Ok, soo I bought my dvd system... and new speakers... and new subs... and new amps... only because I'm running 92.75 watts to each speaker inside (door speakers and rear deck speakers) I need to have a larger wire, 16 guage. Ok so I bought 50 ft of 16 guage speaker wire, and pulled off the bottom of the dash up front, and the center parts like the arm rest and the piece around the shift *** and cup holders, and also the backseat...and the door panels..Sooo I started running the wire, I started with one wire (two actually + and -, a regular speaker wire), I ran it from the trunk under the carpet, under the center dash parts, under the dash, then to the left side(driver's side).. now any ideas on where to put the cross over? in the trunk? under the fiberglass in the custom enclosure? or up front just to be easy and get less noise and only run 1 wire? but then where to mount it?............Anyways...my big problem..how to run the wire from the car to inside the door? I ran it up under the dash through the black rubber thing and i got to the door, only its not a hole like I expected. From what I got from it it seemed like a double female connector in the door? Male connectors on the end of the wires that would plug into each side of the door/female connnector? Should I just run another wire from another hole and insulate it then zip tie it to the rubber wire run? Then how should I water proof the holes? Ahhhh! A HEADACHE!!! HELP!

edit: note this is a 99 Civic Si


[Modified by funkylemons, 5:34 PM 4/29/2002]

 

You are doing EXACTLY what I will need to do in the coming months!

Question for you: You used 16 guage wire for ~90W RMS power to ocmponents? Is 4 guage overkill? What guage of wire is the stock Si wire?

I have a '99 MR Si, btw.

Sink

 

Thats exactly what I am going to do in a bout 2 weeks. In my integra though. I hear there really isnt an easy way to do it. I am only going to be pushing 50watts RMS to the speakers. But i am going to rewire with some high quality zinger twisted pair wire. I posted about this before, no one really has a good answer.

 

Maybe try Sound Domain or Elite Car Audio?

Just a thought.

 

Guys, I have done it, and will answer your questions tonight....gotta go to school right now.

~Rob

 

pain in the ****!!!...i drilled the unused portions of the snap connectors,then fed the speaker wire through(using a metal leader wire to fish it through)...
probably not the best way,but eventually it worked

 

Ok, I will try to answer all of these questions the best I can...

funkylemons...in the future, please separate long posts into paragraphs..yours is a bit tough on the eyes!!

Now, I never put crossovers into the doors. There technically is not a problem with putting them there, but it makes them tough to tune and play with. I mount them either in the trunk or under the front seats. In the trunk makes them fairly accessable, but you must run more wire.

For wire, 16 ga should be acceptable. 16 ga is the largest wire that I was able to pass though the door connector comfortably and not have to worry about creating problems. Others may have done the same operation with 12ga, but trust me you don't need the extra size, and the added risk doesn't make up for any benefit - it's essentally overkill.

Stock wiring for the speakers is about 22 ga, and is far too small for any highpowered application.

Stay away from any of that special twisted wire...it will be near impossible in this application. I have had good success with the Stinger Pro Series wire and the PG QX series wires. The bulky stuff (i.e. PG zero point), while it looks cool just won't work, and is a total pain to strip and cut, etc. Wire is very cheap, so buy PLENTY of extra...it's not cool to learn that your speaker wires are a foot too short after going through all this trouble. Take what you think you will need and add 50%...that's what I do, and the extra $5-10 is worth the extra insurance in the long run.

Ok, here is how you tackle the wire problem in the late model hondas (this is 00 Civic specific, but should cover everything as Honda recycles parts like it's going out of style)

First, open the door, and check things out. You will see a rubber boot and condiuit that runs from the door jamb to the door.

Remove the doorpanel, and peel back the weather coating...if you get any of that white goo on your arms, clothes, etc...expect it to be there for a while. You will see a bundle of wires entering the door protected by a white plastic piece. Remove the plastic piece by taking off the tape and set aside.

Next, remove the tape from the conduit running between the door and the car. You should be able to also remove the rubber portion from the door and the door jamb. You will notice a green plug on the outside, and a whte (I think) on the inside of the door. I may be wrong on the colors, but from here on out, the "green" one is on the outside and the "white" one is on the inside.

Separate the two plugs, and take a look at what you have. If you have no power options, you are happy, as you will have more room to work. The following steps should be performed very carefully, as ifyou mess up, your power options may not work, and it will be not only expensive but a pain to replace.

You will need a drill bit, the same size as one of the 4 wires you will pass though the plug (2 +tive and 2 -tive). Clear out some of the goo that is in the connectors, but not all of it. IF you look carefully, you will see that the plug has many provisions for more connectors. You will use 4 of these provisions as centerlines for the holes you are about to drill. Carefully select 4 matching provisions that are in a square pattern on both sides of the plug (green and white). Carefully drill through each side of the plug. The green plug is the biggest pain...there is a white section that will want to shift when you drill...hold it in place. Once you are done, you should have 4 matching passages to pass the wire though...deburr the holes.

Now, start by passing the pair of wires from the kickpane area through the hole in the door jamb. Give yourself PLENTY of extra wire to work with...a wire coat hanger will work well to pass the wire through. On the amplifier/crossover ends take the time to mark the woofer and tweeter wires, along with the right/left bias. Also mark the wires (using a sharpie) before you pass the wires through...this will save headaches when you go to hook it all up.

Next, pass the wire through the rubber grommet that plugs into the door jamb, then into the rubber conduit, and finally though the rubber sheath that mates to the green plug. Make sure that the wires lay flat and have not twisted.

Next, separate all wires from their matching pair. One at a time pass the single wire through the green plug. Then pass the through the door, and through the matching hole on the white plug.

Now, slowly, draw the two plugs together. Check constantly for any twisting or binding. Plug the harnesses into each other and into the door so that they are all seated properly.

Replace the white cover on the inside of the door, and retape the conduit together. Press the grommet back into the jamb and replace the sheath over the green plug.

Make sure that you leave your self at least 3-4 feet of wire inside the door so that you will have plenty for termination and connection to your drivers. Make sure that the wires are clear of the window tracks.

That should cover it all. IF you have any more questions, post them or email me, and I'll help you out.

~Rob

P.S. - sorry if there are any typos. Alert me if I made any mistakes...my brain is fried after a long day of dealing with clients and school.


[Modified by rcurley55, 8:23 AM 4/30/2002]

 

that sure as hell sounds like a pain in the back end, you know... I was thinking about doing this:
http://integra.cyberglobe.net/caraud...alls/tuan3.jpg

 

Rob -

Do you happen to know what size the drill bit would be offhand?

Thanks for the clear instructions! I honestly don't think it will be *too* difficult. Just time consuming!

 

Wow hot damn Rob where were you when I installed my system? Allright screw it here I'll tell you what we did in my civic.

First off, the stuff (I forget exact model numbers): I have Boston Pro 5.5's in the doors, kept the factory 6X9's, got Rockford subs in box, Rockford 400.5 amp and Rockford 200.2 (this one's for the subs).

Ok first the crossovers: I mounted them in the door, because otherwise the signal has to bounce around a lot before it gets to my Bostons. Yes, Rob is right, I can't touch them there. However, MAKE SURE that you waterproof them if you do this. I just wrapped them in a plastic bag and taped them inside the door.

Now the wires to the Bostons... I kept them factory issue. It's a real pain in the butt to run the wires through that door, and frankly I'm not sure what kind of sound improvement you'll get. Mine work fine with the factory wires although I might change that in the future now that I found Rob's instructions I have a friend with a 98 eclipse who ran (yes him and I also used 16 gauge wire, best around) that wire into his door. Man, it took him many many hours and he hurt himself in the process too

Conclusion: Run the wire if you have about 3 hours to kill (per door) but otherwise don't bother because the factory wiring (although not the best) is not exactly crap, either.

 

Vick -

How much power are you running to your front comps?

 

SinkingJar:

Sorry, but I don't remember the bit off hand..I used to, but I did the install about a year ago. Just take a section of your wire to your local hardware store and get a bit that is just bigger than your jacket on the wire....again it's critical that you use fairly small (i.e. normal 16 ga wire...maybe 14 ga, but it's not necessary)

I switched from the factory wire on my brother's BMW to 16 ga and noticed a huge improvement. Although it was a much longer run than if you tapped into stock wires. Just remember your system is only as good as it's weakest link.

Now I really don't like hacking up the factory wiring. I REALLY don't like drilling holes in my car. Personally, for resale, it's a bit better if you don't go drilling holes in your door. Plus, have you examined what it would take to drill a hole in the actual door....looks a lot easier on paper than it does when you get the bit there...trust me, I tried.

The first side will take you 1.5 hours, the second will be under an hour, because you know what you are doing. I did the first side - no instructions in an hour with an extra pair of hands around. That's critical, bribe a friend or brother, etc with pizza, beer, what ever you have to, to get some help.

Those Boston's (3 ohm load) should be seeing about 75-80W (maybe a bit more) from the 400.4 (rated at 50 x 4 @ 4 ohm)

Keep the questions coming....

 

I've only been on this board for a few months...sorry about that :D

 

where are the "kick panels" and how do you get them off? is that down by the clutch? Or the piece under the steering wheel column?

 

The kick panels are those pieces of plastic that are directly next to your foot when you are sitting in the car. I always remove the dead pedal to get to the driver's side one...2 10mm bolts, and then to remove the actual kicks....they have a large black screw type connector up under the dash (follow the kick panel up and you can't miss it) and also one press in button that must be pried out. Then you must pull them back toward the rear of the car, as they are attached to the sill plate with some tabs. Be fairly gentle, as you can break the tabs off.

 

Crap I bent those things when I pulled them out ... Stupid honda put plastic coverings that fit in plastic brackets, wtf were they thinking!

 

yes, you can spend half your life running new speaker wire

i ended up just getting q-logic kick panels from best buy. they were 200 bucks

that way, you will have better imaging, better soundstage.

running the wires is very simple

kickpanels

 

Okay, I've spent an hour on this damn thing (just pulling the plugs apart) why wont they come apart?!? Was I supposed to take the door off? Where does the plug unplug? are there two plugs on each side of the metal? Ive tried crowbaring it out with a screw driver, ive tried a wrench, nothing works, it pulls but does not come out!!!!!!! HELP!

 

There are two green tabs that you must press in. They are difficult to take apart, but don't force them and break them!!!

I forget how they go, but if you take your time and examine them, you should be able to find out how they disassemble, Make sure that you peel back all of the rubber that is there to get a clear view of what is going on...I'll look at my doors tonight or tomorrow and see if I can give you a better answer.

 

TTT

Funky, any luck? Did you finish wiring the car yet?

 

So the majority of all installs for front speakers are done with 16 gauge wiring? I ask because I kept the factory wiring......Is this a major disadvantage?

 

Hey I used the original factory wiring HOWEVER I will change that. The factory wires kinda suck quality wise, so... heck if you spend money on the system might as well change the wiring too...

 

rob, thanks for the post and the link. i will try doing that today

so basically drill a passage way in the 2 plugs and run the wires through there. that's very interesting.

does anyone think 18ga is insufficient for 80w rms?

thanks

 

edit: nm


Modified by SSBP DC2 at 10:41 PM 5/10/2003

 

or you can use a unibit and enlarge the top of th factory opening big enough to accomidate the new wire size. i dont remember if i dut a small piece out of the top of the plug or not, but run the new wire over the plug but still inside the boot. follow the steps stated earlier in this post as to remove the door pannel and plugs. goodluck with the install you will be saving yourself about $200 labor (component speaker and extra labor on running the wires) by doing this instead of having it done professionally.