Lost my factory sub!

I have a pioneer appradio 4 and installed it with the help of the rp4-fd11.
Well, when I got everything plugged in, I realized I’ve lost my factory subs. Everything is connected correctly but it sounds like I’m listening to my music in a tin can. Anyone have any suggestions?
2008 EL XLT

I don't know if you're aware that the factory sub requires a "turn on signal" of 5 volts. There's a wire in the harness to the factory head unit that provides this when the radio's powered up. If you send it 12 volts, you'll hear a "pop" when it turns on.

That’s interesting. I was not aware of that. Do you know which wire in the harness it is? What color?

Matthew Hart said:

That’s interesting. I was not aware of that. Do you know which wire in the harness it is? What color?

Click to expand...

The Pac RP4-FD11 provides the correct signal to turn the sub on!

What's the pre out voltage of the radio(audio signal strength, not the same turn on voltage as mentioned above)? I ask because some are 4 volts, some are 2volts and a few other voltages. The factory sub likes a 4-5 volt signal or the volume from the sub would be really low since the OEM amp doesn't have an adjustable gain.

Have you checked the sub output level in the radio?

gixer2000 said:

The Pac RP4-FD11 provides the correct signal to turn the sub on!

What's the pre out voltage of the radio(audio signal strength, not the same turn on voltage as mentioned above)? I ask because some are 4 volts, some are 2volts and a few other voltages. The factory sub likes a 4-5 volt signal or the volume from the sub would be really low since the OEM amp doesn't have an adjustable gain.

Have you checked the sub output level in the radio?

Click to expand...

The pre out is 4v.

I use an iDatalink Maestro to tie my Kenwood into the vehicle, so that the steering wheel controls continue to work. The unit can be programmed to the specific vehicle and to many aftermerket radios. I opted to drop the factory sub as low impedance woofers are made for "loud" rather than "clear", and built a down-firing sub-box that doubles as a center console between the second row seats. I also dropped the factory sub-woofer amp in favor of aftermarket. Aside from sound benefits, the iDatalink device gives me direct access to info from the vehicle computer. I can view tire pressures and most sensors directly from the Kenwood head unit. If I get a "check engine" light, I touch the icon on the stereo and it shows me the exact error code and allows me to reset it if I choose.