I am going camping in two weeks and may or may not need the extra room taken up by my 12" sub/amp combo. I would like to integrate some sort of quick disconnect system for my setup to be able to rip everything out in a matter of seconds.

My primary concern is the power and ground wires touching something and causing an issue. Is there a system which includes rubber caps or something so these hot cables don't cause an issue? I really want to do it right and be sure these loose cables don't make a big problem.

Ideally I would like a quick disconnect "kit" of some kind that I could just splice into each wire (or better yet, no splicing!) and add the quick disconnect ability (Power, ground, remote turn on, speaker signal wires etc.). I need to be sure this kit has full protection for these hot cables, and they will all most likely come to rest under the flap behind the seats in the rear hatch area, which is all metal....

I do have a capacitor in line as well, but I am not too concerned about this; I dropped power to it/powered it back on several times without an issue (I don't really think it does much anyhow)...

Also, what precautions do I need to take when splicing into these wires? Simply disconnect the negative battery cable, or both negative and positive? What type of damage can I expect if the power and ground wires touch? Should I just pull the amp power cable from the battery and call it a day?

In summary:

• Can anyone provide a link to a quick disconnect kit?
• Are their any glaring abnormalities with what I am trying to accomplish?
• Is there an easier way/just pull the positive battery cable and call it a day.

Here is a quick photo of my setup, let me know if anything else is needed.

 

i have a system in my fit as well, and have it mounted on my box (because the back of the seats seemed too squishy) i havent had to take it out yet. but i have thought about how i would aproach this.

when i had the system in my jeep. i was in the same situation as you. i was going camping, with 4 people in the car and 2 subs in a giant box in the trunk - they had to go. i didnt ask around or anything but i figured this would be ok. i took the box out and left the amp mounted on my back seat. i pulled the inline fuse out from under the hood. i disconnected the rca wire from the amp, and i taped the end of the speaker wires where they would plug to the subs.

i figured id be fine... and i was. the amp doesnt get power... or even a signal. and even if it did.... the speaker wires are taped off. i cant see where your amp is...so this might be a solution. it was also a 2 and a half hour drive there.

if your amp is on the box - like mine is currently... id unscrew the amp from the box, lay it on the floor. and do everything i just did above. this way you dont have to worry about lose wires and such. just put a blanket over it so nothing metal touches it and try not to put to much weight on top. maybe theres a better solution...but thats what id do...you also wouldnt have to buy anything.

also just to add. if the wires touch for a second, youll have a nice spark. if they stay touched together....thats where things get messy. things are gonna melt, and can possibly end in a fire. you should have a fuse about a foot from the battery terminal in the positive end. be sure to pull that badboy out.

 

Thanks for the reply MetalHead. Unfortunately my amp is mounted to the back of my sub. I guess I will just disconnect everything for now until I can install a better quick disconnect system. Here's what I will do:

Pop the hood:

• Disconnect negative then positive battery cable
• Disconnect amp power wire/remove in-line fuse; leave disconnected

Lift the hatch:

• Disconnect amp power, remote wire, speaker connections, ground
• Remove sub/amp/cap
• Wrap each cable end in electrical tape, and leave them sit

 

just leave the power cable connected. if the fuse is taken out, the power goes nowhere and you wont have to worry about lose wires under the hood

 

Ok, thanks. If anyone comes across a quick disconnect kit of sorts, please post it up, thanks!

 

I have my amp in my GE mounted on a piece of plywood that drops into the top of my spare tire so it is underneath the 'floor' The neat thing about this is that I only have to remove the speaker box before carrying anything.

 

I will definitely consider doing something like this after the trip. This should be a very easy DIY project for me since I already have all the wires back there..

Last night I disconnected everything, taped it all off, and tucked it out of the way. It's time for camping mode! I'm almost thinking to go get a roof rack and luggage storage unit for the roof before I go, but I don't want to go overboard. The Fit should be able to accommodate 3 people and gear for a 2 day trip, right?

 

nice man. have fun! as far as room goes, you should be good. you can always fold the seat down for extra room(a lot of extra room actually)

im contemplating buying a roof rack just because it looks really nice on the fit. ill never use it for anything besides looks though haha. honestly, if your gonna use it, that would be a great investment.

 

Car audio guys swear by these for speaker connects
Deans - Plugs

For the power you'd def need something bigger, or you can go with the tape method.

 

The power couplers they use for forklift batteries can handle up to 1/0AWG cable and have a pos and neg line. Then you could just use insulated spades for the remote wire.

Quick search brought me to this: ELECTRIC FORKLIFT BATTERY CONNECTORS SB350 WITH TIPS - eBay (item 310088375142 end time Jun-27-09 09:57:48 PDT)

That's for 4/0AWG so you'll need one about 20 times smaller for your 8AWG.

 

lol @ buying a roof rack just for looks. you are a true FitFreak!! I have dropped so much money on camping gear the past week I think the roof rack setup will have to wait. With the drivers side seat folded flat + an empty hatch/cargo area, this should be sufficient no matter how much crap my friends up deciding to bring. 50oz cooler, 30oz cooler, 3 large duffel bags, a couple day packs, folding chairs - should be fine... (yes I will take pics of all this gear loaded in my Fit next week, I am a true FitFreak as well!!)

 

Once I got into the nitty-gritty of my wiring back there, I found that my installer installed similar clips on each one of my door speaker signal runs. Not sure if he ran out of wire or what, and they really don't "disconnect very quickly/easily" either. Oh well, it was no biggie to tear it all down and tape it up, 10 min project.

Thanks for the links guys.

 

Nice! Guess my installer didn't have any of these bad boys on had during the initial installation as I did initially request the ability to be able to have it all quick disconnect. They took long enough just to make it work...I was done with them and didn't want to press the issue.

 

This is what I got for the quick disconnect. Its the same as the ebay link. Parts Express: Featured Categories

 

Good find, I didn't know PE carried them.

 

I'm considering these Trolling Motor 3-wire connectors. They are 8-gauge and can accommodate pwr, gnd, and remote connections.

Sierra 2-Wire 12-Volt & 3-Wire 24-Volt Trolling Motor Connectors - 8 Guage - iboats

Anyone tried these?

 

In my CR-V I just did what Meatalhead said... Since the amp was located remote to the sub, I just taped off the speaker leads and stuck them under the carpet so they couldn't get accidentally snagged. Sometimes I pulled the fuse, but I only remembered a few times to do that.

Fortunately I never had any issues.

I like the idea of using disconnects a lot... Those forklift ones seem pretty nice. Also the deans plugs would work nice for speakers too. A friend of mine uses them extensively on his RC car.