illquill

Hey everyone, I'm definitely a noob when it comes to car audio, but I'm trying to hook up subs and an amp in a 1st gen 4runner and i can't find any information on how to connect the 8 gauge wire from the amp directly to the battery. Do I need to drill a hole or something or what because most cars have holes from the interior to the engine which makes this very simple but my 87 4runner does not. I have everything I need; head unit, kit, wire connectors, etc., etc., and I'm ready to go I just don't know how im going to connect the amp wire to the battery. If anyone could help point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.

drpdmazda

I havent had a 1st gen runner for a few years, but if i remember correctly you should be able to find the main boot for the engine harness and put a small slice in that boot. the boot should be on the drivers side of the fire wall. be sure you are clear from any wires in the harness before you go cutting. If you do decide you want to drill rather than go through the harness, make sure you use a grommet in the hole so the power wire is not resting on bare metal. also be sure to fuse the power wire close to the battery.

good luck

xxxtreme22r

IIRC there is also a rubber errrr grommet solid cap on the passenger side more towards the middle in the firewall that has nothing running through it. That's where I had run mine at one point. Can't get a photo right now though. Maybe tomorrow.

illquill

thanks so much for the replies, i just got a chance to go out and look and i think I found the little grommet you were talking about xxxtreme but im not 100%. Pics would be awesome if its possible just to be sure. And im guessing if i go that route im gonna have to take out the dash and everything.. like i said im a noob and i've never installed a system before so im trying to make sure i don't screw anything up. xxxtreme did you install your system yourself on yours?

drpdmazda

why on earth would you take out your entire dash to run 8 gauge wire? if you can see the grommet that xxxtreme was talking about, try to find it on the inside of the trucks firewall. if you cant, i would suggest to find another place to go through the firewall. as i stated, you can go right through the factory boot for the main harness, or drill yourself a hole and put a grommet in it so the wire doesnt risk rubbing through on bare metal.

peow130

8 gauge is a bit small for an amp, i'd be running 4ga atleast..

drpdmazda

depending on the amp he is using, 8 gauge may be just fine. it wont hurt to do 4 gauge, but why spend the money if its not needed, just my two cents.

Fink

xxxtreme can do anything!

Take some pics of the grommet you found so we can see what you are seeing. There should be several that will work.

I also agree that while you are at it, you might as well run 4ga.

Fink

xxxtreme22r

nehe thx fink. I was gonna post up a pic yesterday but had a party to go to and whatnot. Was getting ready for that. I'll get one today sometime. It's not that big of a "grommet" that I used. I did install myself, but used amps only go so far in their lifetime and well, it's not there any longer. I am however still using that hole to power up my CB. I CAN"T REMEMBER WHAT SIZE WIRE I used but it was only like a 400w Sony amp, I might have used 8 ga.

It's not as close to center than I thought either, it's almost even with how far the inner fender goes in. There is a charcoal canister right in front of mine as well. I don't know if that canister is there on an efi truck though. Like I said I'll try to get a pic of it up here shortly. Hopefully you can see it through all the mud in my engine bay. hahahaa.

peow130

Because 8 gauge is incredibly small for an amp, and not only that, my 50W amp in my camaro from 1981 even recommends 8 gauge or larger..

It certainly won't burn his car to the ground to run 8 gauge, but 4 gauge will certainly stay cooler, less likely hood of melting, and hes honestly not spending much more..

drpdmazda

I agree with you on all of that. though in the several years i have been installing, i have never personally seen 8 gauge wire melt, i know it is a possibility. I usually use a chart similar to this to "recommend" wire sizes to people.
http://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp

again, this is all just my opinion.

matstaley

Also make sure you have a very very good ground. This will reduce noise from the amp.

peow130

Only problem with this is that you don't know the wattage of the amp he's installing, which is why i automatically recommended 4ga. wire..

Not only that, but he mentioned "subs" more than two..

drpdmazda

I would assume subs meaning a pair of subs. he had actually messaged me with some other questions and gave me the specs on his amp. its probabl;y going to really push about 200 watts to his subs, i had insider knowledge on the amp lol. i did in the messages suggest the larger wire size, bt was more concerned with getting him through what he was trying to do first and that was figure out where to run it.


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