Kicker key remote wire help please

[Whodat]

I’m 54 years old and have installed several systems in my vehicles since I was a teenager. Every car amplifier I’ve ever seen, installed, read about or heard about requires two separate power sources. The main power needs to be connected to a 12v source that is always on (battery). That power cable should have an inline fuse appropriate for the size of the amp.
The other power input to amps is a “signal” type. It is usually a blue, small gauge wire that doesn’t require an inline fuse and it tells the amp when to turn on. Although electrical current flows through this wire, it’s a very small amount. It needs to be connected to any powered source in the vehicle that only has current flowing when the ignition is on. Some cigarette lighters for example don’t work when the key is off…so that would work.
Sounds like your amp might not need the traditional signal power connection (blue wire) because it can detect when a music source is active, so then it knows to turn on.
Either way, you have to supply your amp with a 12v always-on source of power for it to work…and that means a cable to the battery.

From the Kicker Key 200.4 manual in the discussion of wiring for power:
The KEY amplifier is capable of using the wiring directly from your head unit, but for best results it is recommended you use power and ground wiring from the vehicle’s battery and chassis. KICKER recommends 14 gauge wire.

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[Whodat]

I actually have one of those harnesses. I think there might have been some miscommunication on Crutchfield's part. Don't quote me on this, and maybe someone that is more of an expert on car audio than I am can confirm here, but that harness has a LPH power out option that says it can power your "audio adapters", which i believe is for powering a LOC, but not an amp.

The wires it came with are 18gauge, so I don't think you would want to try to power that 200W amp through that harness. Unless the amp can be set to a low power mode, (which may be possible, but I don't know how to do that, and I'd hate to have you overload something trying to, so please be careful).

The good news is that running a wire to power the amp is super easy, and there are probably a dozen videos on how to do that on youtube. And running a dedicated wire guarantees that your amp won't be underpowered and will sound better, which is a win win.

Yes, multiple miscommunications from Crutchfield. Multiple conflicting installation instructions from Crutchfield support.

 

[Unfortuitous]

Yes, multiple miscommunications from Crutchfield. Multiple conflicting installation instructions from Crutchfield support.

Sorry this has been such a pain.

When I spoke to Crutchfield when installing mine, the tech mentioned multiple times that they have a ton of conflicting info on the specs of the different stereo packages and head units in the new Broncos. I recall reading AI generated content specifically stating that the head unit in the non B&O systems produced 40 watts per channel, but I believe a poster checked the output and found that it was actually somewhere between 10 and 15W per channel and not 40. So maybe the output 12v line from the head unit has less power than what Kicker and Crutchfield believed it to have, and maybe there isn't enough to power your amp, and that is why it is not working wired that way?

Here is the amp wire kit Crutchfield recommends for the 200.4 it's 12 gauge with a 20A fuse
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_007CK12/Crutchfield-CK12-Amp-Wiring-Kit.html

 

[HotdogThud]

Im not aware of any plug and play harnesses that pull main line power either - but i admit one could exist that i just dont know about, and I know people have run kickers from the sub amp power - not sure if you can do the head unit power easily though

I got one of the early kits from plug and play kits that did, and it clipped pretty bad. I ended up ordering a subwoofer harness from the dude and he apologized about not knowing the draw was going to be more than it would handle initially and he threw in the piggyback harness for me to remedy it. really happy with how the whole things turned out

 

[Whodat]

Sorry this has been such a pain.

When I spoke to Crutchfield when installing mine, the tech mentioned multiple times that they have a ton of conflicting info on the specs of the different stereo packages and head units in the new Broncos. I recall reading AI generated content specifically stating that the head unit in the non B&O systems produced 40 watts per channel, but I believe a poster checked the output and found that it was actually somewhere between 10 and 15W per channel and not 40. So maybe the output 12v line from the head unit has less power than what Kicker and Crutchfield believed it to have, and maybe there isn't enough to power your amp, and that is why it is not working wired that way?

Here is the amp wire kit Crutchfield recommends for the 200.4 it's 12 gauge with a 20A fuse
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_007CK12/Crutchfield-CK12-Amp-Wiring-Kit.html

Okay, you've encouraged me to give this another shot. I will report back.

 

[brkdncr]

FYI running power is very easy. There’s even a plugged hole in the firewall you’ll use. Hardest part is waiting for the cabling to arrive. Crutchfield can recommend something if you’re already working with them.

 

[Whodat]

So, if it matters, here is my update. Kicker tech support says despite what Crutchfield says these amps are not always able to get power from stock radio. Kicker really "does" say that in their manual as they say "recommended" install is to battery. I've regrouped and bought the hoelwiring harness custom made for the bronco. SHould have gone this route first as this is truly plug and play. Hoel has been VERY helpful where Crutchfield has not. Not a good experience with Crutchfield.

 

[Whodat]

Amp is installed and it is well worth it. The issues I had were really with Crutchfield. Also, do not run this amp, despite what anyone else says, off of the stock radio power. Run power to the battery. Biggest bit of advice, if you have never installed an amp and dealt with building out a harness don't do this without the harness from Hoel Wiring. With the Hoel Wiring harness you can have this installed and setup in about an hour and a half. Good luck without the Hoel Wiring harness. He really does make it plug and play. www.hoelwiring.com
Thanks to all that encouraged me to continue this process. Twice I had the amp boxed and labeled to be returned to Crutchfield. The hoel wiring harness saved it for me.
And the amp and kicker speakers in dash and rears make a major difference and I do believe based on the acoustic of this vehicle are about as good as you can get. I say that as I put $3600 into my last Bronco and this sounds about the same.

 

[Whodat]

Oh, and follow the proper tuning instructions in the kicker manual. I really am surprised at the difference the amp and speakers make for what cost about $1k total. Night and day!

 

[Unfortuitous]

Amp is installed and it is well worth it. The issues I had were really with Crutchfield. Also, do not run this amp, despite what anyone else says, off of the stock radio power. Run power to the battery. Biggest bit of advice, if you have never installed an amp and dealt with building out a harness don't do this without the harness from Hoel Wiring. With the Hoel Wiring harness you can have this installed and setup in about an hour and a half. Good luck without the Hoel Wiring harness. He really does make it plug and play. www.hoelwiring.com
Thanks to all that encouraged me to continue this process. Twice I had the amp boxed and labeled to be returned to Crutchfield. The hoel wiring harness saved it for me.
And the amp and kicker speakers in dash and rears make a major difference and I do believe based on the acoustic of this vehicle are about as good as you can get. I say that as I put $3600 into my last Bronco and this sounds about the same.

Glad to hear it worked out. The plug and play harnesses are great, I went the route with your first harness, only because I wanted to split the dash and kick panel speakers and have them on their own channels. It wasn't too bad though honestly, I used the extra plugs the harness came with and ran new clean speaker wire to the speakers and soldered that wire up to the connectors, and they then snapped right into the harness pretty easily. (It did take me 20 minutes or so to figure out which colored wires went where, but with one of the many diagrams on this site it was fairly straightforward.

My biggest issue was that after I did the install, the tuning process wouldn't work because the sub was always running in the background during the whitenoise test, and there was no way to turn it off without unplugging it. (Even removing the fuses that others said would kill the rear amp didn't work for me, so I had to take the back apart too before I could get it set up. (allowed me to swap out the sub and rear speakers though, so it wasn't a total loss).

Out of curiosity, what speakers did you go with?

 

[Whodat]

Glad to hear it worked out. The plug and play harnesses are great, I went the route with your first harness, only because I wanted to split the dash and kick panel speakers and have them on their own channels. It wasn't too bad though honestly, I used the extra plugs the harness came with and ran new clean speaker wire to the speakers and soldered that wire up to the connectors, and they then snapped right into the harness pretty easily. (It did take me 20 minutes or so to figure out which colored wires went where, but with one of the many diagrams on this site it was fairly straightforward.

My biggest issue was that after I did the install, the tuning process wouldn't work because the sub was always running in the background during the whitenoise test, and there was no way to turn it off without unplugging it. (Even removing the fuses that others said would kill the rear amp didn't work for me, so I had to take the back apart too before I could get it set up. (allowed me to swap out the sub and rear speakers though, so it wasn't a total loss).

Out of curiosity, what speakers did you go with?

Kicker KSC40 in dash
SSV Works 6.5 with Kickers

 

[Whodat]

Next up, should I tackle the kick panel speakers? Seems a little more to it than replacing the dash and rears. Thanks for the help.

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