Thank you for posting this! My wife has a 2015 Focus Hatchback and there are subtle differences....but this showed me the path. Saved me a couple hundred dollars of installation fees.
Was it different to get behind radio on the 2015? I have seen videos on 2016 that you have to removed all the plastic around shifter nob rather than just the two screws. I hope this isnt the case. The one in the video i saw had the bigger display as mine is the small one. I have the SE model.
Never heard of the back channels of a head unit having different output than the front channels...but great video and it's helpful for my 2017 Focus St amp install...I've done others and just used the back speaker outputs.
I used to have a 2015 Ford Escape SE. This Ford Focus reminds me of the car. I have that vehicle almost 5 years before it died on me almost 7 weeks ago. Right now that I have a 2020 Ford Escape SE in black. It is so freaking sweet. It has almost everything that I want in the vehicle except not having fog lights. It was a big upgrade from a 2015 Ford Escape SE to a 2020 one.
this works in a 2016 focus se as well. I used a line out converter on mine and installed it rite under my stock deck inside the dash. all the wiring is in one place including the power wires. great video. it was a lot of help.
isaac mays Yes, sort of? The factory radio has an amp in it for the speaker level (high level). Then you can tap into the wires coming out of the radio and run those into a LOC to convert the signal to low level. And then from the LOC, you can run RCAs to the subwoofer's amp. With mine, I skipped the LOC entirely, because my amp can accept high level inputs. So for me, a LOC would be a complete waste of money.
I used this video as a guide to fit my power cable for my tow bar bypass relay. Glad I did because I was gonna run it under the car but it was so easy going through the car via the factory grommet. That weather stripping makes it much easier and gives access to quite a spacious channel to run cables. Thanks for posting.
The factory front speakers are actually nice. I installed a 4 channel amplifier and a sub amp. If I had to do it again, I would install just a sub amp and upgrade just the back speakers. Thanks for this great video.
THIS HELPED ME SO MUCH well technically not me but my dad and brother they hooked up my speakers and amp and all the wires are hidden perfectly nothing shows it looks super good!
Thank you for the Video. Im trying to install a Sub & Amp myself into my 2014 Ford Focus Hatchback. and i have no idea what I'm doing, lol. So this was a great video! thank u :)
Just finished threading my power wire through the grommet - holy hell what a pain in the ass!!! My fuse holder was attached to the power cable, so I could not go in from the glove box.
i just recently got my license and i have been looking at focuses and i knew they didn't have a subwoofer but now if i do end up getting one i can install a amp thanks ofr the great video
Yeah I got lucky and I only wanted a manual car. My mom ended up getting a Focus as well since she liked mine so much. That hardly even lasted a year because she got the automatic and it was terrible.
I'm not even in the market for installing a stereo in my focus and I still think this was a very well put video haha. But I really like your driver and passenger floor mats! Where'd you get them??
+moelns12 Thank you! They're weathertech floor mats. They are amazing, especially for winter. Since this was my first new car, I wanted to keep the carpets nice, and I made it through two winters now without a problem. They are pricey, but Huskyliners are similar and are about half the price, so check them out too.
Thanks for the video. Finally got around to ordering a wiring kit and LC2i so I can finally reinstall my old Pioneer subs. This will be the newest vehicle I've ever installed on, so I'm glad to see there isn't too much to get into my way. Really like the fuse location too, I'll probably do the same thing. I won't have a trunk after I'm done, but the sedan has a mail slot for a trunk so it wasn't seeing much use anyway! :)
I have all of the door speakers going to a 4 channel amplifier. It is not that the factory head unit is less powerful for the rear speakers. It is that the back speakers are less efficient.
Great video! I installed my amp after watching this video and everything sounds awesome. I ran into few problems but I solved them and now I feels so good. Thanks for this video, it was all I needed.
Dakota Alger when I was making a hole through the grommet to run the positive wire to the battery I cut few others wire mistakenly lol. Reconnecting those wire was a pain in the a**. Other than that everything else was ok and I have a 2013 focus se hatch.
did you keep your stock radio? i’ve talked to some guys and they’re saying i might need a new radio to connect. basically does the stock radio have an RC plug to connect
Will all this work on the 2014 sedan the most basic model...like with the stick stereo and everything and can you list all the stuff in the video or where to get EVERYTHING except the LEDs
It will definitely work on the sedan. The only one I'm sure that it would work with the wires that I noted in the video is the Sony radio version. Other than that everything is the same. Also, I updated the video description to include the parts and tools I used. Best of luck!
That depends on your amp. My amp has auto-detect inputs and can accept high level inputs. Without the auto-detect, you'd also have to run a remote wire to tell the amp to "turn on". If your amp can only accept low level inputs (a lower voltage), then you would need something to bring the voltage down so that you won't fry the amp inputs.
Thank you for this helpfull video. Ask question how and where you connect the RCA wire from amplifier to stereo? O i need some harness because stock stereo of ford focus 2012 no RCA in/out?
Very well done video. Question thats a little off topic for you if you dont mind, I have a 09 fusion with subs and speakers and factory radio. When you said that cars dont put as much power to the rear speakers it totally reminded me that my back speakers dont put out nearly the sound the fronts do. Thank you for confirming its the cars outputs and not a defect of my 4 chan amp. But do you think I could just bump up the gain on the rear channels to compensate for lack of power going to them?
Thank you! And bumping up the gain may help to make them louder, but I don't know what the quality of the speakers would be for one thing, but also I don't know the quality of the signal going to them (frequency range). I would use the fade control to listen to only the front speakers, and then fade it to the back and sit in the back to listen to see if the quality is decent. I haven't hooked the wires up to an oscilloscope to see if there is any actual degradation in the signal itself though, so just listen and try to get it to your liking. Good luck
i know this is a old video not sure if you still responding... so you described everything in your video i understand your amp doesnt need a line out converter because its built in..... my only question is you tied into the front speaker outputs from the radio up front.... the signal from those wires have to go to rca input of amp....how did you get speaker wire to turn into the rca connection to go into the rca input on amp is my only question
Jeff Monigle I got an RCA cable that already had the two wires separated, you can take any RCA cable and do the same thing. One will be the ground, and the other the positive. So from the radio, I connected the left + to the positive (I think the center pin) on the RCA cable, the - to the ground on the RCA. Then the same thing for the right speaker. When you cut into the RCA cable, if there aren't two separately insulated wires, then the positive will be the single insulated wire, and the loose stranded wires around the positive is the ground. Hope that helps.
I've been wondering if it's possible to easily get behind that radio. I personally wouldn't install anything but I've been thinking about talking my car somewhere to get new speakers and a sub installed. My biggest concern was losing anything in that area. Now I'm a lot less concerned. Nice video.
I have a sel and I have no idea if my amp in the back is pushing my speakers too and my amp I want to upgrade to two tens I just don’t know how to do it
I'm not new to wiring up an amp, but I am new to wiring to a factory head unit. I am also looking into getting a focus and trying to determine if I should hang on to my current amp/sub combo. Thanks for posting this video, I just have one question. You spliced into the front speakers, and those are going to the RCA inputs on the amp right?
Yes, I had to make my own plugs, but radio shack had some decent stuff. www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102959&filterName=Category I got something like that, and made my own connections.
One hour mode , fiesta red panel problem. Please help. I removed the plus pole from the car battery and the tape did not recover. fuses work fully. but a clock mode did not go whatever I did. please can you help
My wiring to the stock radio aren't really white? They are pinkish? Is that normal. They have a red tint to them. But they have the same line of strips through them.
Sorry it took me so long to answer, but the link in the description shows what wires are which. I just used vampire clips (or wire splices) to hook into the existing wiring. A line out converter is only needed if the amp doesn't support the line out level. Pioneer amps do, but you would have to check to see if your specific amp can take the higher voltage levels. My amp also has an automatic turn on level, so it detects the speaker input when the car turns on, and turns itself on.
great video dude, very detailed. I put a system in my subbie last week and now my fiance wants one in her focus st. Do I have to pull any plastic from the back of the glove box to see the power wire coming through the firewall or will it be visible once I poke it through? thanks.
+griffith0216 No plastic. But it isn't completely "visible" since it's a ways up behind the dash, but you can feel it. It's easiest to take the glove box off. If you have someone push on the rubber piece from inside the engine bay, then you can feel it from the inside up behind the glove box. My brother has a lot smaller arms and was able to get his hand up to the seal to grab the wire while I pushed the wire through with a big flat head screw driver (not pushing the screw driver into the wire, but next to it to help open the hole). We pulled it through the hole above the glove box first since it was easier to pull straight out from the firewall. Then fished it back through the hole in the glove box and ran it through the channel under the doors. Definitely the hardest part of the install though.
+Dakota Alger Yeah that was the hardest part of my install last week too. I had no help though so it was a pain in the ass. Thanks for the putting up the color code for the wires. I'm gonna be using the high level inputs on the amp as well.
I'm assuming this is an SE? So your saying the amp doesn't require a line level? How do I know it I need a line level? I have an SE hatch, and the amp I have is a fosgate 300S. How do I know if I need a line level or not?
Micheal Lugo I just looked up the manual. It specifically says that your amp has high level inputs. If you bought the amp new, it should have came with a connector that you have to use to plug the wires in from the back of the stereo into the amp. It's a little 2x2 molex connector with some wires hanging out of it probably. If you don't have the connector, you might be able to find one at radioshack of equivalent. Or, if you're decent at soldering you can solder the connections directly to the amp board.
Wdym by you had to splice into the front speakers? Im going to move my sub setup from my old car to this car and was curious and what you mentioned there.
Unfortunately, the stock amplifier begins to clip (distort) the signal past half volume. So, with a line-out converter you're just amplifying a distorted signal. You must bypass the factory amp.
Inside an RCA cable there is a signal wire, and then the ground usually as bare stranded wire wrapped around the insulation of the signal wire. My amp has high level inputs, but doesn't have any different high level input plugs (some amps have a separate special plug for them, not the RCA connections). So I ran the kicker RCA cable back to my amp, but then behind the radio, I snipped off the RCA ends, and got to the bare wires. I then used "tap-in" connectors to connect my RCA wires to the correct radio wires. That way I didn't have to actually cut the wires behind the radio. It can be argued that tap-ins are not very good for this type of thing, but I like them because they're quick. If you opt to use tap-ins, just make sure to cover them with lots of electrical tape afterwards just to be sure they stay in and don't short something. Something like this could work, depending on the wire gauge coming from the radio: www.amazon.com/Red-Insultion-Displacement-Connector-22-18/dp/B001N7RD9U/ref=pd_sim_23_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1XJ20VSTVNX5XM7RMP1E
+Dakota Alger thanks for the solid info man. I understand. wouldn't this work too Rockford RFHLC High Level Speaker Signal to Low Level RCA Adapter www.amazon.com/dp/B009VTDVMU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gW2ZxbQ0V69K7?
+Dan Gan Yes, something like that should work. However, I've heard issues with the signal degrading in unpowered level converters. That may only be for extremely picky people though.
I heard that when you try to hook up an amp and subwoofer, you have a possibility of losing sync. Have you had any problems with sync? Have you lost it sometimes after installing your amp and sub? I have the same exact car and looking to install the same amp and sub in my focus. Thanks!
Sync as in the Ford Sync program? If so, then no it is perfectly fine. If you cut some wires and don't handle it correctly, then maybe. But I only spliced the front speaker wires. If you change the radio from the factory unit, then you will lose sync unless you purchase some add on box. Since I left the factory head unit in, then I still have sync and bluetooth and all that. But be very careful with which wires you splice, and double check them before plugging them into the amp.
Chris Lundin Yeah, viper is right. Sorry about not responding sooner, I remember typing a reply, but it must not have submitted. I paid about $250 for the whole set when I first got the car since I really wanted to keep the carpets clean. Huskyliners are much cheaper though, so check them out too.
+Mark McRae Glad I could help. I haven't had any NEW problems with Sync, but the software has always sucked. All the voice commands and all that still work, but this is with the stock SE sound system, so I don't know if anything is different with the upgrade sound system.
I have the 16 fiesta and I'm hooking up my amp now, I've kept my stock radio. For the wires that you run from the radio to the amp did you use rca or the speaker wire in the kicker box
FatGuyBuilds hey man, so where did/would you connect the power wire(yellow) and ground(black) from the line converter with stock stereo? (Same car as you). Also, how did you have the remote wire set up? Thanks!!!!
I don't know if anyone already knows this and idk if it applies to the 2014 model but i have a 2015 with the body/interior redesign and in the trunk there is a decently sized fuse block in the back with almost everything empty on it, though i honestly don't know what kind of power the rear fuse box can handle
Any rear fuse box can't be used to power the sub. If there is a fuse hooked to the ignition, then you could use that as the remote wire. I don't think my car has one, but I haven't checked. Good to know for people needing a remote wire though! Thanks for sharing.
Instructions were spot on. Installed everything without trouble. I added a signal to RCA converter in your install though. That is a must for tieing into a stock system. I used a Scosche Line-Out Converter with Bass Control for $20 (Walmart #: 551304026) but if you want to stick with Kicker (SKU: KIC13-KISLOC-N) it cost the same but doesn't come with the dash mountable gain control (which is good for me since i occasionally have my 3 year old in my car. I then use a Add-a-Circuit to power it since it acts as a signal booster.
+Chad Jason Luckily my sub has high level inputs, so it saved me quite a bit of extra wiring there. I soldered a potentiometer to my amp board so I can adjust the gain of the amp remotely too. It looks kind of bad, but it's just sitting in my center console right now.
Chad Jason which fuse did you do the add a circuit to? all of the fuse slots I have tried so far aren't working. Everything I put the remote wire into the amp, the amp is just constantly on, no matter what. Doesn't even have to be plugged into a fuse slot
I can do it all except the factory radio wiring, really wish there was a video on how to do it, dont want to mess with wiring unless i know exactly what im doing
Jason VanNostrand It is really easy, but you have to be careful. If you don't have the Sony stereo, then the colors I listed in the video should be correct. You can 1: cut the wire factory speaker wire, strip both ends, and then use a wire nut to attach both the wires together again and a third wire to go to the amp/line out converter (twist all three wires together, twist the wire nut on, then use electrical tape over it) or 2: Use tap in wire connectors (listed in the video description) to add the amp wire to the speaker lines. Option one probably would provide a better contact. Unfortunately, due to class work and the end of the semester madness with graduating, I can't make a video of how to do it until the summer. But if you are still stuck, just let me know. Hope this helps!
Dakota Alger thank you for the response, now these colored wires are all very tightly connected with a bunch of other wires if i remember correctly, these need to be pulled out and stripped back a bit? or am i looking at the wrong wiring? Im not extremely familiar with factory wiring yet.
There is one big plug that plugs into the back of the radio in the focus (the metal box behind the face plate). Take out the radio, then unwrap the wires. Mine had a felt like tape on them. I took most of that off so that I could get more room to work with the wires. Once I found the wires I wanted, I used electrical tape to hold all the wires that I didn't want to use back, and that way I only had four wires and a decent amount of room to move around.
has anyone thought of using the rear fuse box for the remote signals its driver side back of hatch. and what amp did you buy. awesome video and thanks a lot for posting.
Can I unplug my negative terminal on my focus st 2016 ... Or do I have to hookup outside power source to car. Don't care about loosing setting but will I need to reset any codes or radio codes ? Help 🙏🏽
+Mateo Oliveras Yes, of course you can. The only thing that I lost was the time and the radio presets. Just be careful when you take them off. Although, may I ask why you need to remove your negative cable?? You shouldn't be connecting the amp negative directly to the battery.
Vintage Vinny DIY already did my install but doing any electrical work involving unplugging any electrical peices always unplug batter to prevent a short circuit because you can. Blow a fuse or worse the wire and have to replace the wiring harness in the car
Ah that makes sense. I work with very sensitive electronics, so I usually don't worry about it when I'm working on my car. haha But definitely a good tip.
Have you had any ignition problems with your car not turning off immediately? I have a kicker amp and sub from the previous owner and experience infrequent ignition problems. Once I disconnected the sub wiring the problem stopped.
colin yabor I haven't had any issues. I just swapped out my sub and amp and have had no problems so far. I can't imagine what they could have done to mess that up, unless when they ran the power wire through the firewall they accidentally cut some other wires. If you live around st louis I could take a look at it.
I might be having a dope moment, but a short question: what did you do for the remote wire 12v turn on? When I turn on my car with the high output wired to my amp, the system doesn't turn on. I'm afraid my vampire clips didn't contact to my stock head unit source, but I didn't think you needed a remote when using 5v high level outputs? Thanks in advance, signed audio n00b. PS amp shows no power as indicacted by light next to amp fuse
petah00 I didn't need a remote wire for my Pioneer amp, but if you need one, the amp won't even turn on without it. So have the car off completely, and then turn the key on and see if any lights on the amp light up. If nothing, then run a remote wire from one of the fuses (also check the voltage across the amp power terminals with a volt meter to make sure you have a good fuse connection and ground). I ran a remote wire in another video on a 2013 Ford Fiesta, so hopefully that will show the right amount of detail. th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
Wow thanks, yeah, I meant to check out the Fiesta video. I've also got to check my speaker connections because I've never used those clips before and it seemed too easy, hahah. Yeah, I'll find a multimeter and do just that. Cool project and I like your 5spd focus, I wish I didn't have so much traffic I like driving manual!
Man that grommet was a pain! But we finally got it wired up. Thanks for the video couldn't have done it without it. Also did your check engine light come on after you did this cause I think we might have bumped into some sensors while fighting the grommet.
Yeah it took me and my brother a while to get through. Lol But no I didn't have any lights come on. I went through closer to the passenger side of the grommet because most of the wires came through closer to the drivers side of it. I'd run it by Autozone to check the light for sure. Hopefully it's nothing! And I'm glad the video helped.
I need some help. I've installed everything as you and once I go try it (mind you I haven't equalized anything yet) the subwoofer will not work. I have no experience installing amps/subwoofers. So please get back to me as soon as you can to help find a solution to what's causing this issue, thanks.
Ryan Toole Sorry that I just now saw this, but if you still need help, let me know. Generally, check all the fuses, use a volt meter to ensure that you properly grounded the amp and that it is getting power. Your amp may need a remote wire, and I did not include how to do that in this video, but in my ford fiesta install I did, and they're pretty similar cars: th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
Hi, awesome video you have here, quick question, do I need a special thing for the battery terminal? I was watching a different video and the guy said the stock battery terminal won't accept another wire so I wouldn't be able to wire the subs and stuff? Is that true? I already have all my stuff for the installation and really don't wanna be stumped by some $2 problem... Thanks again
I've never had to buy anything extra, but it could depend on your car. You'll only need the positive connected to the battery terminal. I have had to cut the little plastic terminal cover before, but usually I just undo the bolt holding the terminal on, but the new connector for the sub on, and then bolt it back on. Long story short, just double check your car.
+Redline Yeah just give it a shot and see. lol The only thing you may have to do is drill out the connector to fit over the bolt on the battery, but that will depend on the wiring kit you bought. Goodluck!
+Dakota Alger Hey man new question, is there anyway to get into the factory wires without splicing? Can I do a pigtail connector or does the stock radio not accept it or whatever, I'm so new to all this and still have yet to get my subs installed lol.
Just splice it. There's no need to do an entire pigtail thing like when installing a new radio. Just a lot of extra work. Plus if you use a quick connect clip then you don't even have to cut the wires. You just slip the connector over the radio wire, and then put in the new wire and squeeze.
Jamie Schleeter No, the amp may still need a remote turn on wire. My amp has "auto-sensing inputs" so that it sees the audio signal on the amp signal input lines (RCA cables), and then turns on the amp. When there's no signal, it turns off. But that's completely amp dependent. Also, depending on the brand, I've heard of auto sensing inputs draining people's batteries when it doesn't turn off. Luckily mine works really well and I've never had an issue. If your amp doesn't have auto-sensing, you will still need a remote wire connect to a fuse that only turns on when the car is on.
Right ok thanks! Great video! I have the same car and like my stock stereo and to install a different unit is very costly for the kit! So this helps tremendously! Thanks again!
i have a question for ya.. so i got a line out converter to covert it to rca. do i cut the speaker wire at the back of factory radio and connect to converter will this cut my front speakers off? and it also comes with a wire for remote and contant 12v battery will i need to connect these and how the wire on the converter are very short do i dissconect the 12v constant from back off radio wouldnt this make the radio not work. thanks for reading help would be much appreciuated as im doing this tomo morning
Victoria Turner You need to run a parallel connection for the speaker wires. 12v just connect those to your amp positive and ground, again in parallel. You will need to use a "add a circuit" thing to add a connection in the fuse box in the glove box. I showed how I did this on a 2013 Ford Fiesta: th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html Let me know how far that gets you, and then let me know if you have any problems.
Yeah I have a hatch, so I'm sure it sounds a bit better than a sedan, but my mom has the focus sedan with the stock sub and it sounds decent. I don't know if it would make too big of a difference though.
Where did you "plug in" the power signal wire? I don't have the rear fuse block in the trunk/hatch. Need switched 12v supply and have a coupld contenders, just wondering what you did.
Hey, I have a mono (single channel) amp JBL GTO-501EZ. I'd like to know if I can get the signal DIRECTLY from the stock player of my Ford Focus II Sedan without a line out converter, would it work? Also, since it is a mono amp, I will only need 2 wires; can I cut front left to get the + and front right to get the - (like bridged) ? Would it work like that; or I have to cut front left + and front left - (left channel) ? Thanks!
Alexander Leet You'd have to check the manual for the amp and see if it has high level inputs. if so, no line out converter needed. For the signal though, I think even if it's a mono amp you still need both left and right inputs. Since audio is AC, I would not mix the two channels. If the amp only has one input, just take it from either side. Otherwise I'd recommend connecting both left and right channels.
"If you have connected the GTO subwoofer amplifier to your factory audio system's speaker outputs, theaudio system may show a "speaker disconnected" message, or may fail to play with an amplifier connected to itsoutput. If this happens, set the GTO amplifier's Input Level switch to the "Hi2" position. The "Hi2" position includes acircuit designed to fool this type of factory system into "seeing" a speaker connected to its output." I guess I don't need it, right?
Alexander Leet I'm not sure. The ford radio won't have that problem because the speakers will still be hooked up, so the radio will always see a load on the output. Just double check the high level input rating (max voltage) and make sure that it's high enough for the factory speaker output.
not sure how quick of a reply I'll get but how did you cut through the rubber grommet? we've tried drills, blades, screw drivers but it doesn't wanna puncyute
Chase Tappan We used a utility knife. Just go straight through the side without all of the wires, and use a flathead screw driver to help guide the wire through.
Alfredo Morales I haven't seen a stock car with RCA. If you watch the video, I show what wires to tap into for some custom RCA cables that I got from RadioShack. My amp has high level input capability, so I didn't need a converter. Just check your amp first.
Does anybody know how legit 3:48 on is? Hooking into the front speakers rather than the rear, because the stock head unit gives more power to the front ones? Im installing with an active line output converter, meaning it'll maximize the signal being sent anyways. Not sure if I should tap into the front wires or the rears, thanks
beautiful job dude. I have a 13 se hatch. I really want a system in it but I'm nervous that it could cause electrical problems or possibly void the warranty. if you/your brother lived close to be (pa) I'd pay you to do mine!!
Thanks for the quick reply! That's too bad haha wish my focus was stick too. I've got the the slippery tranny. Might just sell and get the manual version when I can come up with enough money. Take it easy Dakota! Great work
The only thing I’m stuck on and the only reason I have to look up vids is because I’m trying to bypass using a loc but it seems like you can’t. You didn’t even show how you got rca from the radio
An RCA cable is just a positive and negative wire (kind of, but not really since it's AC signals). You just have to splice the positive speaker wire with the positive of the RCA cable (or any other speaker wire and then you can put an RCA connector on the end). Then do the same for the negative. Sorry for the late reply.
when i used to have a toyota corralla my subs sounded perfect nd every note was heard, but when i got the ford focus se, i had the same guy install the subs nd it sounds terrible, some notes hit nd than others dont so idk wtf is going on. r u guys saying that u need to have some sort of installation or upgrade done with the sync radio shit? please someone answer if u know cause ive been having this problem since i got this car
+Bradley Campbell Well, you can do that... It depends on your setup. What kind of system are you planning on running? If you're planning on drawing a ton of power, I would get the better wires from Kicker or something like that. Just remember that everything else can be pretty easily replace in your sound system. But the wiring, not likely that you're ever going to want to replace it.
I did everything the same as in the video but now my stereo won't work at all, it's just saying my time and weather. I try to use t he sync functions on the steering wheel and still nothing :/
Well then the wiring behind the radio must not be right. Is the radio on? I know it sounds simple, but I just have to check... First thing to do is take the amp wires off the stock wires and see if everything works again. If it does, fantastic. Otherwise, check the fuses. If it was designed right, and since it's a ford I doubt it was, but you should blow a fuse long before any actual damage was done. Then, to get the wires correct, double check that you connected to the correct colors. What I did to verify, I used a ground tester. Connect one end to the ground, and then probe the wires coming out of the radio. The two wires you were connected to before, when the radio is playing decently loud, should make the ground tester light up (kind of beat with the music). Ground testers are super cheap too. You can get one at Walmart or Autozone. Last resort, if you live around saint louis, I could take a look at it. It should be noted, I don't know if the wiring is the same for the Sony radio, or for myFordTouch.
+Dakota Alger yeah I mean I'm hoping it's just a blown fuse, because I'm trying to turn the radio on and it just won't work. I've double checked the wires but who knows if it's a different setup since mine is a 2013 but it's not sony. Thanks for the reply and I'll definitely get back to you on what I did wrong.
Oh, one other possible thing to check... If you still are puzzled and don't feel like checking every wire, you could take off one of the front door panels, and see if the wire colors connected to the speaker are the same as they are on the back of the radio. Somewhere though, the wires split off for the tweeter, so I don't know if that will change them. In my Honda civic that I used to have, they were the same color all the way through.
+Todd Ingram I'm planning on making a video that shows everything a bit more in depth, but I won't have it made for a few weeks probably. Good luck with getting everything going.
+Dakota Alger Alright I'll check the door speakers, You've already been a big help with this video. I'll be waiting for the in-depth one too. Thanks dude
Sorry. I Had a really crappy day yesterday. I Shouldn't have barked. About the only thing they could ever void is the warranty on the radio if something ever happened to it. but they would have to be prepared to prove it though. The Best thing to do if you were worried about it is to build the system to be able to remove the components expeditiously if needed for warranty work.
Alrighty, I have a 2013 SE and I was wondering how you got it through the glovebox? I looked and couldn't find the hole that you said was there (Maybe you said you cut it? I dont remember).
bullrunlover There is a rubber grommet where the factory wiring harness runs through. It's a black rubber circle on the left hand side of the firewall looking at it from the front. You have to use a carpet knife to CAREFULLY cut through. And then just seal it with weather stripping sealant.
Teddy Lopez I didn't put an recording of it because subs always sound bad in video. But it sounds great. Especially because I have a hatch back and the sound bounces off and right into the cabin.
Hey man, Im looking to do a sub install on my 2014 focus SE sedan, but i can't find an ignition only wire for my amp remote, how did you wire yours so that your amp wouldn't draw power without the car or radio being on?
Jeff Small I didn't need a remote wire because my amp has an automatic turn on, but I did a remote wire in a 2013 Ford Fiesta in this video: th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html Check the other comments and I've said more about it. Let me know if you have any problems.
Just find a fuse that only has power from accessory power (only works when the car is turned on). I don't know of the fuse number, but it will be a 12v+ signal to turn on the amp. Test with a multimeter, and then you can get an add a circuit to plug into the fuse position. You can check out my video where I install a sub in a Ford Fiesta, and then I had to do that. It has more details: th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
+MrPuRpLeHaZ3 If you want to, then that's fine as long as you take it to a decent place. But it's definitely something that you could do yourself. If you do it yourself, just set aside a whole Saturday to make sure that you aren't rushed. This whole thing took me quite a few hours because I wanted to make sure that it was perfect. This is my first new car, and I really didn't want to mess it up. But luckily there's Google and TH-cam University to help you out. Like I said, just take it slow and you'll be fine. But if you get to a point that you don't feel comfortable, then take it in. Best of luck!
Well when I did my first sub woofer installation I didn't have any experience in the matter, but I read a lot of articles online before doing it. Since there's not a rear deck, you have to take out your radio and splice into the wires, and if you're not careful, then you could do some damage. And if you hook up the battery cables you could shock yourself if you don't do it right, so it's not something you want to just do without care, but it's totally doable. If I were you, I'd check out more videos and online pages first. I do a more complete installation in my friend's Ford Fiesta here if you want to check it out: th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
+Dakota Alger thsnks man your really helpful. i have a couple friends at school that are really big in systems so ill see if they can help me. this is my first new car aswell and i dont wanna mess up wiring like i did with my last one lol
Pretty simply. My amp doesn't need a line out converter. lol A lot of amps have "high-level" inputs. All a line out converter does is takes the "high" levels and drops it a couple volts to be safer for the amp. That, and some of the fancier ones will add other features. That's why I love my amp, high level inputs and auto sensing inputs, so no LOC and I didn't have to run a remote wire to wake the sub.
madsenkid19 It's a Pioneer 750 I think. A friend just installed a Pioneer 8600 and it had the same features. If you're looking to buy an amp I recommend Pioneer, but if the amp has high level inputs and remote sensing, it will make your life a lot easier.
Where did you run the Ground to? Looks like i can see it run back behind the rear seats, did you ground it in the trunk or take it back to the drivers side?
ugzz I grounded it to one of the rear seat bolts. You want the ground cable to be as short as possible. If you have a ground tester, then that is a great way to check that you'll get a good connection. Sorry that I didn't really explain that in the video.
Thanks for the reply, i ended up hunting aroun a bit more and when I removed the carpet in the trunk and there is a factory ground next to the drivers side tail light. I re-used that spot. So far no issues.
My amp doesn't need a remote wire so I didn't run one. But find a fuse (behind the glove box) that will only be on when the car is running, and then use a "add a circuit" fuse holder to hook in your remote wire. The manual and a multimeter will help in you in your hunt. Let me know if you can't find a suitable fuse though and I'll check it out in my car.
Thank you for posting this! My wife has a 2015 Focus Hatchback and there are subtle differences....but this showed me the path. Saved me a couple hundred dollars of installation fees.
pLoco1977 No problem! glad I could help.
Was it different to get behind radio on the 2015? I have seen videos on 2016 that you have to removed all the plastic around shifter nob rather than just the two screws. I hope this isnt the case. The one in the video i saw had the bigger display as mine is the small one. I have the SE model.
Never heard of the back channels of a head unit having different output than the front channels...but great video and it's helpful for my 2017 Focus St amp install...I've done others and just used the back speaker outputs.
Some factory units roll off the bass at higher volume levels
@@derekgardin1512 yeah auto loudness
Dude thank you so much. I was a little nervous about starting this project, but you made it look fairly simple, I'm gonna give it a try.
Jessie Bodah Glad I could help! Good luck with the install.
I used to have a 2015 Ford Escape SE. This Ford Focus reminds me of the car. I have that vehicle almost 5 years before it died on me almost 7 weeks ago. Right now that I have a 2020 Ford Escape SE in black. It is so freaking sweet. It has almost everything that I want in the vehicle except not having fog lights. It was a big upgrade from a 2015 Ford Escape SE to a 2020 one.
this works in a 2016 focus se as well. I used a line out converter on mine and installed it rite under my stock deck inside the dash. all the wiring is in one place including the power wires. great video. it was a lot of help.
the factory amp is part of the whole radio right? I can just tap the harness and run the LOC and some RCAs?
isaac mays Yes, sort of? The factory radio has an amp in it for the speaker level (high level). Then you can tap into the wires coming out of the radio and run those into a LOC to convert the signal to low level. And then from the LOC, you can run RCAs to the subwoofer's amp. With mine, I skipped the LOC entirely, because my amp can accept high level inputs. So for me, a LOC would be a complete waste of money.
Dakota Alger okay cool thanks that's exactly the answer I was looking for, just where to tap in. Some of these new Ford's have an amp in the back
isaac mays That's only if it has the upgraded Sony stereo system. I haven't worked with a car that does though.
where did you happen to connect your ground?
I used this video as a guide to fit my power cable for my tow bar bypass relay. Glad I did because I was gonna run it under the car but it was so easy going through the car via the factory grommet. That weather stripping makes it much easier and gives access to quite a spacious channel to run cables. Thanks for posting.
The factory front speakers are actually nice. I installed a 4 channel amplifier and a sub amp. If I had to do it again, I would install just a sub amp and upgrade just the back speakers. Thanks for this great video.
THIS HELPED ME SO MUCH well technically not me but my dad and brother they hooked up my speakers and amp and all the wires are hidden perfectly nothing shows it looks super good!
did you have to get a new stereo?
dude, your a freaking genius..followed your vid to run my trailer wire to the battery. sooo much easier than any other option.thanks mate
Glad I could help!
Thank you for the Video. Im trying to install a Sub & Amp myself into my 2014 Ford Focus Hatchback. and i have no idea what I'm doing, lol. So this was a great video! thank u :)
No problem! Glad that I could help out.
Thanks for this man! It helped me out a lot, and you probably saved me hours of finicking to run a simple wire from front to back.
Joris van den Heuvel No problem! That was the plan since it took my brother and I forever to get it right. Glad I could help.
Just finished threading my power wire through the grommet - holy hell what a pain in the ass!!! My fuse holder was attached to the power cable, so I could not go in from the glove box.
Hola bro, puedes mostrar un video de como instalaste el adaptador de RCA?? Gracias
i just recently got my license and i have been looking at focuses and i knew they didn't have a subwoofer but now if i do end up getting one i can install a amp thanks ofr the great video
lilpandasdancin if you get one don't get an automatic!!! They have the worst transmission in the world!!!!!
Robert Huff Jr wish I would've read this comment when you posted it....
lilpandasdancin wish I would of done my research because now I'm stuck with it for 4 more years
Yeah I got lucky and I only wanted a manual car. My mom ended up getting a Focus as well since she liked mine so much. That hardly even lasted a year because she got the automatic and it was terrible.
Long time but still very helpful thanks
I'm not even in the market for installing a stereo in my focus and I still think this was a very well put video haha. But I really like your driver and passenger floor mats! Where'd you get them??
+moelns12 Thank you! They're weathertech floor mats. They are amazing, especially for winter. Since this was my first new car, I wanted to keep the carpets nice, and I made it through two winters now without a problem. They are pricey, but Huskyliners are similar and are about half the price, so check them out too.
Thanks for the video. Finally got around to ordering a wiring kit and LC2i so I can finally reinstall my old Pioneer subs. This will be the newest vehicle I've ever installed on, so I'm glad to see there isn't too much to get into my way. Really like the fuse location too, I'll probably do the same thing.
I won't have a trunk after I'm done, but the sedan has a mail slot for a trunk so it wasn't seeing much use anyway! :)
Thanks! And yeah this was the newest one I've done, so I was a little nervous about it, but it went pretty smoothly.
I have all of the door speakers going to a 4 channel amplifier. It is not that the factory head unit is less powerful for the rear speakers. It is that the back speakers are less efficient.
Great video! I installed my amp after watching this video and everything sounds awesome. I ran into few problems but I solved them and now I feels so good. Thanks for this video, it was all I needed.
Jay Dallors No problem. Glad I could help. What snags did you run into?
Dakota Alger when I was making a hole through the grommet to run the positive wire to the battery I cut few others wire mistakenly lol. Reconnecting those wire was a pain in the a**. Other than that everything else was ok and I have a 2013 focus se hatch.
Jay Dallors Oh yeah, that would be difficult. At least you got it all working now.
did you keep your stock radio? i’ve talked to some guys and they’re saying i might need a new radio to connect. basically does the stock radio have an RC plug to connect
also, I don’t know what I’m talking about so I might be asking the wrong thing😂
Will all this work on the 2014 sedan the most basic model...like with the stick stereo and everything and can you list all the stuff in the video or where to get EVERYTHING except the LEDs
It will definitely work on the sedan. The only one I'm sure that it would work with the wires that I noted in the video is the Sony radio version. Other than that everything is the same. Also, I updated the video description to include the parts and tools I used. Best of luck!
Nice and clean install, love it.
I have a 2012 Ford Focus SE, will I be able to use my factory radio to run my amplifier?
That depends on your amp. My amp has auto-detect inputs and can accept high level inputs. Without the auto-detect, you'd also have to run a remote wire to tell the amp to "turn on". If your amp can only accept low level inputs (a lower voltage), then you would need something to bring the voltage down so that you won't fry the amp inputs.
Thank you for this helpfull video. Ask question how and where you connect the RCA wire from amplifier to stereo? O i need some harness because stock stereo of ford focus 2012 no RCA in/out?
I know Im late but got my first car just like this. But What colors in the stereo do I Connect to the sub?
Very well done video. Question thats a little off topic for you if you dont mind, I have a 09 fusion with subs and speakers and factory radio. When you said that cars dont put as much power to the rear speakers it totally reminded me that my back speakers dont put out nearly the sound the fronts do. Thank you for confirming its the cars outputs and not a defect of my 4 chan amp. But do you think I could just bump up the gain on the rear channels to compensate for lack of power going to them?
Thank you! And bumping up the gain may help to make them louder, but I don't know what the quality of the speakers would be for one thing, but also I don't know the quality of the signal going to them (frequency range). I would use the fade control to listen to only the front speakers, and then fade it to the back and sit in the back to listen to see if the quality is decent. I haven't hooked the wires up to an oscilloscope to see if there is any actual degradation in the signal itself though, so just listen and try to get it to your liking. Good luck
Great thanks for the response!
i know this is a old video not sure if you still responding... so you described everything in your video i understand your amp doesnt need a line out converter because its built in..... my only question is you tied into the front speaker outputs from the radio up front.... the signal from those wires have to go to rca input of amp....how did you get speaker wire to turn into the rca connection to go into the rca input on amp is my only question
Jeff Monigle I got an RCA cable that already had the two wires separated, you can take any RCA cable and do the same thing. One will be the ground, and the other the positive. So from the radio, I connected the left + to the positive (I think the center pin) on the RCA cable, the - to the ground on the RCA. Then the same thing for the right speaker. When you cut into the RCA cable, if there aren't two separately insulated wires, then the positive will be the single insulated wire, and the loose stranded wires around the positive is the ground. Hope that helps.
Hey question do you know what are the colors of the 4 door speaker wires we need to tap into ?
Did you mention how ground your amp?
I was wondering exactly where to ground mine as well
Ground to subframe after sanding to bare metal, then spray with plasti dip to prevent corrosion.
seat belt anchor point is a good spot
I've been wondering if it's possible to easily get behind that radio. I personally wouldn't install anything but I've been thinking about talking my car somewhere to get new speakers and a sub installed. My biggest concern was losing anything in that area. Now I'm a lot less concerned. Nice video.
+SnackeyG Thanks! If you get stuck just let me know. Goodluck!
I have a sel and I have no idea if my amp in the back is pushing my speakers too and my amp I want to upgrade to two tens I just don’t know how to do it
Im struggling to get the power wire through the firewall any tips?
I'm not new to wiring up an amp, but I am new to wiring to a factory head unit. I am also looking into getting a focus and trying to determine if I should hang on to my current amp/sub combo. Thanks for posting this video, I just have one question. You spliced into the front speakers, and those are going to the RCA inputs on the amp right?
Yes, I had to make my own plugs, but radio shack had some decent stuff.
www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102959&filterName=Category
I got something like that, and made my own connections.
I was curious about what kinda amp do you have because I like that auto detect feature you were talking
One hour mode , fiesta red panel problem. Please help. I removed the plus pole from the car battery and the tape did not recover.
fuses work fully.
but a clock mode did not go whatever I did. please can you help
My wiring to the stock radio aren't really white? They are pinkish? Is that normal. They have a red tint to them. But they have the same line of strips through them.
Can you briefly explain how you were able to connect to the factory head unit without the need of a line out converter? Thanks, good video btw.
Sorry it took me so long to answer, but the link in the description shows what wires are which. I just used vampire clips (or wire splices) to hook into the existing wiring. A line out converter is only needed if the amp doesn't support the line out level. Pioneer amps do, but you would have to check to see if your specific amp can take the higher voltage levels. My amp also has an automatic turn on level, so it detects the speaker input when the car turns on, and turns itself on.
great vid bro, helped me install my amp in my focus. just wondering where you got those winter floor mats from?
great video dude, very detailed. I put a system in my subbie last week and now my fiance wants one in her focus st. Do I have to pull any plastic from the back of the glove box to see the power wire coming through the firewall or will it be visible once I poke it through? thanks.
+griffith0216 No plastic. But it isn't completely "visible" since it's a ways up behind the dash, but you can feel it. It's easiest to take the glove box off. If you have someone push on the rubber piece from inside the engine bay, then you can feel it from the inside up behind the glove box. My brother has a lot smaller arms and was able to get his hand up to the seal to grab the wire while I pushed the wire through with a big flat head screw driver (not pushing the screw driver into the wire, but next to it to help open the hole). We pulled it through the hole above the glove box first since it was easier to pull straight out from the firewall. Then fished it back through the hole in the glove box and ran it through the channel under the doors. Definitely the hardest part of the install though.
+Dakota Alger Yeah that was the hardest part of my install last week too. I had no help though so it was a pain in the ass. Thanks for the putting up the color code for the wires. I'm gonna be using the high level inputs on the amp as well.
I'm assuming this is an SE? So your saying the amp doesn't require a line level? How do I know it I need a line level? I have an SE hatch, and the amp I have is a fosgate 300S. How do I know if I need a line level or not?
Micheal Lugo I just looked up the manual. It specifically says that your amp has high level inputs. If you bought the amp new, it should have came with a connector that you have to use to plug the wires in from the back of the stereo into the amp. It's a little 2x2 molex connector with some wires hanging out of it probably. If you don't have the connector, you might be able to find one at radioshack of equivalent. Or, if you're decent at soldering you can solder the connections directly to the amp board.
Wdym by you had to splice into the front speakers? Im going to move my sub setup from my old car to this car and was curious and what you mentioned there.
Since the front speaker wires were tapped into. Does this reduce the power going to the front speakers?
Unfortunately, the stock amplifier begins to clip (distort) the signal past half volume. So, with a line-out converter you're just amplifying a distorted signal. You must bypass the factory amp.
Doug Souders I haven't had any issues, but I am using the radio outputs for the front speakers.
I had this same problem. When I use only the front left speaker to the amp the audio is fine. Soon as I run the right speaker the static comes back.
can you go more into how you spliced into the speaker wires on radio? ive only ever had aftermarket radio with the red and white rca hook ups.
Inside an RCA cable there is a signal wire, and then the ground usually as bare stranded wire wrapped around the insulation of the signal wire. My amp has high level inputs, but doesn't have any different high level input plugs (some amps have a separate special plug for them, not the RCA connections). So I ran the kicker RCA cable back to my amp, but then behind the radio, I snipped off the RCA ends, and got to the bare wires. I then used "tap-in" connectors to connect my RCA wires to the correct radio wires. That way I didn't have to actually cut the wires behind the radio. It can be argued that tap-ins are not very good for this type of thing, but I like them because they're quick. If you opt to use tap-ins, just make sure to cover them with lots of electrical tape afterwards just to be sure they stay in and don't short something.
Something like this could work, depending on the wire gauge coming from the radio:
www.amazon.com/Red-Insultion-Displacement-Connector-22-18/dp/B001N7RD9U/ref=pd_sim_23_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1XJ20VSTVNX5XM7RMP1E
+Dakota Alger thanks for the solid info man. I understand. wouldn't this work too Rockford RFHLC High Level Speaker Signal to Low Level RCA Adapter
www.amazon.com/dp/B009VTDVMU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gW2ZxbQ0V69K7?
+Dan Gan Yes, something like that should work. However, I've heard issues with the signal degrading in unpowered level converters. That may only be for extremely picky people though.
I heard that when you try to hook up an amp and subwoofer, you have a possibility of losing sync. Have you had any problems with sync? Have you lost it sometimes after installing your amp and sub? I have the same exact car and looking to install the same amp and sub in my focus. Thanks!
Sync as in the Ford Sync program? If so, then no it is perfectly fine. If you cut some wires and don't handle it correctly, then maybe. But I only spliced the front speaker wires. If you change the radio from the factory unit, then you will lose sync unless you purchase some add on box. Since I left the factory head unit in, then I still have sync and bluetooth and all that. But be very careful with which wires you splice, and double check them before plugging them into the amp.
Dakota Alger random question, where did you get your floor mats? Those seem pretty flush and great for all-season weather. Thanks!
Those are weathertech floorliners. Weathertech..com that's where I got mine. They run about 170 for the front and rears.
Chris Lundin Yeah, viper is right. Sorry about not responding sooner, I remember typing a reply, but it must not have submitted. I paid about $250 for the whole set when I first got the car since I really wanted to keep the carpets clean. Huskyliners are much cheaper though, so check them out too.
very helpful video man. thanks for posting. question... have you had any problems with Sync after the install? or does everything still run fine?
+Mark McRae Glad I could help. I haven't had any NEW problems with Sync, but the software has always sucked. All the voice commands and all that still work, but this is with the stock SE sound system, so I don't know if anything is different with the upgrade sound system.
I have the 16 fiesta and I'm hooking up my amp now, I've kept my stock radio. For the wires that you run from the radio to the amp did you use rca or the speaker wire in the kicker box
Hey mahn, im trying to hook up my equalizer to the radio using rca wires, any tips?
FatGuyBuilds hey man, so where did/would you connect the power wire(yellow) and ground(black) from the line converter with stock stereo? (Same car as you). Also, how did you have the remote wire set up? Thanks!!!!
I don't know if anyone already knows this and idk if it applies to the 2014 model but i have a 2015 with the body/interior redesign and in the trunk there is a decently sized fuse block in the back with almost everything empty on it, though i honestly don't know what kind of power the rear fuse box can handle
Any rear fuse box can't be used to power the sub. If there is a fuse hooked to the ignition, then you could use that as the remote wire. I don't think my car has one, but I haven't checked. Good to know for people needing a remote wire though! Thanks for sharing.
What did u have to buy so u can put the aux cables behind the stereo I got a ford c-max but dont want to change the radio as it's good enough cheers
Was wondering where u placed the ground
Instructions were spot on. Installed everything without trouble. I added a signal to RCA converter in your install though. That is a must for tieing into a stock system. I used a Scosche Line-Out Converter with Bass Control for $20 (Walmart #: 551304026) but if you want to stick with Kicker (SKU: KIC13-KISLOC-N) it cost the same but doesn't come with the dash mountable gain control (which is good for me since i occasionally have my 3 year old in my car. I then use a Add-a-Circuit to power it since it acts as a signal booster.
+Chad Jason Luckily my sub has high level inputs, so it saved me quite a bit of extra wiring there. I soldered a potentiometer to my amp board so I can adjust the gain of the amp remotely too. It looks kind of bad, but it's just sitting in my center console right now.
Chad Jason which fuse did you do the add a circuit to? all of the fuse slots I have tried so far aren't working. Everything I put the remote wire into the amp, the amp is just constantly on, no matter what. Doesn't even have to be plugged into a fuse slot
Cody Harper I used 5 amp fuse in the trunk gos to sun roof I don't have
I can do it all except the factory radio wiring, really wish there was a video on how to do it, dont want to mess with wiring unless i know exactly what im doing
i have a 2013 ford focus se if anyone thinks they could help me out!! :)
Jason VanNostrand It is really easy, but you have to be careful. If you don't have the Sony stereo, then the colors I listed in the video should be correct. You can
1:
cut the wire factory speaker wire, strip both ends, and then use a wire nut to attach both the wires together again and a third wire to go to the amp/line out converter
(twist all three wires together, twist the wire nut on, then use electrical tape over it)
or 2:
Use tap in wire connectors (listed in the video description) to add the amp wire to the speaker lines.
Option one probably would provide a better contact. Unfortunately, due to class work and the end of the semester madness with graduating, I can't make a video of how to do it until the summer. But if you are still stuck, just let me know.
Hope this helps!
Dakota Alger
thank you for the response, now these colored wires are all very tightly connected with a bunch of other wires if i remember correctly, these need to be pulled out and stripped back a bit? or am i looking at the wrong wiring? Im not extremely familiar with factory wiring yet.
There is one big plug that plugs into the back of the radio in the focus (the metal box behind the face plate). Take out the radio, then unwrap the wires. Mine had a felt like tape on them. I took most of that off so that I could get more room to work with the wires. Once I found the wires I wanted, I used electrical tape to hold all the wires that I didn't want to use back, and that way I only had four wires and a decent amount of room to move around.
Very clean installation!
has anyone thought of using the rear fuse box for the remote signals its driver side back of hatch. and what amp did you buy. awesome video and thanks a lot for posting.
Does this work for Ford Escape as well
Can I unplug my negative terminal on my focus st 2016 ... Or do I have to hookup outside power source to car. Don't care about loosing setting but will I need to reset any codes or radio codes ? Help 🙏🏽
+Mateo Oliveras Yes, of course you can. The only thing that I lost was the time and the radio presets. Just be careful when you take them off. Although, may I ask why you need to remove your negative cable?? You shouldn't be connecting the amp negative directly to the battery.
Dakota Alger because taking off the hot and putting it back on causes sparks ...taking off the neg and putting it back on no sparks
Vintage Vinny DIY already did my install but doing any electrical work involving unplugging any electrical peices always unplug batter to prevent a short circuit because you can. Blow a fuse or worse the wire and have to replace the wiring harness in the car
Ah that makes sense. I work with very sensitive electronics, so I usually don't worry about it when I'm working on my car. haha
But definitely a good tip.
Have you had any ignition problems with your car not turning off immediately? I have a kicker amp and sub from the previous owner and experience infrequent ignition problems. Once I disconnected the sub wiring the problem stopped.
colin yabor I haven't had any issues. I just swapped out my sub and amp and have had no problems so far. I can't imagine what they could have done to mess that up, unless when they ran the power wire through the firewall they accidentally cut some other wires. If you live around st louis I could take a look at it.
I might be having a dope moment, but a short question: what did you do for the remote wire 12v turn on? When I turn on my car with the high output wired to my amp, the system doesn't turn on. I'm afraid my vampire clips didn't contact to my stock head unit source, but I didn't think you needed a remote when using 5v high level outputs? Thanks in advance, signed audio n00b. PS amp shows no power as indicacted by light next to amp fuse
petah00 I didn't need a remote wire for my Pioneer amp, but if you need one, the amp won't even turn on without it. So have the car off completely, and then turn the key on and see if any lights on the amp light up. If nothing, then run a remote wire from one of the fuses (also check the voltage across the amp power terminals with a volt meter to make sure you have a good fuse connection and ground). I ran a remote wire in another video on a 2013 Ford Fiesta, so hopefully that will show the right amount of detail.
th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
Wow thanks, yeah, I meant to check out the Fiesta video. I've also got to check my speaker connections because I've never used those clips before and it seemed too easy, hahah. Yeah, I'll find a multimeter and do just that. Cool project and I like your 5spd focus, I wish I didn't have so much traffic I like driving manual!
Man that grommet was a pain! But we finally got it wired up. Thanks for the video couldn't have done it without it. Also did your check engine light come on after you did this cause I think we might have bumped into some sensors while fighting the grommet.
Yeah it took me and my brother a while to get through. Lol
But no I didn't have any lights come on. I went through closer to the passenger side of the grommet because most of the wires came through closer to the drivers side of it. I'd run it by Autozone to check the light for sure. Hopefully it's nothing! And I'm glad the video helped.
I need some help. I've installed everything as you and once I go try it (mind you I haven't equalized anything yet) the subwoofer will not work. I have no experience installing amps/subwoofers. So please get back to me as soon as you can to help find a solution to what's causing this issue, thanks.
Ryan Toole Sorry that I just now saw this, but if you still need help, let me know. Generally, check all the fuses, use a volt meter to ensure that you properly grounded the amp and that it is getting power. Your amp may need a remote wire, and I did not include how to do that in this video, but in my ford fiesta install I did, and they're pretty similar cars:
th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
Hi, awesome video you have here, quick question, do I need a special thing for the battery terminal? I was watching a different video and the guy said the stock battery terminal won't accept another wire so I wouldn't be able to wire the subs and stuff? Is that true? I already have all my stuff for the installation and really don't wanna be stumped by some $2 problem...
Thanks again
I've never had to buy anything extra, but it could depend on your car. You'll only need the positive connected to the battery terminal. I have had to cut the little plastic terminal cover before, but usually I just undo the bolt holding the terminal on, but the new connector for the sub on, and then bolt it back on. Long story short, just double check your car.
Well seeing you also have a 2014 i'm gonna hope I don't need anything, I also have a 2014, just a sedan, i'm gonna assume nothing should change...
+Redline Yeah just give it a shot and see. lol
The only thing you may have to do is drill out the connector to fit over the bolt on the battery, but that will depend on the wiring kit you bought. Goodluck!
+Dakota Alger Hey man new question, is there anyway to get into the factory wires without splicing? Can I do a pigtail connector or does the stock radio not accept it or whatever, I'm so new to all this and still have yet to get my subs installed lol.
Just splice it. There's no need to do an entire pigtail thing like when installing a new radio. Just a lot of extra work. Plus if you use a quick connect clip then you don't even have to cut the wires. You just slip the connector over the radio wire, and then put in the new wire and squeeze.
So if you are splicing into the speaker wires with the RCAs you do not need a remote turn on line?
Jamie Schleeter No, the amp may still need a remote turn on wire. My amp has "auto-sensing inputs" so that it sees the audio signal on the amp signal input lines (RCA cables), and then turns on the amp. When there's no signal, it turns off. But that's completely amp dependent. Also, depending on the brand, I've heard of auto sensing inputs draining people's batteries when it doesn't turn off. Luckily mine works really well and I've never had an issue. If your amp doesn't have auto-sensing, you will still need a remote wire connect to a fuse that only turns on when the car is on.
Right ok thanks! Great video! I have the same car and like my stock stereo and to install a different unit is very costly for the kit! So this helps tremendously! Thanks again!
i have a question for ya.. so i got a line out converter to covert it to rca. do i cut the speaker wire at the back of factory radio and connect to converter will this cut my front speakers off? and it also comes with a wire for remote and contant 12v battery will i need to connect these and how the wire on the converter are very short do i dissconect the 12v constant from back off radio wouldnt this make the radio not work. thanks for reading help would be much appreciuated as im doing this tomo morning
Victoria Turner You need to run a parallel connection for the speaker wires. 12v just connect those to your amp positive and ground, again in parallel. You will need to use a "add a circuit" thing to add a connection in the fuse box in the glove box. I showed how I did this on a 2013 Ford Fiesta:
th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
Let me know how far that gets you, and then let me know if you have any problems.
You have the hatch right? I'm guessing it sounds better in there rather than a trunk?
Yeah I have a hatch, so I'm sure it sounds a bit better than a sedan, but my mom has the focus sedan with the stock sub and it sounds decent. I don't know if it would make too big of a difference though.
Where did you "plug in" the power signal wire? I don't have the rear fuse block in the trunk/hatch. Need switched 12v supply and have a coupld contenders, just wondering what you did.
My amp doesn't need a remote on signal. It automatically senses the signal on the audio lines and turns on.
clever amp.
What colour wire did you splice into for the remote?
Hey, I have a mono (single channel) amp JBL GTO-501EZ. I'd like to know if I can get the signal DIRECTLY from the stock player of my Ford Focus II Sedan without a line out converter, would it work? Also, since it is a mono amp, I will only need 2 wires; can I cut front left to get the + and front right to get the - (like bridged) ? Would it work like that; or I have to cut front left + and front left - (left channel) ? Thanks!
Alexander Leet You'd have to check the manual for the amp and see if it has high level inputs. if so, no line out converter needed.
For the signal though, I think even if it's a mono amp you still need both left and right inputs. Since audio is AC, I would not mix the two channels. If the amp only has one input, just take it from either side. Otherwise I'd recommend connecting both left and right channels.
"If you have connected the GTO subwoofer amplifier to your factory audio system's speaker outputs, theaudio system may show a "speaker disconnected" message, or may fail to play with an amplifier connected to itsoutput. If this happens, set the GTO amplifier's Input Level switch to the "Hi2" position. The "Hi2" position includes acircuit designed to fool this type of factory system into "seeing" a speaker connected to its output." I guess I don't need it, right?
Alexander Leet I'm not sure. The ford radio won't have that problem because the speakers will still be hooked up, so the radio will always see a load on the output. Just double check the high level input rating (max voltage) and make sure that it's high enough for the factory speaker output.
not sure how quick of a reply I'll get but how did you cut through the rubber grommet? we've tried drills, blades, screw drivers but it doesn't wanna puncyute
Chase Tappan We used a utility knife. Just go straight through the side without all of the wires, and use a flathead screw driver to help guide the wire through.
Dakota Alger wow. that was quick, thank you! we will give it a go
Thank you! we were able to get it through, appreciate the quick reply.
Chase Tappan No problem! Glad I could help.
Does the 2014 focus have RCA, or do I need a converter or a processor??? Please respond. I have a 2015 focus but should be similar.
Alfredo Morales I haven't seen a stock car with RCA. If you watch the video, I show what wires to tap into for some custom RCA cables that I got from RadioShack. My amp has high level input capability, so I didn't need a converter. Just check your amp first.
Were did you run the ground wire from the amp? I can’t find no where to run the damn thing! And I’m pretty sure my hi/low converter is trash
What happened to all the fire videos?
Does anybody know how legit 3:48 on is? Hooking into the front speakers rather than the rear, because the stock head unit gives more power to the front ones? Im installing with an active line output converter, meaning it'll maximize the signal being sent anyways. Not sure if I should tap into the front wires or the rears, thanks
U do wanna do the fronts cuz the bck of the sync system dosnt give much power
beautiful job dude. I have a 13 se hatch. I really want a system in it but I'm nervous that it could cause electrical problems or possibly void the warranty. if you/your brother lived close to be (pa) I'd pay you to do mine!!
Andrew Hagan Thanks! Yeah it can be tricky, but as long as you take each step slow then it isn't too bad. But I'm quite a ways away from pa.
Thanks for the quick reply! That's too bad haha wish my focus was stick too. I've got the the slippery tranny. Might just sell and get the manual version when I can come up with enough money. Take it easy Dakota! Great work
The only thing I’m stuck on and the only reason I have to look up vids is because I’m trying to bypass using a loc but it seems like you can’t. You didn’t even show how you got rca from the radio
An RCA cable is just a positive and negative wire (kind of, but not really since it's AC signals). You just have to splice the positive speaker wire with the positive of the RCA cable (or any other speaker wire and then you can put an RCA connector on the end). Then do the same for the negative. Sorry for the late reply.
@@codyalger93 all good, this car got totaled out and got a clean 30k mile FRS
when i used to have a toyota corralla my subs sounded perfect nd every note was heard, but when i got the ford focus se, i had the same guy install the subs nd it sounds terrible, some notes hit nd than others dont so idk wtf is going on. r u guys saying that u need to have some sort of installation or upgrade done with the sync radio shit? please someone answer if u know cause ive been having this problem since i got this car
So all I need is the power wire kit from Walmart right? Help
+Bradley Campbell Well, you can do that... It depends on your setup. What kind of system are you planning on running? If you're planning on drawing a ton of power, I would get the better wires from Kicker or something like that. Just remember that everything else can be pretty easily replace in your sound system. But the wiring, not likely that you're ever going to want to replace it.
good vid man super helpful
I did everything the same as in the video but now my stereo won't work at all, it's just saying my time and weather. I try to use t he sync functions on the steering wheel and still nothing :/
Well then the wiring behind the radio must not be right. Is the radio on? I know it sounds simple, but I just have to check... First thing to do is take the amp wires off the stock wires and see if everything works again. If it does, fantastic. Otherwise, check the fuses. If it was designed right, and since it's a ford I doubt it was, but you should blow a fuse long before any actual damage was done. Then, to get the wires correct, double check that you connected to the correct colors. What I did to verify, I used a ground tester. Connect one end to the ground, and then probe the wires coming out of the radio. The two wires you were connected to before, when the radio is playing decently loud, should make the ground tester light up (kind of beat with the music). Ground testers are super cheap too. You can get one at Walmart or Autozone. Last resort, if you live around saint louis, I could take a look at it. It should be noted, I don't know if the wiring is the same for the Sony radio, or for myFordTouch.
+Dakota Alger yeah I mean I'm hoping it's just a blown fuse, because I'm trying to turn the radio on and it just won't work. I've double checked the wires but who knows if it's a different setup since mine is a 2013 but it's not sony. Thanks for the reply and I'll definitely get back to you on what I did wrong.
Oh, one other possible thing to check... If you still are puzzled and don't feel like checking every wire, you could take off one of the front door panels, and see if the wire colors connected to the speaker are the same as they are on the back of the radio. Somewhere though, the wires split off for the tweeter, so I don't know if that will change them. In my Honda civic that I used to have, they were the same color all the way through.
+Todd Ingram I'm planning on making a video that shows everything a bit more in depth, but I won't have it made for a few weeks probably. Good luck with getting everything going.
+Dakota Alger Alright I'll check the door speakers, You've already been a big help with this video. I'll be waiting for the in-depth one too. Thanks dude
I'm guessing installing this voided your warrenty?
What??? You are joking right?
Honestly no, I don't know shit about warranties, sorry
Sorry. I Had a really crappy day yesterday. I Shouldn't have barked. About the only thing they could ever void is the warranty on the radio if something ever happened to it. but they would have to be prepared to prove it though. The Best thing to do if you were worried about it is to build the system to be able to remove the components expeditiously if needed for warranty work.
Alrighty, I have a 2013 SE and I was wondering how you got it through the glovebox? I looked and couldn't find the hole that you said was there (Maybe you said you cut it? I dont remember).
bullrunlover There is a rubber grommet where the factory wiring harness runs through. It's a black rubber circle on the left hand side of the firewall looking at it from the front. You have to use a carpet knife to CAREFULLY cut through. And then just seal it with weather stripping sealant.
I wanna hear how it sound i just bought the same car think about puting somthing in it
Teddy Lopez I didn't put an recording of it because subs always sound bad in video. But it sounds great. Especially because I have a hatch back and the sound bounces off and right into the cabin.
Where did u run your remote wire from? Did u use a converter so u can use the sub outputs on a stock radio
What fuse did you jump for remote
Hey man, Im looking to do a sub install on my 2014 focus SE sedan, but i can't find an ignition only wire for my amp remote, how did you wire yours so that your amp wouldn't draw power without the car or radio being on?
Jeff Small I didn't need a remote wire because my amp has an automatic turn on, but I did a remote wire in a 2013 Ford Fiesta in this video: th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
Check the other comments and I've said more about it. Let me know if you have any problems.
Hey man, I appreciate all the help, I got it worked out using a line out converter with a voltage sensing device, Pretty easy fix haha
Jeff Small hey where did you run your amp remote on and off wire too? Which fuse?
were did u put the ground. at ???
Hi where to connect the the remote cable
So what would I do for a remote wire then since my amp requires one
Just find a fuse that only has power from accessory power (only works when the car is turned on). I don't know of the fuse number, but it will be a 12v+ signal to turn on the amp. Test with a multimeter, and then you can get an add a circuit to plug into the fuse position. You can check out my video where I install a sub in a Ford Fiesta, and then I had to do that. It has more details:
th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
Dakota Alger oh thanks on the 12v auto switch on clarification!
No problem. Best of luck getting everything up and running.
Everything worked for me just fine
Most line outs now come with signal wires
Nice job bro.
im scared to wire in a sub and amp to my car. i dont really know how to. should i take it to like an audio shop and let them do it?
+MrPuRpLeHaZ3 If you want to, then that's fine as long as you take it to a decent place. But it's definitely something that you could do yourself. If you do it yourself, just set aside a whole Saturday to make sure that you aren't rushed. This whole thing took me quite a few hours because I wanted to make sure that it was perfect. This is my first new car, and I really didn't want to mess it up. But luckily there's Google and TH-cam University to help you out. Like I said, just take it slow and you'll be fine. But if you get to a point that you don't feel comfortable, then take it in. Best of luck!
+Dakota Alger i have no electronical experience is it pretty self explanitory if i buy like a kit.
Well when I did my first sub woofer installation I didn't have any experience in the matter, but I read a lot of articles online before doing it. Since there's not a rear deck, you have to take out your radio and splice into the wires, and if you're not careful, then you could do some damage. And if you hook up the battery cables you could shock yourself if you don't do it right, so it's not something you want to just do without care, but it's totally doable. If I were you, I'd check out more videos and online pages first. I do a more complete installation in my friend's Ford Fiesta here if you want to check it out:
th-cam.com/video/jYCFZ5l726c/w-d-xo.html
+Dakota Alger thsnks man your really helpful. i have a couple friends at school that are really big in systems so ill see if they can help me. this is my first new car aswell and i dont wanna mess up wiring like i did with my last one lol
+MrPuRpLeHaZ3 Yes perfect! If you have some people who have done it before then you can know all the mistakes not to make. lol Glad I could help.
Is that the stock radio?
Thanks for sharing this 🙌
I'm a little lost on how you get the rca cables without a line out converter is that just for your amp?
Pretty simply. My amp doesn't need a line out converter. lol
A lot of amps have "high-level" inputs. All a line out converter does is takes the "high" levels and drops it a couple volts to be safer for the amp. That, and some of the fancier ones will add other features. That's why I love my amp, high level inputs and auto sensing inputs, so no LOC and I didn't have to run a remote wire to wake the sub.
what kind of amp was it?
madsenkid19 It's a Pioneer 750 I think. A friend just installed a Pioneer 8600 and it had the same features. If you're looking to buy an amp I recommend Pioneer, but if the amp has high level inputs and remote sensing, it will make your life a lot easier.
What color do you install the rca converter
Which wire did you tap for your remote turn on for the amp?
Where did you run the Ground to? Looks like i can see it run back behind the rear seats, did you ground it in the trunk or take it back to the drivers side?
ugzz I grounded it to one of the rear seat bolts. You want the ground cable to be as short as possible. If you have a ground tester, then that is a great way to check that you'll get a good connection. Sorry that I didn't really explain that in the video.
Thanks for the reply, i ended up hunting aroun a bit more and when I removed the carpet in the trunk and there is a factory ground next to the drivers side tail light. I re-used that spot. So far no issues.
How do you know which amp need a lc2???
Ground wire ?
where did you plug your remote wire into? I have an adapter but I can't seem to find a video that tells me were the remote wire goes.
My amp doesn't need a remote wire so I didn't run one. But find a fuse (behind the glove box) that will only be on when the car is running, and then use a "add a circuit" fuse holder to hook in your remote wire. The manual and a multimeter will help in you in your hunt. Let me know if you can't find a suitable fuse though and I'll check it out in my car.
Okay, thanks.
Thanks dude it help me
God bless you
Thanks for the color code n tips