Car Stereos: wiring, inline fuse, negative cable

Question
hi, i was just wondering if you could by chance help me with wiring instructions for a sub and amp in a 2001 ford focus se

Answer
Josh,

It is fairly easy to wire in a new sub and amp.  If you have speakers in the rear deck of the car, you would splice into the positive and negatives of each side, then run those into your amp.  Run a negative cable to a metal body part as close to the amp as possible.  Then, you only have a power wire and a switched wire.  Normally, I run both of these to the front of the car, under the rocker panel covers along the driver's side.  Then, I connect the switched wire to the switched wire that runs the radio, or a switched wire in the fuseblock.  They make an adapter that you plug into one of your fuse spots, and it has a leader coming from it that can be used to connect the switched wire.  You can also do that with the power wire as well, but I normally run the power wire all the way up to the battery.  You can find a blank spot in the firewall.  After you have found and bought a rubber grommet to fit your power wire, you would drill the hole the required size for the grommet.  Run the wire through the firewall up to the battery.  You must put an inline fuse within a foot of the battery, and use an adapter to make the connection to the battery.  That is about it.  Some people find wires in their trunk area that are switched and always powered and they use them, but then you run the risk of blowing fuses when turning up the sub.  Hope this helps, Scott