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2015 & Up Dash Removal and amp install done!

32K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  SlowhiteJr 
#1 ·
Well I have got my 2015 HB with 6 speaker non MFT wired up now with a JL AUDIO M700/5 Amp and a type S 10" sub in a sealed box a bud from work let me throw in.

I wanted to start a new thread if anyone is looking to wire up an amp and keep their stock Head Unit in place

I want to thank a few others on here who have posted pics to help me out and I added a few pics so people see what I did too.

Huge thanks to jeshi5 for translating the post he got from a focus forum user in Argentina! Marcelo1970 was the original poster as well as Firebirddude for asking a few questions too...


SO here it goes hope it all makes sense...

1.
you need to remove this little panel in between the AC and radio bezels. Use a couple small flat blade screwdrivers to pry back the tabs on the cover and then press down on the centre tab and work it out. It will come out but is a bit of a pain.
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2.Remove the 3 screws you see circled in the pic and then begin to pry from the front near the bezel and pop out the retaining clips on the trip panel that wraps around the shifter assy. the second picture shows you where the clips are located to help you use a trim removal tool to pry them out
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3.remove the remaining screws in the bezels and then take a couple mini screwdrivers again and press on the tabs inside where the arrows are and then the lower heater control assy will pop out.
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4. Once popped out, just slide back the assy and un hook the harness under the shifter if an auto and you will have enough room to work without needing to disassemble the shifter.
again take your screwdrivers and press up in the circled areas and the radio head will now unclip and you can carefully pull it back to remove the harness.
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Now remove the Head unit (Silver box) just a couple screws and its out and you can unhook the harnesses on the back.
There you can now go have a cold one and pat yourself on the back..
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Well time to run some wire now so you can add the amp.
I used METRA 9 wire cable and ran 2 strings of it as you need to cut the wires about 4" from the harness plug and run one 9 wire to the back to your Line out converter or into an amp that accepts speaker wires as an input and the other end you will wire to run from the amp output side back to the speaker wire you have cut to amplify the speakers in the car. I ran the wire along the passenger side of the car just popping off the covers along the floor. I ran the power wires on the drivers side.

(I just took one of the strings and wrapped it with red tape at both ends to know which one was which.)
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I wanted to have a Bass level control knob (JL AUDIO accessory) so I didn't have to have the sub pounding all the time if I didn't want it. This is not a bass boost knob... This is just a separate control knob for the sub channel of the amp you still would set the channel up as normal but have full control of the volume of the subs.
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I wanted mine to blend in with the rest of the console and so I took mine apart and had to do a lot of grinding and sanding to make it fit in there as it wasn't just an open hole on the under side. (Im sorry I didn't take pics while doing that part. it just takes a lot of filing and sanding to get it opened up so it would fit.
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Here is the knob installed in the console. I love it, yes I pried up on the switch thinking it would come out and it dosent, it comes out from the bottom after removeing 3 screws... (Silly me that's my fault for rushing at 1 am to get it out)
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As to running the power wire for the amp there is a grommet above the drivers left foot resting panel that I put a grommet in and ran the cable through. I also mounted my fuse on the cover of the battery cover.


I will add some pics in the am of the amp installed and the wiring of it all..
I hope this helps someone out.
A few may say why did I do the splicing behind the head unit? Easyist place to access all the wires without needing to look for them and I didn't use the 9th wire in the 9wire cable as my LOC has Auto-on so as soon as it sees any signal in the speaker wire it automatically turns on the LOC and inturn will turn on my AMP.

Its not the loudest or fancy but it sure made driving way more enjoyable for me

Cheers!!
 
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#3 ·
Here are a few pics of the rest of the install of the wiring...

Main power fuse install on the removable battery cover.
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And here is where i installed a grommet on the drivers side firewall access port, its hidden behind some insulation that pops out so it makes it look real good when the carpet is put back in place

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I used DEUTSCHE connectors so i could have a quick disconnect at the back once i build my sub floor so the entire unit will be removable if i need top use the back as a sleeping space this summer (Tends to happen alot)
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This is the LOC I used as I had it laying around from another build.
I love the no need for remote turn on wire from the head unit, hard to see in the pic but the blue is in the remote out port going to the amp to turn it on when demanded.
I am going to buy the LC6i when I buy my components for the doors so i can balance and fade the sound as I please just a few pics of the wiring of it as well
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The thing i like about the amp is i set it to 2ch and rather then running y connectors and extra rca's it automatically sets the internals to run all the channels seeing the head unit does not have a sub woofer output or separate zones just front and rear.
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The amp fits nice right here but like i said before i will build a subfloor and box that is all one for ease of removal. The messy wires bothers me but wanted to get it in and running plus it gets redone once i build the sub floor
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Just a plain box with a 10" ALPINE Type S, my buddy at work had in his garage he let me try out.
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I finished up with tuning it as per JL Audio spec set the gain highs at 17.4 volts and the sub channel to 24.5 volts all setting on the volume setting on the head unit at 25.
Very nice sounding


Well will keep you updated as i do the back area to make it look clean and finished
Feel free to comment or ask questions
Cheers!
 
#7 ·
Yes, that is correct. You could also run a 5 channel amp to keep your costs down unless you have specific goals.

I'm currently hot on the DQ-61 for about 2.5x the price of the lc6. It provides an EQ and time alignment, to really dial in sound quality and make that factory head unit sound like an aftermarket high end unit.
 
#9 ·
Well was bored so went to the shop tonight and built a nice little 1.20 Cf ported box for the sub. Wow what a huge difference hitting the deep notes...
Just gotta add some carpet to it tommorw.
 

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#12 ·
I thought that too but I built it to the spec on alpine. It's 18" long port it really does hit hard I had a box with a 2" vent and it sounded horrible
 
#17 ·
Hmm good to know.
I figured it had to do with surface area and half of 18 by 1 would be 9 by 2
Thanks for the help forsure. The porting and venting to me is new but love the look of them.
 
#18 ·
Robp,

Thank you for the pictures! I've been nervous about putting my new amp/sub in because I wasn't sure what to do about head unit.

I had one question though - when you cut into the radio harness to splice in your amplified signal, how did you get the metra 9 wire cable into the head unit compartment and then back to the trunk? Are you able to pull it out on the passenger side near the glovebox?

Thanks!
 
#19 ·
Thanks!
I Yes I ran two strands of Metra-9 (One to goto the back and one back to the head unit so I could hook up to the oem speaker wiring.)
Yup ran under carpet behind glove box, took a bit to fish but got it.
This is the updated trunk space now went to a 12 was super cheap on sale (I think 40 bucks) and it pounds pretty good.
The left port is functional and the right is just a ghost port so it was even lit as well I sprayed the ports black to just clean it up a bit
 

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#20 ·
Robp201,

Thanks for the response!

In my case, I just wanted to add speakers, not boost the ones in my cabin. Do you think I can tap the speaker wires at the head unit, run metra 9 cable to trunk and wire up the LOC's back there? Or would the long cable run before doing the line out conversion negatively impact my cabin speakers?
 
#21 ·
Two things:

1) What amplifier are you using? As it may be able to accept speaker level signal directly into it, negating your need for a LOC. Some amplifiers are even capable of accepting speaker level signal into the RCA connection on the amplifier.

2) The stronger you can keep the signal while traveling any distance, the better off you'll be. A strong high-level signal means you'll be further above the noise floor of the vehicle. Run your 9-wire back. Also make sure the LOC itself is not directly next to something with inductive noise.
 
#24 ·
so i see your pictures and steps on my 2016 focus between hvac and radio i have a passenger airbag light telling me if its on or off right there.. so do i proceed the same way by removing that and the little panel thats same size as shown in your pictures its attached to to get to the screws to remove radio?

also saw a video showing i had to remove all the trim around shifter knob and the hvac control unit is that nessecary..

last question i have lc2i and am just connecting a sub is there somewhere else in the car i can catch the output signal for rear speakers to send signal to loc ??
 
#26 ·
Just a few observations...

1) the first couple of pics are a manual and the latter are an automatic transmission
2) the automatic transmission and center console is from a mk3 12-14, not a 15 and up

Is the removal of the radio and the wiring the same in the mk3.5 as it is in the mk3? I know the stereo is completely different so I didn't think the trim pieces and the radio wiring would be the same
 
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