hello fellow HHR owners

had my HHR for about 6 months, and i love it

i have the non premium, 7 speaker radio system

i like the radio, like the aux in and the MP3 cd capabilities

i just want more bass, and i want to add a sub

ive had aftermarket systems in all my cars, even had a radio or 2 stolen, which is a terrible feeling

i want to keep the stock head unit, but add my amp and sub

i have an MTX crossover, which can convert the signal from the speaker wires, to an RCA output for the amp so im covered there

but, i really dont want to have to run my own remote wire to a toggle switch somewhere

do these radios have any sort of a remote wire?

it seems like the premier system with the stock sub has one for the stock amp, but, unfortunately, i dont have that

having a toggle switch can be ok, and im not against that completely, but i just want to avoid having to run a ton of wires back and forth

if i did have to run my own remote, could i come from the fuse box so i dont accidentally leave it on?

thanks in advance

 

Just tap off the stereo key turn on wire or something. Use a volt meter or test light to find one that works only when the key is on. Although I think there may be a wire dedicated to remote wire because there is an optional sub in the HHR.

 

well, i dont have the premiere stereo, therefore, i dont have the amp or sub

i doubt i have the wiring

and, i think you might be talking about tapping into the 'yellow' ignition power of the radio

i guess thats an option, but id rather run it from the fuse panel

i didnt want to have to go this route

maybe ill just eliminate all this, get an aftermarket head unit and be done with it

probably get a higher quality sound anyway

 

The radio ON signal comes from pin 3 on connector C2 of the radio.

The power to the OEM amp comes from a 20 amp fuse (fuse panel right side of console) fuse #6.

Feed from the radio connector C2 pin 3 to an after market amp that accepts a power on signal.

20 amp power for an after market amplifier can come from the 20 amp fuse #6 right side of console, (assuming the amplifier does not need higher current requirements than 20 amps.)

Or -

If no after market amp signal is available at the after market amp -
Use a 20 amp (load current contacts) 12 volt relay (assuming you are not using an amplifier of higher current requirements) power the relay from C2 pin 3 on the radio. Power one load contact on the relay from Fuse #6 at the fuse panel right side of console. Power the amp from the other load contact of the 12 volt relay. The relay can me mounted near the fuse panel.

If you need a drawing advise ?

Do you have the OEM radio wiring schematic ?

 

no, i dont currently have the OEM wiring, but im sure i could find that on here with a search

thanks for the info though, thats pretty much what i was looking for

im looking forward to not having to run a power wire all the way from the front of the car to the back for an amp

the battery is right there, which is nice

 

I used an add-a-fuse from the sunroof fuse in the fusebox. This keeps the retained power function and will keep the radio on for a while after the key is removed, however it does not allow for chimes when the door is opened and the ignition is off.

 

Just to be sure this is not misunderstood. My understanding is that this wire feeds the stock Amplified Antenna and is not what turns on the radio. It is an output from the radio to the antenna to save power when the radio is not in use. Is this correct?

The signal that turns off the radio through RAP is through the Low Speed GM LAN or CAN.