So I have a 98 3.0 cl premium. i was wondering what i would need to do in order to install 2 12" subs and an amp. I've searched but i keep finding th same things over and over. I'm not trying to change the head unit just yet, but I want to put my old subs in for some much needed bass. Any help or links to old threads I didn't see would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

its not hard, ur wires are already in the trunk. Just add a 2nd amp, split off the rear wires to your 2 chan amp, thats the easy way

oh and run the power wire throught the car duh. Basically take it in to an expensive car audio place and ask them what they could do for you in that case, then do it yourself haha

 

Ok, get something called a hi/lo adapter, it attaches off your rear speaker wires and converts them to RCA cables that you run. Make sure you tap the wires directly off the radio because if you just tap the wires from the speakers your gonna run into resistance issues and your subs wont work. mainly because the factory amp is already putting out a current and your tapping off that adjusted current to power your subs.

Btw your rear speakers are the green and purple sets of wires off the radio and the ones with the black stripe are neg. Make sure you run your power cable on one side and the rca's on the opposite side or else youll have a whining noise that will drive you insane.

 

I just went and looked ain my trunk because it already had a few wires run and I have a linr output converter already tapped in to my rear left speker. i also have what looks to be a purple remote wire and power wire bach there. I also have 3 other wires, two are screwed into the metal in the real deck and one just loops from one group of wires to another. Since all that is already done can i just connect everything and it will work? Where does everything connect?

 

I always live by the theory, try not to live off somebody elses mess. If you think tho0se wires are right and the guy before was wrong then your gonna have a fire. Even though its a 12VDC system it can still spark some fires for ya...or burn something out so be careful. Make sure your wiring is right before you connect and go.

I use to be an electrician for GE so trust me, the smallest mistake can do alot of damage


and trust me, DONT TAP OFF THE SPEAKERS with the line converter! I just rewired my car yesterday because I did the same thing and it cut off as i got half the volume up and without it, it'll cut your stereo down to 1 speaker and theres nothing u can do unless u turn the radio off and on again...Its the resistance in the converter, it needs the straight signal off the radio and not the signal your actual speakers are getting.

 

Yea you definitley need to re-wire. Cut it down to your basic wires coming from the head-unit and then work from there.When you hook up the RCA converter its pretty simple but use butt connectors and then electrical tape.You should be able to distinguish what color is what speaker from this site.....Installdoctor.com

 

definately don't go off someone elses mess, you don't know how rigged that shit is. But you can copy the grounding point, and use the line output convertor, run your own power, and you'll be good to go

 

its simple off the radio


purple/black wire - rear neg left side
purple - rear pos left side

green/black = rear neg right side
green = rear pos right side

and for god sakes run your own ground!! its amazing how ghetto people do things in cars when it comes to the ONE thing that can lite you up. run a fresh ground, make sure the wire isnt freyed anywhere and make sure its not loose. Because if your ground is loose then your asking for trouble. Im sure you all have taken the neg off your battery and tryed to reconnect it and got that scare when it sparks. Imagine that right next to your carpet or plastic and then tell me you want to short cut and use somebody elses wiring.

My friends car had a bad ground on the back seat and he lit his back seats on fire becasue the bass rattled his ground off, it sparked and start smoking...At that point its already to late.

 

I'ts not hard to do by yourself.. you just find out where to drill through ur firewall then throw like whatever guage wire ur plannning on using through there and under all ur carpet... I did it to my friends altima..

 

Don't drill through your firewall, there are already places to run wires, I ran mine through a rubber grommet for wires under the dash, do NOT drill your firewall

 

Thers places in the CL for that size wire to fit through? I did not know that... I was basing it off my friends car so..

 

oh yea right above the brake pedal on my 99cl....i ran huge wire...dont remeber gauge but yea its a pain but youll get it through and it is there

 

Yup, I have a 4 gauge there now, about to be a 0 gauge

 

In my opinion, running it this way is pretty ghetto, not to mention it will sound like crap. I'd save up and get yourself an aftermarket head unit and do it right. They make descent ones at a pretty inexpensive cost...do it right man.

And dude was right in saying that there is no drilling required for running your power wire, and that a good, clean, fresh ground is very, very important.