Amps cut out

[00 Silver 6]

I lost power to both of my amps last night, couldn't figure out the problem at first glance. Fuses in both amps are fine, the fuse on the power cable is fine, the amps run to separate grounds, so that isn't the issue... could it be anything else besides the remote wire? (which i cant get to right now)

[RadRacer]

Re: Amps cut out

not really. If the power and ground wires are good, all that's left is the remote wire; unless of course both amps fried at the same time :( Do you get power to the power cable, on the amp's end?

[96firebird311]

Re: Amps cut out

Double check the remote wire before we go any further.

[00 Silver 6]

Re: Amps cut out

i dont have a multimeter right now, is there any way i can check to see if the remote wire is live? its hooked up from the HU all the way back to the amps

[RadRacer]

Re: Amps cut out

hook it up to a light or something else that's 12V powered and see if it comes on. You could briefly touch it to the ground and see if it sparks, but you might blow a fuse in the back of the HU.

[96firebird311]

Re: Amps cut out

You could briefly touch it to the ground and see if it sparks, but you might blow a fuse in the back of the HU.

I wouldn't dare try that.

You can use a test light for this situation. But don't get used to it.

An easy way to check would be to jumper the 12+ main power wire to the remote wire input. Leave it that way and let er' rip for a little while. If it plays fine, connect the headunit's remote turn on lead back in place. If your fault is back, you've really narrowed down the field.

[Sean_99_3.8]

Re: Amps cut out

you could check you fuse in the back of your hu.

[00 Silver 6]

Re: Amps cut out

I wouldn't dare try that.

You can use a test light for this situation. But don't get used to it.

An easy way to check would be to jumper the 12+ main power wire to the remote wire input. Leave it that way and let er' rip for a little while. If it plays fine, connect the headunit's remote turn on lead back in place. If your fault is back, you've really narrowed down the field.

so im basically just running like a 3" wire from my power cable connection to the remote wire connection?

you could check you fuse in the back of your hu.

if my HU fuse was blown, i dont think my HU would turn on

[96firebird311]

Re: Amps cut out

so im basically just running like a 3" wire from my power cable connection to the remote wire connection?

correct. obviously dont leave it like that for days. The amp will not turn off. But play it as long as you like. It will not cause harm to the amps.

[00 Silver 6]

Re: Amps cut out

alright this is getting on my nerves, i jumped the power to the remote, and the 4 channel amp stays on. the monoblock comes on with the 4 channel, but flickers and dies after about 3-5 seconds. i tore my old head unit out, and put in the one i knew i was working from a few months ago, and it turns on and plays cd's, but still no sound. with the new (old) HU in, both amps stay on, but still no sound, and when i take off the wire that jumps the power to the remote, they both die instantly. RCA's are all hooked up, and the amps are obviously getting power

[00 Silver 6]

Re: Amps cut out

after 5 hours......




the inline fuse on the power cable was blown

[96firebird311]

Re: Amps cut out

The fact that both amps die as soon as you remove the jumper, says a lot.

You really need a multimeter. Meter the remote lead and see what's going on. Also, I've seen some odd things happen with AGU style fuses. I received an entire batch from my supplier that would seem ok at first, but a week later would add a large amount of resistance to the power wire. The fuse would still look perfect, but a multimeter would show that I'm only getting 8V at the amps. This would prevent them from turning on. (Sometimes it was border-line enough voltage and the amps would click on and off)

The amp's may not be getting ENOUGH voltage from the battery to stay on. And while you have the headunit out, I would just snip the remote lead and connect a new piece of wire to just run over the seats and to the amps. Just to help you troubleshoot. Also try connecting the remote lead to only one amp at a time. See if you still have issues. It could be that the remote lead is just weak. A simple relay would cure that.

Without a multimeter, power supply, and other useful tools a shop would have, it's often tough to figure out what's going on.

PS: Walmart sells multimeters cheap.... and they're return policy is excellent. hint hint.

[00 Silver 6]

Re: Amps cut out

Also, I've seen some odd things happen with AGU style fuses. I received an entire batch from my supplier that would seem ok at first, but a week later would add a large amount of resistance to the power wire. The fuse would still look perfect, but a multimeter would show that I'm only getting 8V at the amps. This would prevent them from turning on. (Sometimes it was border-line enough voltage and the amps would click on and off)

The amp's may not be getting ENOUGH voltage from the battery to stay on. And while you have the headunit out, I would just snip the remote lead and connect a new piece of wire to just run over the seats and to the amps. Just to help you troubleshoot. Also try connecting the remote lead to only one amp at a time. See if you still have issues.

bingo, i was waiting for someone to jump down my throat for not checking that fuse. problem is, i checked it 10 times and it looks PERFECT. but when i lose the fuse and connect the power wire straight to the battery, i get power and signal to both amps. the fuse is blown somewhere off to the side and out of sight...

[96firebird311]

Re: Amps cut out

bingo, i was waiting for someone to jump down my throat for not checking that fuse. problem is, i checked it 10 times and it looks PERFECT. but when i lose the fuse and connect the power wire straight to the battery, i get power and signal to both amps. the fuse is blown somewhere off to the side and out of sight...

:D Ha Ha. I've seen it more than a dozen times. I think what's happening is that the solder they use to attach the filament to each end cap melts just the tiniest amount. But it's enough to disrupt the connection. I don't know if it's low-grade solder the manufacturers have been using, or they're cold solders, or what's going on..... but regardless.... just be aware of this possibility in the future when working on your or a friend's car. That goes for everyone reading this!