Installing new speakers in your car is the most cost-effective move you could make to improve your car’s audio system. Plus, it’s not rocket science, especially with the assistance of car speaker wire harness adapters. However, although it’s not difficult, you should know a couple of things.
Table of Contents
- What are car speaker wire harness adapters?
- How to Wire New Car Speakers With car speaker wire harness adapters?
- How to Wire Car Speakers Without car speaker wire harness adapters?
- Now, Start Installing a New Speaker
- Conclusion
What are car speaker wire harness adapters?
Whether swapping out your air conditioner, replacing your speakers, or installing a new stereo, you’ll often need a wire harness adapter that makes it simpler to connect new components to the factory wiring harness of your car.
A wiring harness lets you tap into your factory radio without cutting the original wiring. Most prefer to tuck the harness behind their car dash once they’ve connected all the car speaker wires.
Also, your wiring kit instructions and car stereo will dictate if you need a new harness or can use the existing one.
However, if your car doesn’t have a plug-type connection, you’ll have to connect your speakers via a crimp or solder connection.
Car radio wires
How to Wire New Car Speakers With car speaker wire harness adapters?
The car stereo wiring harness is the easiest and safest way of wiring your speaker wires to the head unit.
Generally, it would be best if you ran the car speaker wires to your existing or new harness.
When installing speakers to your head unit, match the colors to their respective color slots on the harness. Then, connect the opposite end of the harness to your head unit.
Car stereo wiring harness
Wires for speaker: There are four speaker wires in the stereo, each with two variations: striped and solid.
In each combination, the solid wire is for the positive terminal, while the striped one is for the negative terminal.
The four colors of the speaker wire are gray (for the right front speaker), white (for the left front speaker), purple (for the right rear speaker), and green (for the left rear speaker).
How to Wire Car Speakers Without car speaker wire harness adapters?
For various reasons, some car stereos don’t have a wiring harness, which shouldn’t block you from connecting speakers.
Solder the connections
- Strip the one end of the head unit wire and speaker wire using a wire stripper.
- Heat the stripped ends for one to three seconds using a soldering iron.
- Then, attach your solder while keeping the iron in place to heat the wire up until both ends are completely covered with the solder.
- Hold the covered wires one on top of the other. Then, you can use your soldering iron to melt the solder and evenly coat the two wires.
- Place a heat shrink tubing around the two soldered wires to keep them together. You could use a heating tool like a heat gun or hair dryer to seal the wires together.
Use Posi product connectors.
Posi connectors provide a reliable, fast, and easy connection without tape, crimping, or soldering.
All you have to do is strip the stranded wires, insert them in caps, and tighten both caps, which locks the wire ends between cone shapes, creating a dirt, water, heat, and vibration-proof housing.
Furthermore, it offers a low-resistance connection; you can reuse the connectors.
Car audio technicians hand soldering
Now, Start Installing a New Speaker
Below are the steps you should follow to install new car speakers. Remember that the information is general and may not apply to every speaker available in the market.
Selecting New Speakers
- Check your car’s audio specifications to determine the type of system it’s equipped with. Note the amount of power the head unit (stereo or radio) puts out to your speakers. This will help you determine the number of channels and, therefore, the number of speakers that can be installed in your car. Excess units could damage or cause the system to fail existing equipment.
- Check your existing speakers’ dimensions to determine if you need to make any modifications.
- Consider the quality of the material. Speakers with fabric cones or composite are normally better than those with paper.
- Even if your new speaker is the perfect fit, there are various variations in different car models and makes that could cause interference. You might find several colors and styles of covers and trims in similar price ranges. Therefore, it’s ideal to choose one that not only sounds good but also looks nice.
- Confirm your speaker’s electronic characteristics. Some allow wiring in a circuit series configuration, enabling you to put extra tweeters and woofers where you want. Some are equipped with inline resistors to prevent crosstalk and static, and others you can only wire terminally in order to maintain the proper system impedance.
- Consider your new speakers’ power requirements, which will affect your wiring. Low-impedance, high-wattage speakers might not be capable of performing with your car’s factory wiring.
Prepare Yourself to Begin Installing your New Speakers
Get your tools
- Crimping tool
- Hobby knife
- A number of different screwdrivers (Phillips head, flathead, etc.)
- Allen wrenches
- Wire stripper
- Socket wrenches
- Electric drill
- Soldering iron
- File
- Electrical tape
- Torx driver
Ensure the Speakers you Picked Fit your Vehicle
Most aftermarket speakers tend to fit in the space of the factory-installed speakers.
However, some models will require you to make some minor modifications, such as drilling new holes for screws, installing spacers, or mounting brackets.
Disconnect the Battery to Prevent Electrical Damage
Whenever you’re working on an electrical system, it is important to first disconnect your car battery to prevent any electrical flow.
Install your New Speakers
Take any Speaker Grills or Panels Off.
Usually, any speakers in any car’s interior are normally protected by a grill or paneling.
Therefore, before you can modify or replace the speakers, you’ll have to remove the barrier.
You could use a screwdriver to unscrew any screws or bolts holding the grill in place.
The process of attempting to access a car’s factory speakers may vary between different cars.
For instance, in some cars, you might have to remove the seats in order to access important wires and bolts.
While in other cars you might even have to take off your entire door in order to gain access to the factory speakers.
Remove your Factory Speaker
Your factory speakers are normally connected to your car’s wiring harness. You should avoid ripping off the wiring.
Also, you might have to unscrew a few bolts or scratch off any glue or adhesive foam, keeping the car speaker in position.
If, for whatever reason, you feel that you might need to put back the factory speakers in the future, make sure to carefully store any components or materials you take apart.
Connect your New Car Speaker to your Car’s Electrical System
Ensure you match the polarity of the speakers and your car connections. Normally, the positive terminal of the speaker is bigger and has a positive (+) mark.
Test the Speaker
Reconnect the negative terminal of your battery and then turn on your stereo or car radio.
Listen for any sound from the speakers or visible vibrations if you turn up the volume.
If your stereo has the fade and balance functions, try them to ensure they’re properly functioning.
If the speakers aren’t functioning, check the wiring and secure all the connections.
Secure your New Speakers
Ensure a sealed fit with adapters, mounting brackets, and spacers. Be careful not to damage any other accessory wiring.
A mechanic man installing speakers
Conclusion
Installing new speakers is relatively simple. However, it’s still important to ensure your safety when working with electrical systems. For all your aftermarket wiring harness needs, contact Cloom Tech.
