[fct]

I would like to have a mental sketch of all wiring for my gen 3 amp install since I am planning an amp purchase. The goal is to buy a 4-channel or perhaps 5-channel amplifier to power ALL speakers in the car, and also all the necessary wiring kits. I don't have mach or jbl system.

Right now, the head unit is the aftermarket JVC KD-G320. It has RCA outputs for front and back. I would like to put the amplifier in the trunk. The power cable and remote turn on cable will run on the driver side of the car. The audio cable from the head unit to the amp will run on the right hand side of the car. Once this is done, I suppose connecting the rear speakers will be easy. What about the front door speakers? I would rather do the least amount of the work for them (e.g. don't want to mess with the door, its wiring, etc).

I wonder, would it be possible to reuse the factory speaker wiring? Perhaps plug the amp wires somehow to the harness that connects the speakers to the head unit right now or do something similar?

 

[KhanTyranitar]

Absolutely, while the stock wiring is not the best, it is still adequate for most setups. If you use a harness adapter at the amp, then it eliminates splicing the stock wiring. It should be the same harness adapter that most other Fords use, the big difference is where you use it.

 

[kbcnick]

if your asking if you CAN use the stock wiring, yeah.

but if your asking if you should...

well i wouldnt want to use 14 year old 18ga wiring if im going to be putting more than 25 watts through them.

 

[egiroux]

if your asking if you CAN use the stock wiring, yeah.

but if your asking if you should...

well i wouldnt want to use 14 year old 18ga wiring if im going to be putting more than 25 watts through them.

25 Watts into 4 Ohms is a whopping 2.5 Amps. Almost anything can handle that. The wiring will be fine unless it got wet and the conductors corroded(unlikely).

 

[jw89sho]

And for your convenience, pull the left side trunk liner and get all the speaker wires you need in one plug...disconnect it from the RCU.

 

[fct]

25 Watts into 4 Ohms is a whopping 2.5 Amps. Almost anything can handle that. The wiring will be fine unless it got wet and the conductors corroded(unlikely).

Rarely I use volume higher than 25. What I want is the same volume but with less distortion. 25 is already beyond what an average head unit can output without much distortion.

 

[egiroux]

Rarely I use volume higher than 25. What I want is the same volume but with less distortion. 25 is already beyond what an average head unit can output without much distortion.

Definitely get an amp, and use the stock wiring.

 

[fct]

And for your convenience, pull the left side trunk liner and get all the speaker wires you need in one plug...disconnect it from the RCU.

Ok, so I opened the trunk and looked inside. Is the square metal box the RCU? Nothing connects to it right now. BestBuy installed the JVC receiver long time ago, they must have disconnected the RCU.

 

[kbcnick]

25 Watts into 4 Ohms is a whopping 2.5 Amps. Almost anything can handle that. The wiring will be fine unless it got wet and the conductors corroded(unlikely).

then throw the resistance of ****** stock wiring in and youll be taking away power from your amp.

while your at it you should just twist your wires together and just tape them since you apparently want to do a crap job.

 

[KhanTyranitar]

then throw the resistance of ****** stock wiring in and youll be taking away power from your amp.

while your at it you should just twist your wires together and just tape them since you apparently want to do a crap job.

I find that to be harsh. I think the stock wiring is more than adequate for what you are doing. On my Aerostar, I am running 300 watts per channel with 18 gauge wire. The power drop over typical runs is not that great, the stock wiring is large enough for most setups. Now if you are going for competition level stuff, an upgrade is a good idea.

But do make sure your connections are secure, lousy connections will penalize you a lot. I suggest soldered connections, though gold plated crimp fittings are fine too.

 

[egiroux]

I find that to be harsh. I think the stock wiring is more than adequate for what you are doing. On my Aerostar, I am running 300 watts per channel with 18 gauge wire. The power drop over typical runs is not that great, the stock wiring is large enough for most setups. Now if you are going for competition level stuff, an upgrade is a good idea.

But do make sure your connections are secure, lousy connections will penalize you a lot. I suggest soldered connections, though gold plated crimp fittings are fine too.

Agreed!
Kbcnick: If you like, calculate the percentage of power lost. I think you'd be surprised how low it really is.