Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio Question's about factory amp

I bought a new headunit & the place I bought it wanted to charge me $75 to bypass the amp. I asked what would be done to bypass the amp, & he said they needed to re-wire all of the speakers. So I asked if they were litteraly going to re-wire all of the speakers, or if they were going to use a plug adapter to bypass the amp. He said they would need to re-wire all of the speakers, but he wasn't sure how they did it. So I said no thanks to the amp bypass & scheduled the install for Feb.21st so I could check into bypassing the amp mylelf. After searching a little while I figured it would be easier to ask the experts directly. Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Here are the ?'s:

1)Why does everyone bypass &/or remove the factory amp?
2)How hard is it do yourself, & what would I need(tools/parts)?
3)Can I bypass/remove the amp after they install the stereo?

Oh yeah, I bought a Pioneer DEH-P4600MP.

everyone removes the factory amp because it is crap, it puts out about 5 watts rms of dirty sound. most head units have better amps, so people use that instead or an external amplifier

i didnt have an amp to bypass, but from what i can tell you just need the amp bypass harness, i'll let people w/experience with this answer this tho

but honestly i would cancel the install and do the whole thing yourself

its a little confusing the first time but after a few times you can remove a factory deck and install an aftermarket within 20 minutes if not quicker

i installed my first one when i was 16, paying someone to do it is just a waste of money. you just gotta be careful and take your time

Crutchfield sells an amp bypass kit. I can't find a link for it, but they have an 800 number.

You bypass the amp for two reasons
1: It's crap, works well with the low power factory head unit, but with todays 30-40-50 watt receivers you don't need it.
2: With aftermaket amps, you do not want to amplify the signal that is going into the amp you bought.

I think there's some minor wire splicing. The kit gives a how to. And I'll let someone else with a better memory tell you how easy it is. I had an aftermarket HU already in my car when I bypassed mine. But you can do it!

Yes you can bypass after they remove the stereo IF THEY DON'T rewire your wiring. I would NOT let them remove/reroute/rewire (whatever) the factory wiring. Basically with your new stereo there should be: stereo speaker output to the bypass then from the bypass to the factory stereo speaker wire connection.

To feel the safest, I'd get the bypass, then have the unit installed with the bypass. Any confident installer should be able to do that with little if any effort.

here's that link.

Bypass info, read up

Basically, the factory amp is the cheapest thing Ford could possibly put in there. The only reason it's there is because Ford did not have a single-DIN AM/FM/CD player with a built-in amp.

The factory amp on other Ford vehicles is much better, and on those, it might be worthwhile to use it. Not on the Contour.

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it puts out about 5 watts rms of dirty sound

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LOL, that sums it up. $75 for a rewiring job sounds about par (since it is a pretty big pain...but it can be done). However, in my opinion there is no need to rewire (run new speaker wire) the speakers unless you are planning on hooking an amp up to your deck to power the interior speakers.

If you want something even simpler than the Crutchfield bypass, here's a Scosche adapter that is as simple as it gets. Unplug the input and output from the factory amp, and connect them together using this adapter.

$75 is a rip. they dont need to rewire the damn car. use the crutchfield adapter or i guess another adapter for 1/3 - 1/4 the cost, just add your labor.

my stock amp is still there. i can technically remove it but all my stock wiring is still in place. i can go back to stock w/ minimal effort.

If you want to be cheap and don't plan to use the factory setup again you can always cut the connector piece off the wires that plug into the amp and simply run those wires directly to your speaker outputs on your deck (not what I would do, but it is an option)