Car Stereos: 98 lincoln continental, factory amps, amp fuse

Question
Hey Brian. I have a 98 conti. Ive successfully installed an aftermarket head unit in my car. I have two dead speakers in the rear deck that I don't think Ill need because I'm putting 2 sub woofers in my trunk. I know that there is a factory amp that was connected to these two dead speakers. My question is do you think I can take the wire that was powering this amp, disconnect it, and use it to power my new amp instead of having to go all the way through my firewall? If not, do you know where a hole is in the firewall that I can safely use to run power through?

Answer
Hi Charles,

Sorry about the delay in answering your question.

You might be able to get away with using the factory amplifier power wiring if you're installing a relatively small after-market amp.  I don't have very specific information on the power supply available to the stock amplifier, but most factory amps are much lower power than a typical after-market subwoofer amp, and therefore require less current capacity in the power wiring.  I would try using the stock power wiring only if the total fuse capacity built into the new amplifier is 20 amps or lower.  If your after-market amplifier has a 25 amp fuse or higher (or multiple fuses totaling more than 20 amps) then I'd play it safe and run a new power wire.

Unfortunately, I haven't worked on a Continental recently enough that I can give you very much guidance on the firewall access.  Normally I'll start by finding out where the factory wiring runs through the firewall.  The first place to look is under the driver's side dash.  If there's a thick wire bundle that runs through a large rubber grommet in the firewall, you can often punch your own hole in the grommet and run a new wire through.  If necessary, you can drill a hole in the firewall; but in a luxury car like this I'd drill only as a last resort.  

Hope this helps!

Brian