HELP ! INSTALLATION TROUBLE WITH MY 02' 9-3 TURBO and 2 10'' SUBS AND AMP!

[SoSABB3d]

ok well basically i have the same issue as OMG its a lion except i got 2 10'' TMA subs with a 600 watt amp.im new to the whole audio installation thing but ive been doing a extensive amount of research andhave a slew of questions.first off i got an 02 Saab 9-3 turbo so im not familiar with the specs of my head unit but from what information i have gathered,im pretty sure its a bad idea to disconnect the wiring harness due to the "MARRIED" status of the car and the radio.this is why i chose to install the amp and two subs with the stock unit.now seeing that this seemingly is the only way to go for me,how would i go about running my remote on wire to the head unit?is it even possible? because i too ka look at a few diagrams and it looks like the back of mine doesnt have the DIN plug that ive seen on so many other models but i heard i can wire it to the remote on anteana.the downside to that though i also read was that the amp would only turn on when the car was ON and not when the stereo was. im just very lost and i have everything i need to get going i just dont know what to do about the remote on.im tryingv to get it all set up asap so any advice ,with links or pics would be greatly appriciated.
any additional tips can be e-mailed to me at


vinnyy09@gmail.com.

i know someone can help...

[Jeremy R.]

The 9-3's head unit is actually easier to disconnect than the 900's because it's married. You can unplug it and plug it in all day long without ever having to re-enter a code.

The problem with hooking the amp's remote wire up to the antenna wire on the radio is that your amp will only turn on when you're listening to the radio. The 9-3 turns off the antenna when you're listening to a CD. If you hook the amp up to the ignition-switched power wire on the radio, then it will go on and off with the ignition, which works fine for most people. If you're listening to the radio with the engine off, you probably don't want your subs on anyway. You'll drain the battery in no time.

Your radio does have the DIN jack. It's on the back, and will give you a much cleaner signal if you use it for a line-level output. You'll have to make up an adapter cable, though, and not everyone has electronic stores nearby that stock the old 8-pin DIN plugs. There is an amp turn-on signal in the DIN plug, but it's a low-voltage type that probably won't supply enough power to turn on an aftermarket amp. It could be hooked up to a relay if you want to go that route.

[deven8703]

You want the amps to turn on when the ignition comes on, correct?

Connect it to pretty much any fuse that gets power when you turn the key. I can't find a fuse diagram for you, but should be one in your owners manual.

Also, I don't know if this would be any help for you, but just so you know its there;
http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/p...9ae327b4954508

[SoSABB3d]

ok great! that answers alot of questions because i was always under the impression you could never remove my headunit without the dealer entering a code to put it back in,so that helps with looking at the back of the head unit more. so basically your saying i could just take the power wire and cononect it to the power wire slot that already has a blue remote on wire in it ,in the back of my head unit?because ive been wondering if i could do that without causing any problem.i looked up a bunch of diagrams for my headunit and found the remote on hole but theres already a wire going in there.Also, as far as option two with the DIN plug how would i go about setting up a relay? one more question ,as far as getting the signal to the amp to let it know when to have the subs hit the bass, could i connect the speaker wire to the wires already going to my back speakers because i was told by a few people thats one way to do it ?
thanks again.

[Kowalsker]

Originally Posted by SoSABB3d

ok well basically i have the same issue as OMG its a lion except i got 2 10'' TMA subs with a 600 watt amp.im new to the whole audio installation thing but ive been doing a extensive amount of research andhave a slew of questions.first off i got an 02 Saab 9-3 turbo so im not familiar with the specs of my head unit but from what information i have gathered,im pretty sure its a bad idea to disconnect the wiring harness due to the "MARRIED" status of the car and the radio.this is why i chose to install the amp and two subs with the stock unit.now seeing that this seemingly is the only way to go for me,how would i go about running my remote on wire to the head unit?is it even possible? because i too ka look at a few diagrams and it looks like the back of mine doesnt have the DIN plug that ive seen on so many other models but i heard i can wire it to the remote on anteana.the downside to that though i also read was that the amp would only turn on when the car was ON and not when the stereo was. im just very lost and i have everything i need to get going i just dont know what to do about the remote on.im tryingv to get it all set up asap so any advice ,with links or pics would be greatly appriciated.
any additional tips can be e-mailed to me at


vinnyy09@gmail.com.

i know someone can help...

The radio does have a DIN jack. It's on the back, you can pull the unit out w/o disconnecting the plugs, the wires are long enough.

You will most likely have to order the DIN plug from something like www.Digikey.com (Make sure you get the one with the right pin spacing, there are (2) standard DIN plugs with the pins at two different angles. Make sure that you get a 90° DIN plug (one that comes out then turns) if you don't you won't have clearance to put the radio back.

The remote turn on line that is available on the din plug has sufficient current to turn on a single amp. (the turn on lines don't require much current) if you need to run more then one amp. Connect a standard 30A automotive relay's Ground to your amp's ground. Connect the +12 line to the DIN's turn on line. Connect the other lines on the relay to the amp's +12 line and then amp's Turn-on line.

I pilfered this from someplace... .

Stick with the DIN plug for the AMP hook-up. I just did this a few months ago with my 9-3. The hardest part of the entire job was soldering the wires to the DIN plug. Their tiny. Just cut the ends off a pair of RCA's, twist the grounds together and solder to the signal ground on the din plug.

I used the rear output on the DIN plug, as the rear speakers are almost useless in my 9-3, this let's me have some level control on the sub from the dash. Just turn the fader about 1/2 way to the front before settings the sub amp's level. Should get you about +6/-98 db of control over the amp.

kowalsker@gmail.com if you need any more help.