hello everyone. i was wondering if you would be able to help me with a problem im having with my amp. i havnt drove my car all day and i got in and went to town. it was pretty cold out. i was listening to rock and there wasnt much bass. i was driving and my lights flickered for a second and my subs stopped working. when i stopped i check my amp this is what i noticed. 1. my amp is still on. it lights up and shows the voltage 11.x when turned off and 13.6 when i have the car running.(this is normal) 2. all fuses are fine: the one from the battery and the 2 from the amp. 3. i have a capicator (if that is needed to be known)(and YES i know they arent needed) 4. my subs have little if any power going to them. is there any way i can check out something without bringing it in? what do you think could be the problem?
11.x volts from the battery is not good with the car off. should be at least 12.4 volts when sitting, the charge voltage sounds good however. have you checked the voltages AT the amp? or did you do it at the battery? When the lights flickered for a second, that means a serious voltage drop had occured somewhere in the electrical system. This could have been due to a number of different things. From a voltage regulator in the alternator to a shorted wire to a bad amp......who knows......... Verify that the speakers impedance is normal, and also check your ground connections for the amp.
1. i did the voltages at the amp because i have a volt meter on the amp. 2. how do i check the speaker impedance? thank you very much for your help
Set your meter to "ohms"..... Disconnect the subs from the amp, put your test leads on the wire thqt goes to the subs, you will get a reading. 0 ohms is bad, very bad....shorted voice coil or such, no reading...that would mean the subs are disconnected or its an open VC......depending on your subs, and how they are wirred you should have a reading of 1 ohm or greater, usually up to 4 ohm...this is just a generalization! Thinking about this here outloud.......If you had a voltage surge in the car it may have screwed your amp up. Doubtful, but could happen... If the battery voltage AT the amp is 13 volts or greater at the amp, the remote turn on voltage at the amp is 12 volts or higher, and the ground is good, (not cheesed under a seat bolt or some crap like that), speakers check out fine, might start looking at the radio, or even some of the other wiring, such as the RCA's. Might also have the amp bench tested at a shop to be sure it is good.....
1. sorry for being dumb but where do i put my test leads at? (more spicific) 2. what do you mean cheesed under a seat bolt? thats where i have my gounds at(i hope this isnt a factor) i guess i gotta learn the hard way AGAIN bout grounds. 3. i know a nice shop where im friends with the guy so he could probably test it but its aways away and i wanna do it on my own. its late here so i wont be able to do anymore till tomorrow. i was thinking it had someothing to do with the cold also but not sure.
For your ground, drill a hole in some good sheet metal, under the backseat will work. Then scrape the paint off around the hole with a wire brush (I had to use a razor blade and sandpaper for mine). Then use a nut and bolt to hold the terminal down.
Yes eazy....go tell him. A seat bolt is a very crappy crappy ground....copper will compress over time...and if your using a seat bolt the terminal is subject to varying compression whenever someone sits there...then they get off and the load is gone...its more complicated but I can't remember everything Viking said. But a seat bolt is a crappy ground...the end
ok well now i learned the hard way about grounds for my amp. i had to learn the hard way for grounds for stereo decks and once i learn ill never do it again. thanks for the info.
my amps not working whats wrong? whats wrong is its a piece of ****. i had it tested today said something bout the power supply. woo hoo 150 bucks down the drain
