lost in a wire daze

[ghosthirty7]

I have a 2008 ford edge with a mysterious premium sound system. im not sure where the remote wire connects to , i have an aftermarket stereo double din with a metra harness connecting the factory system. I tried hooking up an aftermarket sub and amp while using the factory speakers, but m not getting any power to the amp. The system thats stock installed now sounds like a couple subs are hooked up somewhere, maybe in the doors or under seat im not sure, but do i need to buy another harness to bypass the factory stuff? or can i just wire the factory speaker wires to the speaker wire coming from the amp? or do i need to even run speaker wires at all? where does the blue remote wire connect to ? so many questions...so many wires.. I have temporarily connected the wires incorrectly wrong connectors used its really horrible and unsafe. Ill fix and clean it up i just want it all to work.

aftermarket: Boss 8inch sub with Skar box encloser bought seperately. Aboutbit stereo double din touchscreen piece of sh**. Boss mono amplifier. Boss wire kit.

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[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I'm having a hard time making sense of what you actually have there and what you're trying to accomplish. Some pictures would probably help a lot.

 

[ghosthirty7]

Well, i guess my main question or goal here is to figure out why the amp doesnt turn on. Fuses look good, ran power 8 guage to battery, ran ground, i have speaker wire that came with the wire kit going from the amp's + and - to the sub box's + and - . I didnt purchase aftermarket speakers im trying to use the stock speakers , i think that's where my problem is mostly. besides no amp power. i posted pics of the horrible setup .

 

[just call me KeV 10+ year member]

There is a few issues that you will need to address before you are up and running. If I were standing beside you looking at the trunk I would recommend that you take the amp and head unit out and redo the wiring.
This isn't meant to be criticism so dont take it that way. I am thinking about the safety of your equipment and your vehicle.
So let's address a few points before the savages come out of their caves.
1. Wire nuts are not the best to secure twisted wire. In a house they work but we need to think about vibration, stopping and starting. If you can't solder you can twist the wires and apply electrical tape to them. It's not the best option but it can and will work if done properly. Heatshrink works too and can be shrunk by lighter, hair dryer, etc.

2. We need to find you some connectors and a pair of crimpers to terminate the wires for the amplifier. It only takes one strand of copper to short an amp. Also you need to find a secure place to mount the amp to and secure the sub. You don't want it to fly around if you have to make a sudden stop.

I can make you a list of things you'll need if you would like and it shouldn't be too expensive.

Kev

By the By. What's that ground look like or did I miss it in the photos?

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Well, i guess my main question or goal here is to figure out why the amp doesnt turn on. Fuses look good, ran power 8 guage to battery, ran ground, i have speaker wire that came with the wire kit going from the amp's + and - to the sub box's + and - . I didnt purchase aftermarket speakers im trying to use the stock speakers , i think that's where my problem is mostly. besides no amp power. i posted pics of the horrible setup .

If the radio is playing good, you do not need to rewire anything. Since it is an aftermarket radio, you connect RCAs from the back of the radio to the amp. The radio should have a solid blue wire which is the trigger signal for the amp turn on.
To test if the amp ground or power cable is faulty, remove the wire from the amp's remote turn on and use a jumper from the amp's Positive to the amp's Remote turn on. The amp should stay on.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Definitely get rid of those wire nuts, they are absolutely unsafe for use in a vehicle. I'd also encourage you to invest a couple bucks in some proper connectors for the connections to your amp's power terminals.

Seems to be a lot of stuff going on here, but as someone else said, RCA and the blue (or blue with white stripe) wire needs to run back from the head unit to your amp.

Do the factory speakers have sound? Honestly I'd consider running new wires from the head unit to the speaker locations because whatever all else is going on there seems a bit dubious and I'd hate to rely on the last guy's attempt at integration with whatever the original factory setup was.

If you don't own a DMM you can probably buy one at Harbor Freight or a big box store for 10$ or so that can confirm your ground to the amp is sound and that you have +12 to the power and +12 to the acc when your head unit powers up.

 

[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

The wire nuts are a sh!tshow for sure.

 

[ghosthirty7]

There is a few issues that you will need to address before you are up and running. If I were standing beside you looking at the trunk I would recommend that you take the amp and head unit out and redo the wiring.
This isn't meant to be criticism so dont take it that way. I am thinking about the safety of your equipment and your vehicle.
So let's address a few points before the savages come out of their caves.
1. Wire nuts are not the best to secure twisted wire. In a house they work but we need to think about vibration, stopping and starting. If you can't solder you can twist the wires and apply electrical tape to them. It's not the best option but it can and will work if done properly. Heatshrink works too and can be shrunk by lighter, hair dryer, etc.

2. We need to find you some connectors and a pair of crimpers to terminate the wires for the amplifier. It only takes one strand of copper to short an amp. Also you need to find a secure place to mount the amp to and secure the sub. You don't want it to fly around if you have to make a sudden stop.

I can make you a list of things you'll need if you would like and it shouldn't be too expensive.

Kev

By the By. What's that ground look like or did I miss it in the photos?
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[ghosthirty7]

The ground i feel like I did okay with, its still horrible but I think its pretty secure. Any help would be greatly appreciated really, I didn't want the install to be a big thing but its just a mess any advice help please, I'll take it.

 

[spokey9]

I'd put some looming over the wire where it rubs at...at least it would give a bit more protection against the coating getting rubbed bare...

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

I have a 2008 ford edge with a mysterious premium sound system. im not sure where the remote wire connects to , i have an aftermarket stereo double din with a metra harness connecting the factory system. I tried hooking up an aftermarket sub and amp while using the factory speakers, but m not getting any power to the amp. The system thats stock installed now sounds like a couple subs are hooked up somewhere, maybe in the doors or under seat im not sure, but do i need to buy another harness to bypass the factory stuff? or can i just wire the factory speaker wires to the speaker wire coming from the amp? or do i need to even run speaker wires at all? where does the blue remote wire connect to ? so many questions...so many wires.. I have temporarily connected the wires incorrectly wrong connectors used its really horrible and unsafe. Ill fix and clean it up i just want it all to work.

aftermarket: Boss 8inch sub with Skar box encloser bought seperately. Aboutbit stereo double din touchscreen piece of sh**. Boss mono amplifier. Boss wire kit.

Wiring is a bit messy. As Stated.. Wire nuts are not great to use in the vehicle. Be nice to start from scratch.Use another source of music until you get this cleaned up.Amplifier is not secured as well as the sub enclosure as stated.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

I cant really make that ground location out very well.If its attached to than tis metal piece... its a poor ground source

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

The ground i feel like I did okay with, its still horrible but I think its pretty secure. Any help would be greatly appreciated really, I didn't want the install to be a big thing but its just a mess any advice help please, I'll take it.

Do you have any friends close by that have any Audio experience that can help out at all? I mean.. even a 12 pack of Soda and a couple large Pizzas would help with some one that has a bit of Audio experience, and you will learn also where every wire goes to what

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Not bashing you at all. With some help on hands there .. I think you can learn a little and also get this in great shape with a little patience. Some my first cars were a complete mess man, It wasnt good.LOL. But with time and patience.. it got better at times.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

I have a 2008 ford edge with a mysterious premium sound system. im not sure where the remote wire connects to , i have an aftermarket stereo double din with a metra harness connecting the factory system. I tried hooking up an aftermarket sub and amp while using the factory speakers, but m not getting any power to the amp. The system thats stock installed now sounds like a couple subs are hooked up somewhere, maybe in the doors or under seat im not sure, but do i need to buy another harness to bypass the factory stuff? or can i just wire the factory speaker wires to the speaker wire coming from the amp? or do i need to even run speaker wires at all? where does the blue remote wire connect to ? so many questions...so many wires.. I have temporarily connected the wires incorrectly wrong connectors used its really horrible and unsafe. Ill fix and clean it up i just want it all to work.

aftermarket: Boss 8inch sub with Skar box encloser bought seperately. Aboutbit stereo double din touchscreen piece of sh**. Boss mono amplifier. Boss wire kit.

Im not sure whats going on with using the High level input wiring and the Low level (RCA)at the same time on the amplifier?You need to use one or the other, you can not use both