factory headunit and subs...what am i doing wrong?!

OK, i have a 97 civic hx, did NOT come w/ factory keyless entry, not that it's a big deal cuz i'm keeping my factory headunit in the car, it controls my disc changer and i dont wanna deal w/ anything else cuz it looks clean. anyways, problem is, i have my subs (2 JL 10wo's) and amp (JL e1200) hooked up ok, but when i turn everything on, only the front speakers work until i unplug the "high output lines" from the amp (since my headunit doesnt have preouts) then the rear speakers come on...when i plug the high outputs back INTO the amp, then the subs come on. wtf is wrong here? I took it to a shop and they couldnt figure it out, unless it's a safety device in the headunit or something. should i convert those lines to RCA? I have no freakin clue here, and it's frustrating the piss outta me. any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Welcome to AutomotiveForums! :)

I dont konw the answer to your problem since I swapped out my head unit as I upgraded my system all together at once.

I'll move this thread for you to the appropriate forum... interior forum... and hopefully you'll find your answers there. I'll leave an anchor here for you. :D

need more detail to troubleshoot.

1) are the high-z inputs on the amp coming from the front or the back speakers?
2) are the subs wired in series, parallel, or indevidual channels?
3) is the amp bridged, or in multi-channel mode (How many channels)

my advice to you, pick up one of these http://davidnavone.com/adaptor_products.htm#N-444 and convert to RCA

i am guessing that your high output lines are hooked up so that when you hook them up to the amp they complete the circuit to your rear speakers also, you probably have a break or something where your high output lines hook up to your radio. did you install these? if you did or if you know how then i would suggest checking your wiring behind your headunit. hope this helps.

Ok here goes... to get this thing to work, first you need to get the right supplies (trust me I have the same type setup working in my 1999 Accord, and it sounds awesome).

you will need: 1 box of Wire taps to fit 14guage speaker wire ($2-4), spool 24ft 14 guage speaker wire (cut in half (12ft))($12-18), hopefully the amp came with a HIGH level input adapter, or has connections on the amp.

Cost: about $15-20 depending on wire

Ok now that you have the supplies to get this thing working. here's how you hook it up. alright take the headunit out, detach the cables to it, and locate the harness with the speaker output wires. Now find the FRONT left and right wires, now tap one of the speker wires into the left + & - wires respetively on the speaker wire. do the same for the right, be sure to mark them on the opposite ends of the speker wire left, or right. Put the headunit back into the console. Now Run those wires however you want, hiding them under the center console, under the seat, and kick panels to your amp, on the opposite side of the car as the AMP power wire (interference prevention). Now hook them into the Amp with the adapter/on on-AMP hookups. Now be sure that the ground from the hookup on the amp is on a solid ground (other than the AMP's Power ground cable Ground spot (causes interference)).

Ok now that that is all set, you should be up and running, both the front and rear speakers should be working, and your amp should be running as well. just be careful tuning your fade to front and back this will change the sound of the SUB as well. BASS control is your best means of control of the SUBB's. You will find that out once you have your AMP/SUbb tuned as you prefer.

I've had problems with the HIGH level input-to-RCA converters mine did not work, and yes I wired it correctly.

have fun and good luck.

Thanks to all who replied to this to help me out...I was getting really frustrated cuz all the wiring was done right, and it was just not working, so i decided to go the RCA route and bought a converter box...hooked that up to the front speakers up behind the radio, grounded it, and ran the RCA cables to the back, plugged it in, and ta-da, the freaking thing works perfectly. now the only thing is, i need to adjust the bass cuz it's not as loud as it was w/ the high outputs and i need to take the freaking dash out ONE LAST TIME to get to the coverter box to do it. anyways, thanks to everyone for all their input.