# Tapping OEM wires the cleanest way



## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

I'm pretty sure now I've got the info I need for this amp install.So what is the best way to tap into stock vehicle wiring without destroying the harness so that it can be used again later when pulling the equipment? Quick connects?Cut the plug off leaving slack and reuse later? Anybody got any tips on this?


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

Posi-taps. https://www.posi-products.com/posiplug.html


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

T-harness is the ultimate way to go


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## SQLnovice (Jul 22, 2014)

I'm in the same boat. I have a 2012 Acura MDX and I can't find a female harness plug that matches the male input plug into the amplifier. I decided I will just cut away, leaving room for attachment later. In my case, it's only 4 wires (I think) so it's not that big of a deal.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Mlarson67 said:


> T-harness is the ultimate way to go


If you're talking about a female plug that goes into the male OEM plug I would totally agree,however,finding the exact plug is VERY difficult if it even exists at all.I contacted Metra direct and the guy told me they didn't manufacture any T-harnesses for that vehicle.


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## SQLnovice (Jul 22, 2014)

Yea, they don't make some of them.
You can always use these bullet connectors and crimp them on when the wires are cut, so whenever you disconnect, the work will already be done, and all you'll have to do is snap them back in.
https://www.amazon.com/Hilitchi-100...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C9MG10HA9200E9Q1M5T2


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

SQLnovice said:


> I'm in the same boat. I have a 2012 Acura MDX and I can't find a female harness plug that matches the male input plug into the amplifier. I decided I will just cut away, leaving room for attachment later. In my case, it's only 4 wires (I think) so it's not that big of a deal.


Yes,in my scenario the factory amp has 3 plugs.I would need the female harness for 2 of them ideally but I don't even think they exist.Looking into the product GIJOE
posted up there.

Another idea I had was to just buy a universal harness kit(female/male)and only pull and use the pins from the OEM harness that I need.Problem with that is knowing if the OEM pins would fit the universal plug.I did find a kit at Summitracing.com that looked like it could work.


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## SQLnovice (Jul 22, 2014)

Those seem nice. I'm always worried that any kink of tap connectors might not make enough contact. Not to take away from the effectiveness of these products. I have 0 evidence to prove otherwise, it's just in my head.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

SQLnovice said:


> Those seem nice. I'm always worried that any kink of tap connectors might not make enough contact. Not to take away from the effectiveness of these products. I have 0 evidence to prove otherwise, it's just in my head.


Your bullet connector idea is actually great! Didn't even think of that.Let me ask you this,are factory amplifiers wired basically the same as aftermarkets?I would assume the 3 plugs going in would be.....1.speaker outputs.....2.preamp from HU........3.power,ground,remote.Could I be off here and could those plugs contain like door chimes,etc?


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## SQLnovice (Jul 22, 2014)

I don't know If there is a standard. In my 2012 MDX case, the oem amplifier has 2 plugs. one is just speaker input's, the other is speaker output + power, ground and remote turnon. 
A member on here kindly supply me with the 4 wires I need to connect to my processor. Which was a big help. I'll be running new speaker wires, so I don't have to figure out whats what on the other plug. I just have to connect the front left and front right speaker wires to RCA's and feed that into my MS-8 processor. 
I went into a local stereo shop a few days ago and the employee asked if I would like a wiring diagram for my car and he give me a printout from "Wire Direct." 
You can see if a local shop in your area can get you the info for yours.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

SQLnovice said:


> I don't know If there is a standard. In my 2012 MDX case, the oem amplifier has 2 plugs. one is just speaker input's, the other is speaker output + power, ground and remote turnon.
> A member on here kindly supply me with the 4 wires I need to connect to my processor. Which was a big help. I'll be running new speaker wires, so I don't have to figure out whats what on the other plug. I just have to connect the front left and front right speaker wires to RCA's and feed that into my MS-8 processor.
> I went into a local stereo shop a few days ago and the employee asked if I would like a wiring diagram for my car and he give me a printout from "Wire Direct."
> You can see if a local shop in your area can get you the info for yours.


Thanks for that info.I checked ProDemand and a few others but couldn't find anything.Contacted GMC direct and they referred me to some publication company.Nick(Skizer)found me some good info that helped and I did obtain some other diagrams that confirmed his info.

Are you totally sure that the signal your tapping into is full range? If it's post amp the signal could be lacking some frequencies from the stock processor.Getting information on these types of things is like pulling teeth.Heck,I'll have a month of research in before I even touch the vehicle.Thats just the way these cars are made these days.It used to be so easy to just pop in an aftermarket HU and go to town.


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## SQLnovice (Jul 22, 2014)

I'm tapping into the preamp. 
What's the rear/make/ect, of your car, maybe someone here might have what you need. 

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

2011 GMC Terrain(4 cylinder lt) with 6 speaker stereo.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

gijoe said:


> Posi-taps. https://www.posi-products.com/posiplug.html


Joe,do you have direct experience with these?How have they held up?Just watched a few videos and they look very handy.


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## FordEscape (Nov 23, 2014)

JH1973 said:


> Joe,do you have direct experience with these?How have they held up?Just watched a few videos and they look very handy.


Not Joe but FWIW ....

I've used PosiTaps extensively in automotive and motorcycle electrical systems including digital signal (e.g. CANBUS) and voltage & current-sensitive ECM, ABS and TC module circuits. Many on roadracing competition motorcycles including endurance machines run for multiple seasons in all weather. High vibration and harsh exposure conditions to say the least.

Started using them years ago when they first came out as 'temporary' connections for testing purposes but they worked so neatly and consistently that they usually end up as permanent.

I've pulled apart many tapped wires to inspect and never find a single wire strand cut by the PosiTap - the 'needle' parts the wire strands and makes very firm intimate contact to complete the circuit. If you do want to permanently remove one you're left with one 'pinhole' in the tapped wire insulation that's easily re-sealed with a dab of 'liquid insulation'. The tapped-wire integrity is unaffected ... they don't leave you with a 'weak spot' or 'bend point' in the wire.

One note about PosiTaps - depending on the thickness of insulation on the wire the slot for receiving the wire to be tapped may be slightly loose; while this doesn't seem to affect the integrity of the connection I've learned to keep an assortment on hand and use the size that is a 'firm fit' on the wire (often one size smaller than 'spec') - it seems to help ensure that the needle is centered on the conductor and also provides the most compact connection.

Yes, I'm a huge fan of 'em based on hundreds of electrical connections in situations I consider critical, both 12-36VDC and low-voltage digital circuits.

The main thing is: never, never, *never* use those damned wire-strand-cutting 'Skotch Lock' taps for _anything_.

My ranking FWIW:
1. T-harness, off-the-shelf or DIY when possible
2. PosiTaps
3. ...... haven't done a soldered tap in years since getting 100% confident in PosiTaps

IMHO


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

FordEscape said:


> Not Joe but FWIW ....
> 
> I've used PosiTaps extensively in automotive and motorcycle electrical systems including digital signal (e.g. CANBUS) and voltage & current-sensitive ECM, ABS and TC module circuits. Many on roadracing competition motorcycles including endurance machines run for multiple seasons in all weather. High vibration and harsh exposure conditions to say the least.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for that write up,it was extremely helpful!


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

JH1973 said:


> Joe,do you have direct experience with these?How have they held up?Just watched a few videos and they look very handy.


I've used them for several projects, they are excellent (I wouldn't have recommended them if I thought they ere junk  ). Just make sure that you get the correct size for the wires you're using. They hold very strong, and if you're worried about them coming undone it's very easy to wrap them in electrical tape (not necessary, but for peace of mind). When you remove them the original wire is left with nothing but a small pinhole, no exposed wire at all. You can wrap it in electrical tape or even a tiny drop of glue to seal the hole up.


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