Car Stereos: sub wiring..., rubber grommet, kick ass cd

Question
hey brian, i just recently installed a kick ass cd player in my girlfriends 01 dodge stratus. i am looking to install subs for christmas ;D. i was just wondering if you happened to know the best way to run the power wire to the trunk and visa versa for the ground wire back to the battery, 'cause im having a hard time finding the cleanest way to do it. thanks for any tips

Answer
Hi Zach,

You don't need to run a ground wire from the amplifier back to the battery.  The battery's negative terminal is connected to the vehicle chassis, so the amp's ground wire just needs to connect to clean chassis or body metal in the trunk.  The chassis metal between the trunk and the battery will make a better conductor than a length of wire.

Of course, you'll still have to run a power wire from the battery to the amplifier.  Generally, I'll remove the lower part of the rear seat and the plastic sill panels at the bottom of the door opening, then run the wire under the seat and under the edge of the carpet up to the firewall.  The tricky part will be getting the wire through the firewall, and I'm afraid I can't give you very specific advice there; I don't recall exactly what the firewall access looks like in your car.

If it's a Stratus Coupe, with an automatic transmission, there should be a spot on the firewall that would be occupied by the clutch mechanism in a manual transmission vehicle.  This spot is commonly called the clutch plate, and it's often a good spot to drill a hole and run a power wire through.  If she has a 2-door Stratus, it's similar to a Mitsubishi Eclipse; and if I recall correctly you'll almost certainly have to drill a hole to get through the firewall in these cars.  If you drill through firewall metal for the power wire, be sure to put a plastic bushing or rubber grommet in the hole before running your wire through, so that the sharp metal edge can't cut into the wire jacket.

The 4-door Stratus is a much different car than the 2-door.  In this one, you might be able to find an existing rubber grommet that can accommodate your power wire.  Look for the spot where the factory wire bundle runs through the firewall.  If the grommet is big enough, you can poke a hole in it and run your power wire through as well.  Be extremely careful not to damage any of the factory wires.  

Be sure to put a fuse on the power wire, as close as possible to the battery connection.

Hope this helps!

Brian