Add a mono amp and sub: Technic PNP?

MKV2021

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So I took the plunge and bought a pnp kit from Technic that fits the 3x/8x series and can confirm it fits, though I haven't gotten it powered up yet. The included harnesses, for our purposes, provide a 4-pin speaker input connector and a 3-pin power/ground/remote out connector for an LOC. But I was advised the 20-pin main connector does not supply anything but speaker signal, so I'll still have to find a remote turn on signal to relay as @static63 did in his (very helpful) thread. Was it worth the kit price? As someone who didn't already have an LOC, yes. (Which btw has gain adjustment, which is very nice) It's not as thoroughly integrated as I'd hoped, but it's straightforward and relatively clean. Hope this is of some help.

Update: Powered up the stereo today with the harness in place and everything sounds/works normally (with nothing else attached yet). I don't have a lot of time to work on this each day, so I'm installing/testing one component at a time so if there's an issue I don't have to start back at square one.
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Soopraw

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So I took the plunge and bought a pnp kit from Technic that fits the 3x/8x series and can confirm it fits, though I haven't gotten it powered up yet. The included harnesses, for our purposes, provide a 4-pin speaker input connector and a 3-pin power/ground/remote out connector for an LOC. But I was advised the 20-pin main connector does not supply anything but speaker signal, so I'll still have to find a remote turn on signal to relay as @static63 did in his (very helpful) thread. Was it worth the kit price? As someone who didn't already have an LOC, yes. (Which btw has gain adjustment, which is very nice) It's not as thoroughly integrated as I'd hoped, but it's straightforward and relatively clean. Hope this is of some help.

Update: Powered up the stereo today with the harness in place and everything sounds/works normally (with nothing else attached yet). I don't have a lot of time to work on this each day, so I'm installing/testing one component at a time so if there's an issue I don't have to start back at square one.

Would you have time to a quick write up, with parts, amp, sub, harness used and how long it took you to do the whole project. Maybe some pics of your setup too?

I would like to do the same thing you did.
 

MKV2021

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First things first:
Standard disclaimer: This is how I did it. Your results may vary, but if you're not confident in what you're doing, pay someone well versed in this to do it. You don't want to damage your car, maim yourself, or burn all your shit to the ground while attempting to improve your bass response. You may disagree, but I don't think it's worth it.


Now that that's out of the way, a parts list:

https://technicpnp.com/product/logi...lufsenbowers-wilkins-add-a-sub-harness-wlocx/
The LOC/harness kit I purchased

EDIT: Annoyingly, I can't directly link the page with the kit, but you want to select 3-series (F3x/F8x) and choose the top hifi 688 option to get to the correct page.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20646TL102/Kicker-46TL7T102.html?tp=112
The sub/enclosure I chose

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500PDRM65/Alpine-PDR-M65.html
My amp, from a previous build, now discontinued

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_142UAKP/Scosche-UAKP-Universal-Amp-KwikPlug.html
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500RUXKNO2/Alpine-RUX-KNOB-2.html
Bonus goodies. Please note the bass knob only works with Alpine amps, but some come included with one.

Not shown: Fuse block at the positive battery terminal, power distribution block, Bosch-style relay, and many wires. I used 8 gauge for power and ground as the current load for my particular amp is around 65 amps.

Before you begin, disconnect your negative battery terminal and cover it with something non-conductive so that nothing in my disclaimer occurs. Also, cover your hatch latch with something so if you try to close it, you won't be stuck with a disconnected battery and no easy means to open your hatch to continue/resume your work. Seriously, it's these little things that can make a simple project aggravating.

So the first part, and arguably the hardest, is disassembly. Interior panels are pretty simple to pull out, but you're always concerned about breaking something. I apologize in advance for not having photos of that process, but there are other threads that break down that wonderful process much more clearly and with far less profanity than I could.

VERY important addendum here: if you can't code out ASD with Bimmercode, now is your chance to physically disconnect it. If you don't, you will have very loud, non-attenuable feedback. Ask me how I know!

Once you've got the rear and side panels removed, you have access to the stock amp. Unless you are adept at standing on your head, you'll want to remove the amp to access the plugs on the bottom. They're all quite short, with typical German efficiency, so you may have to release the speaker wire harness from a couple of the clips that hold it to the chassis to give yourself some slack with which to work. Once you have the 20 pin harness unplugged, you'll plug into the new harness extension from the Technic kit. The two rows of pins are slightly offset, so there's only one way they can plug in. Plus the whole male/female pin thing.

The kit includes five harnesses, but you'll only use three of them, as this kit is not specifically intended for our car.

20210209_124603[1].jpg.png
First is the aforementioned main 20 pin harness for all the oem connections, which also has a breakout plug.
20210209_124546[1].jpg
The second harness will go from the breakout plug on the 20 pin harness to the speaker inputs of your LOC.
20210209_124405[1].jpg
Third and final harness provides power, ground, and remote in signal for your LOC. On one end is the four pin plug that goes into the LOC, and the other end is bare. In between is a fuse holder and a 1 amp fuse. You will have to run a wire from the remote out pin in the harness to the remote input on your amp.
20210223_115037.jpg
A very small flat head screwdriver will loosen up the connecter and allow you to put in your own wire.

Now for signal, I was bummed that the harness did not provide something from the stock amp, but no use crying over spilled milk. On the passenger side of the hatch there's a wire harness running from the fuse panel towards the front of the car. The harness twists as it is run, and amongst those wires is a green/blue wire. If you look up and down the harness you'll likely find a spot where it's on the outside, making access easy. This runs to a fuse in the fuse panel that is fed 12v only when the car is running. It's a good idea to test it to ensure this, but I can confirm it's what you need. Static63's post about his install links a video that shows how to get to the wire from the back side of the fuse panel if you want to go that far, but it's not strictly necessary. I put a t-tap on the wire, then put a voltmeter on it while the car was running, then kept it there as I shut it off. Sure enough, after several seconds it went from 14.4 to 0.

Finally, it was simply a matter of running wire: from the positive battery terminal to fuse holder, from fuse holder to power distribution block, from the distribution block to your amp and relay. I ran amp/relay/LOC grounds to the same spot to reduce the possibility of noise. I chose a spot under one of the modules in the upper center area of the hatch:

20210223_114847.jpg

be sure to dremel or sand off the paint underneath to ensure a good ground.

I placed my fuse holder, power distribution block, and relay in the open area to the right of the battery, and I used 3M velcro to attach them, but also allowed enough wire in between the components so that I can pull any one of them out should I need to change a fuse, if a wire comes loose, ect. without having to play Operation on my car.


End result:
20210223_120525.jpg
20210223_120450.jpg

20210223_120611.jpg

I used some 3M double sided velcro to affix the amp and sub to the rear hatch panel and a couple strips underneath the enclosure on the trunk mat to keep it from moving and in the attempt to keep this project fully reversible. (amp is screwed into the back of the enclosure and LOC is also stuck to that same panel on the driver's side) I ended up putting the bass knob on the bottom of the seat frame near the front with some double sided tape and tucking the wire under interior panels and the trunk mat as far as I could. Entire project took several hours total over a week's time. Bass is excessive, but it's better to have too much than too little.
Weather's been totally crappy in Ohio, so it's been tethered to its battery tender for damn near a month now, and as a result I haven't been able to test sound while moving.

Overall I'm very pleased. If you have any more questions, feel free to dm me. I apologise for not taking photos at every step, as I hadn't intended on doing a write up until one was requested. This community has been extremely helpful to me with this car, so the least I can do is return the favor when possible.

20210209_124603[1].jpg.png


20210209_124546[1].jpg


20210209_124405[1].jpg
 
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joeyliv

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Does anyone have a photo of the factory wire harness that connects to the amp? I need to know what pins go to what speakers
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