmaster.com, part number 71055K73. It's a two-lead, shielded cable with drain wire.
Now for the hookup. The plug that fits the back of the head unit has 8 pins. You only need 4 of them:
Pin 1 - Sub signal +
Pin 2 - Sub signal -
Pin 3 - Amp remote turn on
Pin 4 - Shield drain.
The first three are pretty self explanatory. Just make sure that the sub signal goes to the low level input of the amp. (You need to solder an RCA plug to the sub +/- in the cable, then use a Y to feed both left and right channels of the amp). Just in case you weren't aware, the + of an RCA plug is the center. I also ran the turn on/power and signal wires on opposite sides of the truck, to try to avoid interference.
The drain wire gets attached to the bare lead in the shielded cable. I'm not sure if it does anything, but I left it hooked up anyway.
I didn't try, but I would think you could get away with a single RCA cable, with one end cut and spliced into the connector. I guess it would all depend on whether that drain wire is actually doing anything without being connected to the stock sub amp. Some electrical engineer out there will need to chime in on that one.
Now all that's left is providing power to the amp via a constant 12v fused source, give the amp a good ground, and hook up your sub. I've been running this way for a few weeks now, and it's been perfect so far.
I'll need to warn you though: Once you have an aftermarket sub thumping in the back, you'll be struggling to hear the door speakers. So don't be surprised if next your buying an amp to power the fronts also!
E...
First, you're gonna need the harness that plugs in to the back of the head unit for the sub. This provides sub signal out, as well as remote turn on for the amp. I pulled this Ford part number from a previous thread, so I hope it's correct:
3U2Z-14S411-DLA: Connector w/ leads that plugs into head unit
I ended up buying a full set of three plugs (Main, Sub, and DVD) because I wanted to tap into some speaker leads in the main harness, but I didn't want to alter the factory wiring. The set I purchased is here:
Factory Radio Harness
The plug you're looking for to control a sub is the one on the far right (smallest). If I were you, I'd take that picture to the dealer when you order/pickup your part, just to be safe.
Once you have your plug, you're home free. The rest is pretty easy.
Now you'll need some wire to feed the sub signal back to your amp. I ended up using a shielded microphone cable because I initially intended on hooking up the stock sub and amp. The wire I used can be found at http://www.mcmaster.com, part number 71055K73. It's a two-lead, shielded cable with drain wire.
Now for the hookup. The plug that fits the back of the head unit has 8 pins. You only need 4 of them:
Pin 1 - Sub signal +
Pin 2 - Sub signal -
Pin 3 - Amp remote turn on
Pin 4 - Shield drain.
The first three are pretty self explanatory. Just make sure that the sub signal goes to the low level input of the amp. (You need to solder an RCA plug to the sub +/- in the cable, then use a Y to feed both left and right channels of the amp). Just in case you weren't aware, the + of an RCA plug is the center. I also ran the turn on/power and signal wires on opposite sides of the truck, to try to avoid interference.
The drain wire gets attached to the bare lead in the shielded cable. I'm not sure if it does anything, but I left it hooked up anyway.
I didn't try, but I would think you could get away with a single RCA cable, with one end cut and spliced into the connector. I guess it would all depend on whether that drain wire is actually doing anything without being connected to the stock sub amp. Some electrical engineer out there will need to chime in on that one.
Now all that's left is providing power to the amp via a constant 12v fused source, give the amp a good ground, and hook up your sub. I've been running this way for a few weeks now, and it's been perfect so far.
I'll need to warn you though: Once you have an aftermarket sub thumping in the back, you'll be struggling to hear the door speakers. So don't be surprised if next your buying an amp to power the fronts also!
E...