How to Add a Subwoofer to Your Corolla With a Line Out Converter

koby

New Member
#1
Be gentle this is my first write up and mods feel free to clean things up if you see fit. This is aimed at people who have some knowledge of car audio to begin with but I will answer any questions to the best of my ability if you have any.

For this I went out to best buy and bought a Metra two channel line out converter since I was just running one sub. If you are running a full set of speakers you will need more than two channels.

This is the line out converter I used, there are many others to choose from this was just in stock.


Since I was not worried about a left and right signal I soldered the left/ right positive, left/ right negative, and ground channels together respectively. this was just to ease wiring and give me more wire to extend the line out converter a bit further from the radio itself. Its also a good idea to put a piece of masking tape around the end of each wiring and label them. this makes things a lot easier when you go to splice them into the radio.



BE SURE TO DISCONNECTED YOUR NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE. This is to make sure nothing is shorted out while installing. I always like to run the amp positive and negative first but you can also run the signal wires first as well. Just remember to avoid feedback or static it is recommended to run them on opposite sides of the car. I ran my wire through a grommet somewhat easily accessible on the passenger side. For this the easiest thing to do was use the clothes hanger trick to feed the wire through the grommet. Be sure not to cut any of the factory wires when doing this though. Do not put the fuse in the positive till you have it connected to the amp and the amp grounded as well.

This is how I initially have the positive wire ran through the engine bay, it will be ran better in the future. Just be sure to avoid spots with high heat and moving parts.


Running the positive down the passenger side is self explanatory, pull up the plastic panels (they pull up pretty easily). Find an area pretty close to the amp to ground it out. To get the best connection sand down the paint till you get a clean metal area. I chose this area because there was nothing underneath it to worry about hitting under the panels.



Next step is to take the radio out. For my 2015 s plus without navigation or the JBL system you do not have to worry about and security codes with removing the radio. There is a video from a member (sorry I forgot your name) on youtube that shows step by step on how to remove the radio. I spliced my wires into these four locations. The black wire is for the left rear positive speaker which I where spliced the positive wire from the line out converter too. Yellow was the left rear speaker negative where I spliced the negative wire from the line out converter. (note: you can wire the converter into any speaker location as long as the negative and positive is from the same speaker. If you are running speakers off a line out converter you will have to take note and correspond your wiring to the correct location.) The brown wire is the cars ground and where you should splice in the ground from the line out converter to avoid feedback and static. You will also have to splice in a remote turn on wire to trigger your amp to turn on when the radio is on, to do this splice a separate wire into the cars gray accessory wire and run that straight to the amp.

The wiring diagrams can be found here:
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?TID=136659

This image references the wires mentioned above.


Finding a mounting place for the converter was a bit of an issue. I found this spot that is accessed by removing a panel, it is close to the radio which is ideal for line out converters and allows easy adjustment as well. It made convenient spots to run the remote turn on wire and rca wires that will be ran from the line out put converter to the amps inputs.



After this connect the remaining wires to your amp, put your fuse into the positive wire to the amp, and then reconnect your car batteries negative wire. Adjust the bass to your liking, just remember not to clip the signal or you will end up with a blown sub. :thumbsup:
 
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#2
Good job on the write up... the only thing that I would change is the way you ran the power wire, There is a grommet on the drivers side which makes the wire a lot shorter, the shorter the better.
 

koby

New Member
#3
Good job on the write up... the only thing that I would change is the way you ran the power wire, There is a grommet on the drivers side which makes the wire a lot shorter, the shorter the better.
Agreed, the wire I ran is rated for twice the power im using it for though so i wasnt overly worried about it.
 
#5
great job! I'm actually doing this project myself next weekend. I'm using a AudioControl LC2i converter. its a powered converter (not passive) and can correct for any bass losses in the system. I installed some rear deck speakers a few days ago and I'm loving them, Pioneer TS-A6985R 4-way speakers.
 
#6
great job! I'm actually doing this project myself next weekend. I'm using a AudioControl LC2i converter. its a powered converter (not passive) and can correct for any bass losses in the system. I installed some rear deck speakers a few days ago and I'm loving them, Pioneer TS-A6985R 4-way speakers.
Nice, were the factory speakers held in with rivets?
 
#7
I got a Kicker sub and amp.

Didn't need remote wire, it shuts off automatically when you use the high level input jacks

I wired it directly from the rear right speaker by taking the interior back seat apart.

This was my first time ever wiring anything in a car, or taking apart.

Personally I think it's a lot easier than using a converter box
 

koby

New Member
#8
I got a Kicker sub and amp.

Didn't need remote wire, it shuts off automatically when you use the high level input jacks

I wired it directly from the rear right speaker by taking the interior back seat apart.

This was my first time ever wiring anything in a car, or taking apart.

Personally I think it's a lot easier than using a converter box
It is but I have had this amp for years so I have no idea where the high level input piece that plugs into the amp went
 
#9
Agreed, the wire I ran is rated for twice the power im using it for though so i wasnt overly worried about it.
The problem I have with finding a wiring kit is that some reviewers say it isn't the proper gauge or cheap materials. Got a brand or link you would recommend?
 

koby

New Member
#10
The problem I have with finding a wiring kit is that some reviewers say it isn't the proper gauge or cheap materials. Got a brand or link you would recommend?
Rockford fosgate and kicker have been proven to be properly rated. There are others out there I cant remember off the top of my head but remember you get what you pay for. crutchfield sells reputable stuff but you can find prices better other places
 
#11
Good job on the write up... the only thing that I would change is the way you ran the power wire, There is a grommet on the drivers side which makes the wire a lot shorter, the shorter the better.
I agree. Shorter the better and it will look much cleaner. If it were my system I would also upgrade the fuse holder and move it closer to the battery

Also don't forget to put some kind of coating on the amp ground to prevent rust
 
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#12
I did an amp install with the Audio Control DQ-61. Its a little more expensive but it has 3 channels and an EQ as well. Its pretty awesome. I highly recommend it.

Can anyone tell me what size the rear speakers are? I blew one of them and wanna upgrade them.
 

koby

New Member
#14
I agree. Shorter the better and it will look much cleaner. If it were my system I would also upgrade the fuse holder and move it closer to the battery

Also don't forget to put some kind of coating on the amp ground to prevent rust
I will eventually life is just kinda hectic now so I had to do it quick or not at all :thumbdown:
 
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