Running power wire from battery to amp in '98 Grand Prix GT

[threedd97]

I ran it from the batter through the corner where the hood and cornerpanel meet on the passenger side, down into the footpanel trim and back to the trunk. I don't want to run it that way for several reasons and I'm trying to figure out a way to run it through the firewall, but haven't seen any holes for wiring.

Am I going to have to drill my own hole?

[DJ Brady]

There should be a grommet somewhere on the driver's side where wires pass through, you can carefully pass a power wire through there and feed it to your battery.

I HIGHLY recommend putting an inline fuse or circuit breaker on your Power lead somewhere w/in 2 feet of the battery.

[threedd97]

Already have one, 100w fuse. The power wire isn't long enough to go that route, I have to go through the passenger side.

Thanks for the reply and help.

[aznxthuggie]

Originally Posted by threedd97

Already have one, 100w fuse. The power wire isn't long enough to go that route, I have to go through the passenger side.

Thanks for the reply and help.

100 wat fuse? you mean 100 amp fuse right? and how much power are you running

the fuse near the batter should be the same as the fuse #'s for your amp.. like lets say your amp needs a 30 amp fuse.. then get one for the power wire as well

[DJ Brady]

I'm not aware of any grommets on the passenger's side, but you may have one that feeds one of the car's computers.. it's generally recommended to run power down driver's side and signal down passenger's side (just a rule of thumb).. You can go to Lowes and get 8ga. fine stranded power wire for less than 20 cents a foot if you need to get longer wire... I wouldn't go drilling holes in the firewall unless it's an absolute last resort...

[PaulD]

I had to drill a 3/4 hole in my accord .... not fun

[threedd97]

Originally Posted by aznxthuggie

100 wat fuse? you mean 100 amp fuse right? and how much power are you running

the fuse near the batter should be the same as the fuse #'s for your amp.. like lets say your amp needs a 30 amp fuse.. then get one for the power wire as well

Yes, 100w amp fuse. The 8 or 10gauge wire I was using with a 50w amp fuse wasn't enough, had a lot of cutting out and weak bass. I upped to a 4 gauge with a 100w amp fuse and it's doing a lot better. I just need to run it better. I don't want to spend money an entirely new power wire, but looks like I may have to if the driver side is the best route to go. I would have went that route if the damn wire was long enough.

Damn four door cars...

Setup:
2 10" Orion subs
600w Kenwood amp
Pioneer mp3 player
8 stock speaker setup

[flht]

No not a 100w amp fuse A 100 Amp fuse the fuse is not rated in watts. you took a big jump in wire size. There is a big drifference between 8 and 10 then going to 4 gage wire (like they say the bigger the better). Why would the 50 amp fuse 8 gage wire not work the cutting out and weak bass was more then likey bad connections. If you run a 100amp fuse from the battery you better have a 100amp fuse or smaller in the amp next what size is your alternator I would lay odds if you did not change it out it is not a 100 amp unit so all problems that run that wire (Shorting out the wire through the hole you cut) will toast your alternator. protect it with the correct fuse. Ohms law states power (watts) divided by volts (12 in car)= current 600watt amp / 12 v = 50 amps, Here overkill will get you in trouble.

[threedd97]

Originally Posted by flht

No not a 100w amp fuse A 100 Amp fuse the fuse is not rated in watts. you took a big jump in wire size. There is a big drifference between 8 and 10 then going to 4 gage wire (like they say the bigger the better). Why would the 50 amp fuse 8 gage wire not work the cutting out and weak bass was more then likey bad connections. If you run a 100amp fuse from the battery you better have a 100amp fuse or smaller in the amp next what size is your alternator I would lay odds if you did not change it out it is not a 100 amp unit so all problems that run that wire (Shorting out the wire through the hole you cut) will toast your alternator. protect it with the correct fuse. Ohms law states power (watts) divided by volts (12 in car)= current 600watt amp / 12 v = 50 amps, Here overkill will get you in trouble.

Ok. There is just a W after the numbers, I must be seeing things.

The connections weren't bad, I sat there and checked them before deciding I needed more power to the amp. The alternator is whatever is stock on a '98 GP GT.

How can I short the wire through the hole. The wire has about 1/4 to 1/6 inch of rubber insulation.

Lastly, you're not helping the question at hand. I want to run this wire through a grommet in the firewall and if there isn't one available should I drill. But thanks for sitting there trying to make me look stupid.

[DJ Brady]

He's not tryin to make you look stupid, he's just correcting your lingo. Following 100 with W is generally a 'shorthand' abbreviation for "watt", so it looked like you were saying 100 watt amp fuse.. just gotta make sure everyone's talking about the same thing.

As far as 'shorting' the wire, if you drill a hole and put the wire through it, the exposed metal of the firewall can eventually cut through the insulation and ground out your lead (the insulation is much thinner than 1/6"). If you DO go that route (drilling your own hole), go to a parts store and ask for grommets and find one that suits your needs and drill a hole to match. The grommet will do an excellent job keeping your power lead protected.
Shorting the wire won't toast your alternator, it will create a dead short from the positive on your battery terminal to the firewall, this is potential for a car fire (that's why I recommend the inline fuse/breaker close to the battery), in such a scenario, the fuse blows/breaker trips and you've got no dead short.

I'm going to make my recommendation against drilling again because it's difficult to find a spot high enough in the firewall that it's not going to let water through (in the event of splashing through puddles), and yet clears heater boxes/air conditioning ductwork on the inside, and/or vacuum lines/integral engine parts on the outside.

I know you don't want to fork out more money for a new wire, but we're talking 3 to 5 bucks to save yourself a lot of risk and hassle.

I wish I could advise you of an available hole/grommet on the passenger's side of your car but I've never had my head under the dash of a Grand Prix.

[aznxthuggie]

Originally Posted by threedd97

Yes, 100w amp fuse. The 8 or 10gauge wire I was using with a 50w amp fuse wasn't enough, had a lot of cutting out and weak bass. I upped to a 4 gauge with a 100w amp fuse and it's doing a lot better. I just need to run it better. I don't want to spend money an entirely new power wire, but looks like I may have to if the driver side is the best route to go. I would have went that route if the damn wire was long enough.

Damn four door cars...

Setup:
2 10" Orion subs
600w Kenwood amp
Pioneer mp3 player
8 stock speaker setup

the amp draws current.. which can be translated in amps, im trying to get you to stop saying that.. its either a 100 watt amp OR 100 amp fuse ok?

[threedd97]

Originally Posted by aznxthuggie

the amp draws current.. which can be translated in amps, im trying to get you to stop saying that.. its either a 100 watt amp OR 100 amp fuse ok?

Look, on the actual fuse which is about 10 inches from the battery says 100W fuse.

[DJ Brady]

I did a search on fuses rated in watts, I was unaware of those. It looks like they use those inline with speaker protection circuits. I'm not sure how an amp DRAWS current (as opposed to it's output), but that fuse may or may not work well for you. Give it a try.

[aznxthuggie]

Originally Posted by threedd97

Look, on the actual fuse which is about 10 inches from the battery says 100W fuse.

well read this.. you might learn something

http://www.bcae1.com/fuses.htm

[aznxthuggie]

Originally Posted by DJ Brady

I did a search on fuses rated in watts, I was unaware of those. It looks like they use those inline with speaker protection circuits. I'm not sure how an amp DRAWS current (as opposed to it's output), but that fuse may or may not work well for you. Give it a try.

and you need to read this one =)

http://www.bcae1.com/amplfier.htm

just lettin u know okz?