DIY 2013 LX Sedan Amp/Sub Install - High Level Inputs from Rear Speakers

S

S. Kusen

Well-Known Member
4
10
I just wanted to add a little fullness to the sound of the base system, so I set out to get this installed and do it myself.

I found a bunch of different posts about running the cabling, but didn't find anything on the whole that covered how to tap into the wires for the speakers, and get the cables ran, so I took pics of my install, and thought others could benefit from it if they haven't tapped into speakers before for signals.

I broke the post into two parts to include all of the pics that I took.

What I purchased:
Amp with high level inputs -- I'm using an Alpine MRV-M250 250W x 1 Subwoofer Amplifier
Sub/enclosure combo -- I ordered Rockford Fosgate Prime R1L-1X1 Single R1S410, 150 watts RMS
Amp wiring kit -- I used EFX Amplifier Wiring Kit 8-gauge w/Patch Cord
6 feet of speaker wire, 16 gauge
Wire taps -- Posi-Products Connector Kit 6 pieces Posi-Tap 16-18 Gauge (only need 4 of them, pos/neg for both back speakers)
Sub grill to protect the sub, not necessary but I got it anyway
Mini "add a fuse" adapter to tap into the fuse box for the remote wire

Additional items to have:
Electrical tape
Wire stripper (8ga for power and ground cables, 16 ga for speaker wire, 18 ga for the remote wire I had)
Wire caps or soldering gun to join speaker cable from the posi-taps to the wiring harness on the amp)

I ran the power cable through the side quarter panel like many others have, and through the rubber plug near the hood release cable. To me, this was the part of the install I wanted to be 100% sure of before I started.

Step 1 - Disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Make sure that stays away from the post -- Zip-tie it or tape it away.

Step 2 - Locate where to fish the wire, and pull off the plastic cover by the side view mirror on the driver side to see the wire pull










Feed the coat hanger up through the opening where the rubber plug was removed, and you'll see it from the opening where the plastic cover is off. Once you see it, you can then feed it on through to under the hood. Be careful not to pull it too far, you still need some of the hanger to stay in the car to be able to feed it through.

Step 3 - Feed the cable through and lay things out so you have enough cable to reach the battery.











Slowly feed the cable through the opening, and lay the cable underneath the trunk release cable so it's not twisted up when you go to feed it under the side panels. Tape the power cable away from the positive post til the end.

...Continued in the comments since I couldn't get the rest of the pics posted.
 
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S

S. Kusen

Well-Known Member
4
10
Step 4 -- Join remote wire to the hanger from inside the vehicle and run the power and remote wires to the trunk.



Fish the wires right along side the main wiring harness. The tricky part that I had here was getting the line fished into the back seat area (2nd pic above) -- don't force it and accidentally puncture anything that's there. I chose not to pull all of the capping off so I didn't have to put it all back after the fact.





Once in the back seat, fish the line under the back seat cushion, up to the corner where the back seat folds down in the trunk. This too was a bit tricky to get it fished up, but at the cost of time versus pulling the shoulder rest off, it wasn't that bad.

Step 5 - Tap into the left and rear speakers (you could get away with just right or left, but it was easy enough to use both since they are right there in the trunk)
Right Rear


Left Rear



In my car, the wiring was this:
Right rear pos: Blue
Right rear neg: Orange
Left rear pos: Yellow
Left rear neg: Brown

Step 6 - Connect the ground cable



I used the bolt that is on the metal rail right where the seat folds down. Pull up the fabric and there's a shiny bolt to be used. It was a bit of a hassle to loosen on my car.

Step 7 - Connect the remote wire to the fuse box.



In the LX, there is no sunroof, but the fuse box is still labeled for that, so I used that one to plug in a mini "add-a-circuit" plug in ($6 from pep boys or $2-3 on ebay). Expose about 3/8" of wire on the remote wire, and then slide into the add-a-circuit end and pinch it off. I also taped it to keep it from moving (I don't have any pics of that). Just make sure you use a fuse opening that only gets power when the car is turned on (headlights or interior lights, for example, always have power, so they aren't ideal).

Step 8 - Connect the wiring to your amp (ground, remote, power, and speaker level inputs) -- no pics.

Step 9 - Connect the negative terminal on the battery, and hopefully everything is ready to rock.

Step 10- Tidy up the cables under the hood, and mount the in-line fuse.





I mounted the in-line fuse for the power cable to the little plastic piece shown above (it was hollow underneath). Double check before you mount it to be safe. I also zip-tied the cable to existing cabling in the vehicle to make sure it doesn't move around.


Finishing steps:
Put the plastic cover back on by the mirror
Put the panel back on next to the left foot rest -- little tough to get back over the hood release latch, in my opinion.

Start up the car, and check out all of your connections, and crank up the music!

Hope this is helpful for everyone out there thinking about doing this. Obviously, work at your own risk! When in doubt, ask around. If you're really unsure about it, then maybe take it somewhere to pay to get installed, but hopefully it's not that daunting.
 
cerezo28

cerezo28

Well-Known Member
76
24
Los Angeles
Vehicle Model
CIVIC LX
Body Style
sedan
F*%K Yes it helps !!! I've got an amp and sub that's been sitting there and waiting for me to find out how to hook it up without hiring someone to do it... This is going to save me 100$$$ Thanks alot!!!
 
Pauly99to17

Pauly99to17

Well-Known Member
9,176
6,576
Ville de Quebec
Vehicle Model
2012 LX
Body Style
Dyno Blue Pearl Sedan (FB2)
Thanks for the DIY! I will be using this. I'm curious how the sound out of the rear speakers improved. The front ones are not bad, but the rear ones sound horrible and are certainly not loud enough.
 
Miguel P.

Miguel P.

Well-Known Member
36
20
San Marco, JAX
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
Coupe
Pauly99to17 said:
Thanks for the DIY! I will be using this. I'm curious how the sound out of the rear speakers improved. The front ones are not bad, but the rear ones sound horrible and are certainly not loud enough.
Click to expand...

I believe that the sound stays the same for the rear speakers. He just tapped into them to grab the signal to send to the amp that powers his sub.

Great DIY btw. How does the sub sound?
 
Ssp

Ssp

New Member
1
0
I don't understand what or why your tapping in the rear speakers?????! Where can I hook the rca cables???'
 
Alexis C

Alexis C

New Member
1
0
Very helpful post.. Many thanks. What is the amperage of the second fuse on the add a circuit you used to tap into the fuse box? I see one is 10A based on the color, but as you tapped #11 which is 20A I'm confused as to why you didn't equip the add-on with two 10A fuses? I am 10 days out from putting in my aftermarket system.. I had originally planned to use the GTO feature on my LC7i to control on-off signaling, but after seeing your post and a couple others, I think I would prefer to link directly into the fuse box.
 
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alka.asyan

alka.asyan

Well-Known Member
60
35
Jacksonville, FL
Vehicle Model
Civic lx
Body Style
Sedan
My high level input harness got 5 wires. 2 neg 2 pos and 1 ground wire. So that means i dont need the ground wire on my harness?
 
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ben blidchenko

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hi i have a 2006 honda civic si coupe and i was wondering what is the plastic peice by the mirror. i need to know what its called or where i can get one. i have my right one missing.
 
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