Were would I run power cables through the fire wall for an amp on a 1998 dodge noen?

Question

I have a 1998 Dodge Neon. I just purchased a new sub woofer package and have everything set up, i just cant find out how or were to run the powercables for the amp through the firewall. Theres gata ba a place, or do i have to drill one out? If so, were should i do this at.

Answer 1

look at the firewall from the engine side. look for wires that are already going through the firewall. they will go through an existing hole, that has a rubber seal. you can pry open the rubber seal and sneak your wire thru that way. i've done it before on several occasions.

Answer 2

If your car is an automatic transmission, look for the clutch knockout in the firewall. There should be a cut-out in the matting behind and slightly to the left of the brake pedal in the firewall.

If your car is a manual transmission, check the area from the engine compartment and look for the master cylinder against the firewall. Direct your eyes slightly below and to the right of the master cylinder and there should be enough space between the master cylinder and the clutch cable to drill a hole for your power wire.

Answer 3

Some vehicle have a hole and grommet already in place, It's usually near or around the steering column. Otherwise, you will have to drill your own and use a grommet. Just BE SURE when you drill, there is nothing on the other side that you could drill in to.

DO NOT try to put it through an existing wired grommet. Doing so can cause a short if not done to exacting measures and even then can cause problems later on.

The antenna wire usually doesn't go throught the firewall, most antenna wires go towards the back of the newer vehicles anyway.

http://spkrbox1.spaces.msn.com/ for real "sound" advice.

Your system won't mean squat without a well designed box to put your subs in. Some manufacturers have recommendations as to dimensions of various types of boxes. It is best to find someone who builds boxes if you go with something other than a sealed box.

You should always match up RMS (Root Mean Square) watts of Subs and amp per channel as well as impedance's(resistances). When a sub has rating of 600 Watts MAX it really has an RMS rating of about 200 Watts RMS. RMS is the nominal wattage your most likely going to get out of it. Remember, a 200 Watts RMS amplifier has more power output than a 200 Watt MAX.


If your amp is rated at 4Ω don't subject it to 2Ω, it will fry.

Here is the formula for subs in parallel:

Z = 1 / (1/sub1 + 1/sub2 + 1/sub3 + ....)

For series, just add them up (sub1 + sub2 + ...).

You can mix and match these equations to get the right impedance required by your amp.

Example 1: Amp is 2 channel and rated at 4Ω, 4 subs @ 4Ω each. If I connect two in parallel and the other two in parallel and connect the two pairs in series, I would have a total impedance(resistance) of 4Ω. So to the amp, it's just one sub.

Example 2: Amp is rated at 1Ω mono, 2 subs @ 4Ω each dual voice coil. If I connect two voice coils in parallel and the other two voice coils in series and connect the two subs in parallel, I would have a total impedance of 1.6Ω. Which would be perfect for a 1Ω stable mono amp.

You should use a capacitor as well.

Recommend for every 500 watts MAX you use a .5 Farad cap
Example: 1000 watts MAX - 1 Farad cap

You will also need what's called a "line level converter" if your stock head unit doesn't have RCA outputs or your amp doesn't have high-level inputs.

Try http://www.soundomain.com/shop you can find some really good deals, and this site is manufacturer certified. VERY IMPORTANT WHEN SHOPPING ON-LINE!!!

If you like I can send you some plans for reference. My plans are for a 4-th order band-pass bass box (A.K.A. bass-reflex) that holds two 12's.

Also included are java calculators you can use to figure parallel and series values given Ω values, tips on box building and types, calculating port diameter and length(if used), calculating box dimensions for types of boxes (sealed, wedge, cylindrical, etc.), materials needed and even how to make a jig for cutting perfect holes for your subs.

Just e-mail me [e-mail]

My system

Blaupunkt TSw1200 subs with a Sony Xplōd XM2200GTX.
My amp is 1200 watts (200 Watts RMS X 2), subs are 600 watts (200 Watts RMS) each, cap is 1.5 Farad

SPL is about 112 db each sub

Total cost(so far) = $410

Answer 4

There was a group long ago called Neon Racing Group (NRG) and they had a mod where you could move the battery to under the rear seat to make room for an ice box air cooler. they would know, but I am not sure they are still in existence. Otherwise, call Eastside Chrysler (not sure where, look it up off of the Mopar website) as they supported a lot of Neon racing programs, especially the first gen model.

Answer 5

i had this same problem with my intrepid. I never found an area in the firewall, so i cut down some metal behind the seal in the drivers side door, the door is still sealed but now the wire is running from the trunk, through the seal, behind the left fender, good luck.

Answer 6

follow you antenna cable to where it goes through the firewall drill it out a little.then you got it