Adding an Aftermarket Amp(s)

[tnnjl]

I can attest to the effectiveness of the Fix-86 inside of the JL. I have the factory 8.4" Alpine system. I have all of the original Alpine speakers active, except for the subwoofer. It is currently just sitting in the vehicle unused. The sub and amp I now have are the JL Audio 600/1v3 and a JL Audio 12W6V3 in a high output box. It hits extremely hard.

I do suggest that you Dynamat the entire interior of the vehicle for improved sound quality. It's expensive, but well worth it.

The knob for the Fix-86 can be installed anywhere. My installers just put it underneath the steering wheel in the legroom area of the driver's seat via a custom made bracket. I didn't want anything drilled.

hi Robert, i have the factory 8.4 Alpine system as well. could you tell me where the alpines amps located? a picture would help. how many amp(s) does it use to drive all the speakers and sub?

thanks much.

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[americonium]

I'm upgrading the stereo soon, and this thread was invaluable to me. I never would have gotten this far without everyone's help. I did, however, order some parts to make the resistor installation easier. I got a breadboard, two eight pin screw down terminals, and four surface mount resistors. I'll solder all of that together and see if it works out well. If so, I'll post up the parts list and the circuit board component location.

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

I'm upgrading the stereo soon, and this thread was invaluable to me. I never would have gotten this far without everyone's help. I did, however, order some parts to make the resistor installation easier. I got a breadboard, two eight pin screw down terminals, and four surface mount resistors. I'll solder all of that together and see if it works out well. If so, I'll post up the parts list and the circuit board component location.

That would be great, and thanks for sharing!

 

[americonium]

That would be great, and thanks for sharing!

5 1/4 Kicker red seperates in all four corners. That wasn't very fun. Kicker 400.4 running those. I installed the resistors in parallel on the radio output lines, without them, there is no audio output from the stereo. JBL powered sub for the lows and all is well. Without the info I gathered in this thread I'd be pulling what's left of my hair out on this install.

I do not want to discourage anyone but the speaker boxes aren't simple, and in fact took the most time. Thanks again....

 

[the doctor]

Any thoughts on where to install DRC controller knob. I had it placed in the tray below the parking brake, there's a hole there already and I really don't want to make a new until I'm a 100% sure.

Any update???

 

[Rubi2018]

Help! We had an after market amp and speakers installed and now our brand new Jeep will not start! Any ideas?

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Help! We had an after market amp and speakers installed and now our brand new Jeep will not start! Any ideas?

Yikes! Two things:

First, Make sure your battery cables are tight. If they wiggle at all on the battery post(s), the contact won't be enough to support your system. It actually seems to come loosely tightened straight from the factory, so check that first.

Second, check all of your fuses and relays in the fuse box under the hood. Most, and I'm not exaggerating, of our Wranglers are shipped with the fuses not seated tightly. If they are loose, and not locked into place, they will wreak havoc on your system. Push down on each one until you hear them "click."

The only other thing I would check is to ensure that the remote wire they used to turn your amp on/off with the vehicle is actually doing what it's supposed to, meaning it actually is turning the amps off when you turn off your ignition (and allow enough time for your system to shut down).

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Any update???

I have mine placed in between the carpet and the bottom of my center console, just to the right of my right calf (on the driver's side, of course). It's literally just wedged in there, is easy to access and stays in place without drilling/mounting.

 

[americonium]

Now, when I come to a complete stop, and the engine shuts off, when I release the brake to restart the engine I get louder audio for about half a second. I'm thinking it's the 12 vdc amp turn on I connected to (front cig lighter) is dropping out momentarily, but haven't had time to check. If it is, I'll run it directly to the battery through a relay controlled by the cig lighter and put a diode/resistor setup to keep the relay closed during startup .Unless someone has a better solution...

Edit: I connected the amp positive to the N1 connection under the fuse cover and viola! No more stereo problems .

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

5 1/4 Kicker red seperates in all four corners. That wasn't very fun. Kicker 400.4 running those. I installed the resistors in parallel on the radio output lines, without them, there is no audio output from the stereo. JBL powered sub for the lows and all is well. Without the info I gathered in this thread I'd be pulling what's left of my hair out on this install.

I do not want to discourage anyone but the speaker boxes aren't simple, and in fact took the most time. Thanks again....

Yeah, modifying/fabricating the kick panel enclosures wasn't fun AT ALL!

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Now, when I come to a complete stop, and the engine shuts off, when I release the brake to restart the engine I get louder audio for about half a second. I'm thinking it's the 12 vdc amp turn on I connected to (front cig lighter) is dropping out momentarily, but haven't had time to check. If it is, I'll run it directly to the battery through a relay controlled by the cig lighter and put a diode/resistor setup to keep the relay closed during startup .Unless someone has a better solution...

That's actually the safer route anyway. I have no idea why it would surge like that, though I might recommend that you check the amplifier's setting for high/low speaker level inputs, just in case it may be triggering some sensitivity in the signal.

 

[americonium]

I'm actually using a high to low converter. I'll report back if I figure it out.

 

[jpb]

Hey all,

Just got my JLUR 2 days ago and paid Audi express to professionally install a 600 Watt amplifier and dual kickers (cost an arm and a leg but bass is much nicer than stock now).

Problem I’m experiencing is so far twice the head unit had restarted on me while driving. Not sure if this was an original issue or somehow impacted by the kickers? Any ideas?

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Hey all,

Just got my JLUR 2 days ago and paid Audi express to professionally install a 600 Watt amplifier and dual kickers (cost an arm and a leg but bass is much nicer than stock now).

Problem I’m experiencing is so far twice the head unit had restarted on me while driving. Not sure if this was an original issue or somehow impacted by the kickers? Any ideas?

It's highly unlikely that what you are experiencing is caused by your amp.

There's a "known" issue with the UConnect resetting, and I believe there may be a software update available through the dealer.

Outside of that, you may not have seen the post regarding loose fuses. Open your hood, then the fuse box, and ensure all fuses and relays are pushed in firmly. Many of us (most) have experienced loose fuses that can cause strange things to happen.

There have also been reports that some iDevices cause UConnect to reset. I believe changing the USB cable fixed that, but I haven't personally encountered that.

Finally, make sure your battery cables are tightly secured to the posts. My cables would actually move on the posts when I first got the Jeep.

Let us know if you get it corrected.

 

[cmb396]

I have mine placed in between the carpet and the bottom of my center console, just to the right of my right calf (on the driver's side, of course). It's literally just wedged in there, is easy to access and stays in place without drilling/mounting.

I put mine below the headlight/fog light switch to the left.

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