Non-BA Amp Install Questions

[jeepguy_1980]

I just ordered a JL Audio HD900/5 and 10w6v2 for my 1SS. I do not have the BA system in my car. I am not replacing the factory head unit, and have no plans of ever doing so. I am trying to determine the best way to wire this up.

For now, I am still using the factory speakers, and do not plan to push them with my amp. I am only using the amp to drive my sub. I do not want to have to re-buy anything or re-wire anything in the future, when I replace the factory speakers. So I want to wire all 4 channels to the amp now.

I have the AA-GM44, which really looks like a POS. But it has a nice wiring harness. Some people recommend Signal processors when using the factory head unit.



Should I just use my AA-GM44 as it was intended? If I were to use a signal processor, would I send a signal to it via RCAs from the AA-GM44? Or would I have to run line-level signals to the signal processor?

Also, what is the optimum length RCAs to run from behind the head unit to the trunk?

[black12lt]

I did this in my car before the camaro. It was easier to wire the amp to the factory head unit and power the speakers that way. The most time consuming part was wireing the speakers to the head unit.

[jeepguy_1980]

Is it possible to convince my radio that it's a UQA (BA system) vice UQ3 (basic system) so that I can use the built in amp control signal and the low level signal outputs?

This would make it so that I could just cut the AA-GM44 harness and put RCA connectors on it, then send the signal to the trunk.

[jeepguy_1980]

One more question (that will probably be un-answered).

The AA-GM44 wiring harness has a blue wire on pin 37 that runs from the male to the female side of the harness. This is the amp remote turn on wire for the UQA (BA) system.

Does anyone know if this wire actually works on the non-BA equipped cars?

[black12lt]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

Is it possible to convince my radio that it's a UQA (BA system) vice UQ3 (basic system) so that I can use the built in amp control signal and the low level signal outputs?

This would make it so that I could just cut the AA-GM44 harness and put RCA connectors on it, then send the signal to the trunk.

Possibly, im sire someone here can figure it out. sounds like maybe a software upgrade will be needed

[caliguy]

All i did was TAP into 1 6x9 speaker and use the RCA's plug into amp, no wiring to head unit and your only powering the sub like me, then just wire up remote to cig lighter, and hot and ground to battery.

[jeepguy_1980]

That's not an option, as I'm using a 5 channel amp.

I picked up a set of speakers and am going to try seeing if the factory remote amp wire works.

Edit: More importantly, it doesn't address my remote amp line concern.

[ecko04]

See http://camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214181

Basically to use the AA-GM44 you need to cut the harness. Send the 4 speakers (8 wires) down speed wire, which will go into your amp. You will not use the remote wire in the AA-GM44. The other side of the wires go into the AA-GM44 (radio side). Turn the levels on the AA-GM44 all the way up before putting it behind the radio.

Take the remote wire from your amp kit and run it from the cig socket in the center console.

Note: You're 100% correct, it is a POS but it works really well for being a POS. Tape the cover down before you shove it behind the radio so it doesn't come apart.

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

One more question (that will probably be un-answered).

The AA-GM44 wiring harness has a blue wire on pin 37 that runs from the male to the female side of the harness. This is the amp remote turn on wire for the UQA (BA) system.

Does anyone know if this wire actually works on the non-BA equipped cars?

No.

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

Also, what is the optimum length RCAs to run from behind the head unit to the trunk?

I used 6 meters and I used every bit of them. I mounted my amp in the factory location, even though I like you, did not have a factory amp.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

See http://camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214181

Basically to use the AA-GM44 you need to cut the harness. Send the 4 speakers (8 wires) down speed wire, which will go into your amp. You will not use the remote wire in the AA-GM44. The other side of the wires go into the AA-GM44 (radio side). Turn the levels on the AA-GM44 all the way up before putting it behind the radio.

Take the remote wire from your amp kit and run it from the cig socket in the center console.

Note: You're 100% correct, it is a POS but it works really well for being a POS. Tape the cover down before you shove it behind the radio so it doesn't come apart.

If you used the PAC, why didn't you use the remote amp wire that comes out of the unit (not the one coming from pin 37 on the wiring harness)?

Originally Posted by ecko04

No.

No, it doesn't work? Or no you don't know?

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

If you used the PAC, why didn't you use the remote amp wire that comes out of the unit (not the one coming from pin 37 on the wiring harness)?

I didn't use it because it is unreliable. I didn't want to use the PAC for anything other than 4 channel RCAs. The PAC is already a POS, I didn't want to use it for anything that could be gotten somewhere else. If I already have to get behind the radio, which requires taking apart the radio and take out the rear seat, why not gra the remote from a reliable source.

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

No, it doesn't work? Or no you don't know?

No it doesn't work. The BA system harness is part of the body harness. The remote is not a switched 12v, which is what you will need for an amp turn on.

[ecko04]

I'm actually in Smithfield, VA right now (right outside of Newport News). If you want to swing by so I can show you how to wire that PAC let me know.

[jeepguy_1980]

Thanks for the offer, but my amp won't be here until Friday. I'm just planning everything out. Now, I don't even know if I'll do it this weekend, b/c Sonicelectronix took 3 days to process my order and it won't be here until Wed of next week.

I know how to wire the PAC, but my amp recommends that I not use a LOC. But I still plant to use the harness that was included with the PAC, so that I don't have to cut my factory wiring.

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

Thanks for the offer, but my amp won't be here until Friday. I'm just planning everything out. Now, I don't even know if I'll do it this weekend, b/c Sonicelectronix took 3 days to process my order and it won't be here until Wed of next week.

I know how to wire the PAC, but my amp recommends that I not use a LOC. But I still plant to use the harness that was included with the PAC, so that I don't have to cut my factory wiring.

That's the primary reason I used the PAC, so I didn't have to cut the factory harness. I'd much rather cut and splice the PAC.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

That's the primary reason I used the PAC, so I didn't have to cut the factory harness. I'd much rather cut and splice the PAC.

I have zero intentions of cutting my factory wiring, and the only thing good about the PAC was the wiring harness. But I don't think I've been very clear in what I intend to do. So I went ahead and modified the PAC harness to show you what I am planning.

I connected this to my radio, before I cut the speaker wires, and hooked up my multi-meter to the remote amp line. Sure enough, when I turned on my radio the remote amp line indicated 12v. This to me is much better than using a cigarette lighter, because that amp will turn on when the radio is on and only when the radio is on. I occasionally listen to my radio without the keys in the ignition, and this will allow me to continue doing so.

This is all I plan to install in my car. The PAC module itself will not be used. I will feed the output of my amp's front speakers back into the wires you see still exposed (I kind of screwed myself and cut them too short).

[ecko04]

If you were going to do that, you could've saved yourself a few bucks and got a Scosche GM19B and GM19RB.

Using the ZISL crossed my mind but I decided against it as using the PAC would eliminate the need to run wires back up to the amp.

I'll have to test my remote wire again. I could've sworn it wasn't metering switched 12v.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

If you were going to do that, you could've saved yourself a few bucks and got a Scosche GM19B and GM19RB.

Using the ZISL crossed my mind but I decided against it as using the PAC would eliminate the need to run wires back up to the amp.

I'll have to test my remote wire again. I could've sworn it wasn't metering switched 12v.

Originally I had planned to use the PAC LOC, but my amp recommends against using LOCs. Plus the PAC was $40 and the two Schosche harnesses are $20 each and would have to be spliced together.

How does using the PAC eliminate the need to run wires?

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

I'll have to test my remote wire again. I could've sworn it wasn't metering switched 12v.

I made a mistake, which may have actually been a good thing. I cut the wrong blue wire. I wound up cutting the wire that is annotated in blue in the documents below. I really meant to cut the wire annotated in yellow. All of my testing was with the blue wire, which seems to work as I would have hoped. Though, the real test will be tomorrow when I install my amp.

[robsls3]

When I did mine It all worked fine. I used the remote wire from the pac to my amp. No issues. No wire cutting of factory harness at all.

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

Originally I had planned to use the PAC LOC, but my amp recommends against using LOCs. Plus the PAC was $40 and the two Schosche harnesses are $20 each and would have to be spliced together.

How does using the PAC eliminate the need to run wires?

The GM19B can get had for $7 from a variety of different sources. The GM19RB costs $20. That saves you roughly $13, which is negligible at best.

With the PAC, you only need to run speed wire and RCA's. There's no need to run anything from the amp, back up to the head unit. Everything is ran from the headunit back to the amp.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

The GM19B can get had for $7 from a variety of different sources. The GM19RB costs $20. That saves you roughly $13, which is negligible at best.

With the PAC, you only need to run speed wire and RCA's. There's no need to run anything from the amp, back up to the head unit. Everything is ran from the headunit back to the amp.

I give up on trying to explain my plans.

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

I give up on trying to explain my plans.

You explained it fine. Use the PAC for the harness, use 2 ZISL as essentially line out converters, run speaker level up from the amp to the headunit. It isn't difficult to follow. It's just more effective ways to accomplish the same goal.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

You explained it fine. Use the PAC for the harness, use 2 ZISL as essentially line out converters, run speaker level up from the amp to the headunit. It isn't difficult to follow. It's just more effective ways to accomplish the same goal.

I disagree. My amp says not to use a LOC. The Scosche harnesses would have to be joined together, for my purposes and would save me less than $10 over the entire PAC kit.

So I'm not sure how I could get all four channels from my radio to my amp more effectively than I have, or less intrusively (i.e. not cutting the factory harness).

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

I disagree. My amp says not to use a LOC. The Scosche harnesses would have to be joined together, for my purposes and would save me less than $10 over the entire PAC kit.

So I'm not sure how I could get all four channels from my radio to my amp more effectively than I have, or less intrusively (i.e. not cutting the factory harness).

Yet using a ZISL is indeed a line ouput converter. You are taking high level to low level, you're converting whether you use the AA-GM44 or ZISL. What the documentation of your amp is asking for are RCA preouts, but there's no way of getting those without 1) changing the radio or 2) using some type of LOC.

I entirely understand what you're doing, but it's the exact same as the PAC without using the large box where you can adjust the levels. That's why I suggested using the two harnesses. I don't think anyone here would suggest cutting the factory wiring.

At the end of the day, there's more than one way to skin a cat...to each his/her own.