How to Install a Subwoofer in an Acura Tl
by Jule Pamplin
Honda's more luxurious line of vehicles, Acura cars and SUVs, come with a wide variety of car stereo system options. Acura owners can choose from CD players and MP3-capable decks, or touchscreen DVD navigation displays that handle most digital music sourcing. To get the most from Acura's sound system, car audio enthusiasts can add aftermarket sub-woofers to handle the lower tones of sound and provide their vehicle with a full range of sonic expression. You can have an audio technician from an aftermarket retailer install your sub-woofer, or you can do it yourself for a fraction of the cost.
Step 1
Remove the grounding cable from the Acura's battery. Use a 10 millimeter wrench to loosen the cable's clamp and remove it from the negative battery lead post.
Step 2
Connect the amplifier ring terminal (from the amp wiring kit) to the positive lead of the battery. Connect the power supply wiring to the ring terminal.
Step 3
Drill an opening in the firewall to the inside of the TL's cabin. Place a rubber grommet in the new opening to protect the wiring.
Step 4
Route the power supply cable from the front of the vehicle to the trunk. Remove the door panels that hold the carpeting to the floor of the Acura. Lay the wiring beneath the carpeting and replace the panels by hand.
Step 5
Remove the stereo. Pull the panel behind the accelerator free from the Acura footwell panelling by hand. Pull the carpeting back to reveal the bolts in the stereo mounting bracket. Remove the two bolts with a 5/16-inch socket, a 10-inch extension and a ratchet.
Step 6
Pull the stereo from the dashboard dock. Grab the wire connections in the back of the stereo by the plastic wire binders and pull them from the stereo. Connect the wire groups to a wiring harness adapter. Connect the leads of the wiring harness adapter to the stereo.
Step 7
Connect the turn-on lead (included in the amp wiring kit) and the patch cables to the wiring harness adapter. Run the patch cables and turn-on lead to the trunk of the vehicle beneath the carpeting, on the opposite side of the vehicle as the power supply cable.
Step 8
Replace the stereo into its dock. Replace the two bolts beneath the vehicle pedals. Replace the carpeting and the panelling. The panel will snap into place by hand.
Step 9
Connect the patch cables, power supply cable and turn-on lead to the powered sub-woofer in the trunk at the appropriate outlets.
Step 10
Replace the grounding cable clamp around the negative battery lead. Tighten the clamp with a 10 millimeter wrench.
References
Tips
- A powered sub-woofer will save space, cost less, and ease installation versus a conventional sub and amplifier.
Things You'll Need
- 5/16-inch socket with 10-inch extension
- Ratchet
- Wiring harness adapter
- Amplifier wiring kit
- Drill
- Rubber grommet
- Trim panel removal tool
- 10 millimeter wrench
Writer Bio
Jule Pamplin has been a copywriter for more than seven years. As a financial sales consultant, Pamplin produced sales copy for two of the largest banks in the United States. He attended Carnegie-Mellon University, winning a meritorious scholarship for the Careers in Applied Science and Technology program, and later served in the 1st Tank Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps.
