[mhillsaab]

My new Amp1 is in the mail and before I put it in I want to do some kind of waterproofing. I know the guy over at saabradio.com does something and I was going to get one from him but ended up getting it off eBay for less. Anyone know a way to waterproof it without risking damage to it? I thought about using silicone caulk on all the edges and up the sides a bit, but will this be enough? Does he do anything on the interior? I know fiber optics are very fragile and don't want to open the cover if I don't need to.
Also, while I am putting the new Amp in I want to upgrade the speakers. If I can't find the Infinity 3.5" or 6.5" (which I understand aren't made anymore) which should I go with? Can I put 6x9's in the rear? Go larger on any of the speakers?
Thanks in advance!

 

[JMarkert]

I don't know whether this will be effective, but I found that a flat paint mixing stick is just the right size to sit next to the outer edge of the amp. I then put a small rolled up towel outside of that. The thinking is that the towel will catch water from a carwash or whatever, but the paint stick would keep the towel from blocking the vents of the amp.

Since you have the amp out, I wonder if you could maybe find a plastic tub that was the right size to set the thing in and which was thin enough to let you drill through the plastic.

 

[PaulOliver]

Dont forget that amps get quite warm and need plenty of air, so be careful how much you seal it!

 

[Gs04aero]

Dont forget that amps get quite warm and need plenty of air, so be careful how much you seal it!

Exactly. Why do you need to waterproof it? If you really want to you can use high temp silicone to seal what you want on it but remember the amp is warm and needs to breath or you'll be buying a new amp again quickly. If it was designed to be sealed like you're going to do it would have been done. Thats my thought at least. Knowing the stock amp I'd rather not fiddle with it. But you might be ok if you're careful.

As for the speakers, do a search in the 9-3 forum, stickies, etc. I just posted in another thread asking what speakers to use. It's getting to be a weekly thread now so there should be some good info posted already.

 

[aerojon]

lift it off the floor i would thought...longer screws couple of spacers..

 

[putergod]

Why would you need to? If water is getting on the floorboard, then you should probably look at repairing the leak instead.

 

[mhillsaab]

Okay, first off, from what I have heard this is a design flaw. That is why there are so many broken Amp1's. I have heard it can be caused by something as little as the snow melting off your shoes repeatedly. The carpet and pad soak up the water and move it under the seat to the Amp1.
Now, what I want to do is seal up the bottom of the amp and up the sides a bit. NOT seal the whole thing as I know it needs to breathe. Raising it is another thing that may work.
Let me know what you think.

 

[ctrlz]

lift it off the floor i would thought...longer screws couple of spacers..

Amp1 is attached by one screw. The edge near the center of the car fits in a slot. The screw is closest to the door. You would really need to remove the seat to install standoffs, and even then I'm guessing it might interfere with seat clearance when lowered all the way.

If you can seal up the bottom and maybe 1/2" up the sides you could probably fit a small fan in there to compensate for lost ventilation. They make some pretty small fans these days:
http://s3.electronics-cooling.com/legacy_images/2009/05/2009_May_TechBrief_Figure03.jpg

 

[epsilon93]

It's OK to seal it entirely and just have holes on top with a couple of smalls fan pulling air through it to cool the amp. As far as I can tell, the amp doesn't get overly hot. The floor of the car where the amp sits also acts as a heat sink.

 

[MR.SAAB]

i dont see what the problem is i thought amp 1 was water cooled. :cheesy: :roll: any onw try moving it under the center console?

 

[saabpunk4life]

I bought mine from Saabradio.com so its already sealed with silicone but I also used a waterproof rubber sealant sheet around the bottom to about halfway up the amp leaving all the vents open but preventing it from sitting in water. You can’t raise it up off the floor unless you have some way of extending the cables without tearing the car apart. The cable is so short it’s actually really difficult to plug it back into the amp. If you’re asking why he would want to waterproof it then consider yourself lucky your amp1 hasn't fried like ours. I drove around in silence for over a year until I found saabradio.com for $400 rather than the $1500 CDN the dealer wanted for a new amp.

 

[rabbit]

This is a really good idea. I may just seal mine up as a proactive approach.

 

[putergod]

How often does one's amp1 actually get wet?? I've only had the floorboard of one car I've owned ever get wet, and it was due to a busted heater core.

 

[Gs04aero]

How often does one's amp1 actually get wet?? I've only had the floorboard of one car I've owned ever get wet, and it was due to a busted heater core.

I'm curious about that too. I mean I'm in CT and even with all the snow we get in the winter I've never had enough snow inside the car that it soaks to the floorboard and fries the amp. I can understand if you spill something in the car or whatnot but I can't imagine you needing to waterproof the thing.

 

[JMarkert]

I think boots and a snowy winter could get a lot of water down there. I've also heard this problem attributed to carwashes and faulty lower door seals.

So far, mine is dry and working...but they do seem to get wet pretty often.

 

[mhillsaab]

Saabpunk4life is exactly right! If you haven't had this happen, consider yourself lucky! The guy over at Saabradio.com has made a killing on fixing them. Sure, some are caused by drinks spilling, windows left down, seals being broke,ect... but I can tell you that none of these happened to me. By the looks of it, a lot of other people didn't have these problems either. I am in Indiana, and it went out after we had several bad snow storms. This was the most likely cause given to me by my dealership and the guys at Saabradio.com. I'm a firefighter not an electrician so the info I have was given to me by people who do this for a living. They all stated that Fiber Optics are very sensitive and don't need to be in a flood to be fried.
They also don't run near as hot as normal coaxial powered amps. I'm not saying put 5 layers of rubber wrap on the whole thing, but sealing the bottom and a little on the sides shouldn't make it too hot. (in my thought)
The fan idea is actually very interesting and I may run a power line from the battery to a switch I could mount under the seat then to the fan. (Again, not an electrician and will get some wisdom from one before I do this)
Speakers....
I have narrowed it down to these...
3 Dash speakers:
Infinity Reference 3032cf 3.5" -$69.99 a pair
JL Audio TR350-CXi 3.5" - $69.99 a pair
Kicker KS350 3.5" - $59.99 a pair
(cant find the Bostons that fit but would like to get info)
Door Speakers:
Infinity Reference 6032si 6.5" -$99.99 a pair
Infinity Reference 6030cs 6.5" with 2 tweeters- $199.99 a pair
Boston Acoustic SX50 5.25" with tweeters - $199.99 a pair
Polk Audio DB650i 6.5" with tweeters- $199.99 a pair
Rear Shelf Speakers:
Boston Acoustic S45 4" - $79.99 a pair
Infinity Reference 4032cf 4" - $89.99 a pair
Infinity Kappa 42.9i 4" - $129.99 a pair
JL Audio C2-400X 4" - $139.99 a pair
Polk Audio DB401 4" - $79.99

What would be the biggest bang for my buck and is there any others that I should be looking at? Can I go larger on any of the stock speakers? I have no history with Infinity, but from the threads I have seen, people seem to like them. Boston, Polk, and JL I know and like, but are they worth the extra $?

 

[SIGP2101]

I took mine apart and painted all metal housing in black using rust proof Tremclad paint.
I painted inside and outside, two coats. Then I fabricate Plexiglas under pad for it just to separate it from the floor liner, and installed it back into the place. Plexiglas under pad has raised edge on one side that would protect AMP from passenger’s shoes, wet boots, road salt Etc.

 

[putergod]

3 Dash speakers:
(cant find the Bostons that fit but would like to get info)

These are the ones people are running.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065S35/Boston-Acoustics-S35.html?tp=96

What would be the biggest bang for my buck and is there any others that I should be looking at? Can I go larger on any of the stock speakers? I have no history with Infinity, but from the threads I have seen, people seem to like them. Boston, Polk, and JL I know and like, but are they worth the extra $?

Infinity's are good. Boston and Polk are better.
Yes it's worth it, if you like good quality sound.

 

[mhillsaab]

SIGP2101... Could you post some pics? I am really interested in learning how you did this!

PUTERGOD... When I put the info for what car I have it says that they wont fit, yet I hear from many on here that they do. I just want to be sure before I buy!

 

[SIGP2101]

SIGP2101... Could you post some pics? I am really interested in learning how you did this!
!

I do not have any pictures of the job, but it was one of the first things I did when I got my 9-3. Preventive maintenance pays off definitely.
1. You will have to remove seat first. Get the right bit (I think is T50) and unscrew two bolts at the back holding seat to the floor. Pull the seat back (5 cm) and lean it forward and fix it in that position. You don’t need to unplug any cables nor seat belt. Remove AMP1 by unscrewing that one screw in the floor. Slide AMP to the right maybe an inch, and detach connector at the back. There is a little tab that you have to depress before you unplug connector.
2. Dismantle AMP totally by removing the top lid. Remove all of the screws that you can see. Take it apart to the point when you have housing separate from the cooling sink, and main board. Main board is attached to the housing by metal bends that you will have to straighten up in order to remove it from the lower portion of the housing. You will see them penetrating through main board (3 or 4 locations not sure) Make sure that you discharge yourself (static el.) very often while you handling AMP by touching something grounded.
3. Remove any corrosion from housing using sand paper
4. Paint housing by masking every hole that screws go through. It is important to maintain proper ground through entire metal housing. Paint it inside and out. Use rust resistant corrosion inhibitive paint.
5. Build under pad. Could be anything made of plastic, rubber, and bendable.
Idea is to separate housing from the moisture contained in floor carpet and prevent corrosion from forming again.
6. Put it back together, and install under the seat maintaining proper ground.