:::Amp not working please help:::

[mcimo]

My amp cuts in and out, I thought it was the sub, but I realized when the sub stops working, my amp looses power. I know its not overheating, because alot of times it doesn't work even right after I turn the car on. Any suggestions? I can provide more info on my setup if you need.

[twokexlv6coupe]

def sounds like a loose connection. look over all the wires and make sure they're secured tightly.

[mcimo]

I know the ones connected to the amp are, because I hooked them up myself. Any common ones to look for that might get loose somewhere else?

[twokexlv6coupe]

well look them over again, anything coulda happened since you installed it and you didnt know about it.

power, ground, signal, and RCA's are what i'd check.

[mcimo]

It could be my ground...

[mcimo]

I just checked and all my wiring (connected to the amp that I can see) is solid. Any other places the wiring may have come loose that I can't see?

[94ludeguy]

if ure alternator is not putting out enough then ur amp will shut off, also check ur fuse on the amp and the fuse under ur hood that is connected to the battery

[twokexlv6coupe]

I just checked and all my wiring (connected to the amp that I can see) is solid. Any other places the wiring may have come loose that I can't see?


yea; the OTHER end of the wires could be loose.

[mcimo]

The fuse on the amp is good. I'm assuming the fuse connected to battery is good because every once in a while the amp turns on. Plus everything else works. Any way to check if alternator is putting out enough?

[mcimo]

yea; the OTHER end of the wires could be loose.

Do you mean where it connects at the back of the radio? :confused:

[94ludeguy]

take it to advanced and they can check it. check the fuse under the hood. i have seen where the holder melts and it caused the amp to turn off and on. yeah and make sure ur remote wire did not get pulled out the back of the radio

[twokexlv6coupe]

Do you mean where it connects at the back of the radio? :confused:


everything. where the power connects to the battery, where the ground is grounded, where the signal goes into the head unit.... check EVERYTHING.

[mcimo]

thanks guy ill check. sorry im kind of dumb when it comes to electronics. do i disconnect the bat before i check the fuse for under the hood?

[94ludeguy]

yea i would just to be safe.

[twokexlv6coupe]

you dont NEED to, but to be safe you can.

[mcimo]

I don't know what it is... I reattached the main power cable to the battery that goes to the amp and at first it wasnt working, so i got mad and smacked the amp and then it started working. But if smacking it made it work, does that mean somethings wrong inside the amp itself?

[94ludeguy]

that could be it then if everything is connected.

[BadMofo]

What kind of condition are your battery and alternator in? Also, when your amp is working, do your lights dim along with the bass? You might want to invest in a cap.

It also sounds like it may be internal like you said before...

It hasn't got wet has it? (In regards to your other post about a leaky trunk)

[mcimo]

should I open it up and see if anythings wrong? anyone else every tried to open and amp up?

[mcimo]

What kind of condition are your battery and alternator in? Also, when your amp is working, do your lights dim along with the bass? You might want to invest in a cap.

It also sounds like it may be internal like you said before...

It hasn't got wet has it? (In regards to your other post about a leaky trunk)

As far as I can tell the lights dont dim... is that good or bad?

Also my batt had some corrosion which I cleaned off with diet pepsi. Not sure about the alternator, how can i tell?

EDIT: its still doing it! WHAT THE HECK! I might just take it apart. Any sugestions?

[mnludedude]

Is there an LED on the amp that indicates a fault? Some amps have that, usually turns if a speaker is shorted or the amp over heats. Could be a cold solder joint in the amp. Did the magic white smoke escape?

What kind of amp is it and what kind of speaker are hooked up to it? Maybe you fried a voice coil in the sub and it is detecting a short and shutting down.

[BadMofo]

As far as I can tell the lights dont dim... is that good or bad?

Also my batt had some corrosion which I cleaned off with diet pepsi. Not sure about the alternator, how can i tell?

EDIT: its still doing it! WHAT THE HECK! I might just take it apart. Any sugestions?

If your lights dim along with long low bass notes, it's normally an indication that your amp is drawing too much power, and it's time to install a capacitor. (A capacitor is basically a battery that charges and discharges very quickly... it acts as kind of an electrical reserve that your amp can draw from if it needs to)

But honestly, your problem sounds unrelated, and electrical work is not my forte... sorry bud.

[shadow29485]

I wouldn't open up the amp. if your not very familiar with it's technical circuitry.

This sounds like a faulty ground or, it could be the accessory (12v remote) wire. These connections are just as important as your main 12v power lead.

It's also possible that if you have more than one speaker hooked up, that your impedance, or resistant levels could be to low, and drawing way more power than the amp can provide....going into into protection mode, temp. shutting the amp. down.

Are you using the amp. as strictly a bass amp? Or do you have other speakers? Is this a 2 channel, 4 channel with a high pass/low pass cross over? How do you have it wired? Bridged, mono, or stereo?

Check the actual terminals on the amplifier itself, and make sure that not one strand of any wiring is not coming in contact with each other, causing a short.

Also it may be in your best interest to have an in line fuse (30amp) approx. 12" from the battery if you don't already have one installed.

-Shadow-

[mcimo]

Is there an LED on the amp that indicates a fault? Some amps have that, usually turns if a speaker is shorted or the amp over heats. Could be a cold solder joint in the amp. Did the magic white smoke escape?

What kind of amp is it and what kind of speaker are hooked up to it? Maybe you fried a voice coil in the sub and it is detecting a short and shutting down.

Yeah at one point white smoke did come out of it now that I think of it! BTW when I said I was dumb with regards to electrical stuff, I meant as far as how the sound system is hooked up. Other than that I'm fairly technically inclined. I'm just still in my process of learning how stuff works.

I wouldn't open up the amp. if your not very familiar with it's technical circuitry.

This sounds like a faulty ground or, it could be the accessory (12v remote) wire. These connections are just as important as your main 12v power lead.

It's also possible that if you have more than one speaker hooked up, that your impedance, or resistant levels could be to low, and drawing way more power than the amp can provide....going into into protection mode, temp. shutting the amp. down.

Are you using the amp. as strictly a bass amp? Or do you have other speakers? Is this a 2 channel, 4 channel with a high pass/low pass cross over? How do you have it wired? Bridged, mono, or stereo?

Check the actual terminals on the amplifier itself, and make sure that not one strand of any wiring is not coming in contact with each other, causing a short.

Also it may be in your best interest to have an in line fuse (30amp) approx. 12" from the battery if you don't already have one installed.

-Shadow-

Strictly bass. 2 channel. High pass/ low pass crossover. 300 watts. No wiring is touching.

[thomas97]

i have a 200 watt amp and it wreaks havoc on my battery.

[shadow29485]

Is your ground from the amp going directly from the amp. to the body of the vehicle? If it is, what gauge is it, and how long is it?

[mcimo]

Yeah it's going directly to the body of the car. It's probably a little over a foot long. Maybe 1/4" gauge.

Is the white smoke that came out of it a bad thing? It still works, but cuts off every once in a while. And anytime the amp is on the sub works, so its not the sub.

[shadow29485]

Also how many subs? And what type of enclosure?

Do you have any pre amps, such as an equlizer, 12db oct. bass boost, or external x-overs?

[BadMofo]

Make sure that the part of the body you are touching it to is bare metal. Sand it down to bare metal if you need to.

[BadMofo]

OOOH you know what I just thought of... did you bypass the factory Honda amp???

[mcimo]

Also how many subs? And what type of enclosure?

Do you have any pre amps, such as an equlizer, 12db oct. bass boost, or external x-overs?

One subwoofer, sealed enclosure. No preamps, equalizers, bass boost, or external x-overs.

Also the ground is touching bare metal.

[mcimo]

OOOH you know what I just thought of... did you bypass the factory Honda amp???

Huh? Theres a factory Honda amp? Where?

[shadow29485]

Yeah it's going directly to the body of the car. It's probably a little over a foot long. Maybe 1/4" gauge.

Is the white smoke that came out of it a bad thing? It still works, but cuts off every once in a while. And anytime the amp is on the sub works, so its not the sub.

1/4" gauge??:confused:

And...Yes, "white smoke" is a bad thing. it sounds like it's an electrical shortage.

Has it been around moisture....is your trunk leaking?

[BadMofo]

i believe it is behind the passenger rear speaker

[mcimo]

1/4" gauge??:confused:

And...Yes, "white smoke" is a bad thing. it sounds like it's an electrical shortage.

Has it been around moisture....is your trunk leaking?

Hehe sorry just guessing how thick the wire is, I dont know the technical size of it. But its about 1/4" thick. Also my trunk has a leak. Water gets in near where the spare tire is. But whenever it rains I clean it out so it usually dry.

[mcimo]

i believe it is behind the passenger rear speaker

Hmmm Ill take a look, but should it bypass it, or should it go through it?

[BadMofo]

yeah see post #13 on this thread (http://www.preludezone.com/showthread.php?p=109586#post109586)

But now that i'm thinking about it... if you ran RCA cables from the H/U to the amp, you definitely didn't go through that factory amp. (This is a good thing by the way, you want to bypass that factory amp when you are going with aftermarkey speakers/amps/head units).

[mcimo]

I'll go look.

[BadMofo]

What's there to look at? Did you wire your amp with speaker wire or does your head unit use RCA out jacks... if you ran RCA cables to your amp... then you don't need to wory about that factory amp, it's definitely bypassed =P

Sorry, i'm just trying to keep you on track here, I feel like I sidetracked you lol... I don't think the factory amp is the source of your problems =P. Sorry for the sidetrack lol. I'm gonna butt out of this conversation now... like I said, there are more qualified users on here lol.

[mcimo]

What's there to look at? Did you wire your amp with speaker wire or does your head unit use RCA out jacks... if you ran RCA cables to your amp... then you don't need to wory about that factory amp, it's definitely bypassed =P

Sorry, i'm just trying to keep you on track here, I feel like I sidetracked you lol... I don't think the factory amp is the source of your problems =P. Sorry for the sidetrack lol. I'm gonna but out of this conversation now... like I said, there are better qualified users on here lol.

Naw man any help is good. BTW just so you guys know I didn't install it myself. It was installed by the place my parents bought me the system from. It was a christmas present ;)

EDIT: You know what you might be right. I think its going through the factory amp. But there are two RCA cable attached to the amp so I dunno.

[mcimo]

If I open it up what should I look for?

[twokexlv6coupe]

Naw man any help is good. BTW just so you guys know I didn't install it myself. It was installed by the place my parents bought me the system from. It was a christmas present ;)

EDIT: You know what you might be right. I think its going through the factory amp. But there are two RCA cable attached to the amp so I dunno.

1: you told me you installed everything yourself :confused:

2: just follow the RCA cables. where do they go? something that looks like an amp near the rear speaker? or all the way to the front of the car?

3: if you dont know what you're looking for, DONT open your amp up. what are you gonna do once its open?

[90Lude2.0s]

does it cut out when you turn your stereo up high and the bass starts hitting?
or does it just not turn on?
cuz if it cuts out when the bass hits then the amp doesnt have enough watts to power the sub if thats the case bump up the amp

[mcimo]

1: you told me you installed everything yourself :confused:

2: just follow the RCA cables. where do they go? something that looks like an amp near the rear speaker? or all the way to the front of the car?

3: if you dont know what you're looking for, DONT open your amp up. what are you gonna do once its open?

1: Nope. I told you I hooked up everything that connects directly to the amp myself. Thats because I moved the amp from its original location, so I had to disconnect then reconnect everything that was hooked to the amp. Ergo I knew it was all hooked up to the amp securely because I recently connected them to the amp myself.
So :llama:. :biggrin:

2. They go all the way to the front.

3. Fix it! (or break it, but hopefully fix it ;) If I think I'll mess it up, I'll close it up before I screw it up more. But since you guys obviously know what your talking about, I would post pics of the inside, so you could help me figure out whats wrong, and hopefully help me fix it. Plus I don't have the $$ for a new one, so fixing what I have is my only option.

4. :cool:

[mcimo]

does it cut out when you turn your stereo up high and the bass starts hitting?
or does it just not turn on?
cuz if it cuts out when the bass hits then the amp doesnt have enough watts to power the sub if thats the case bump up the amp

No it cuts out completely at random. Sometimes it works for the whole drive. Sometimes not at all. Sometime only for a few minutes after starting. Sometimes only after driving for 20 mins. Completely random.

[BadMofo]

I'm still willing to bet it's a bad ground... find a new spot of BARE METAL to ground it, sometimes they are picky like that.

[mcimo]

You think so? Ill try and grind down the spot its attached to now with a metal file. If that doesnt work I'll try and find another spot. I'll keep you posted.

[mnludedude]

If white smoke came out is usually means something fried and got really hot. I had this happen to one of my amps when I bridged the channels together. It got really hot and then white smoke came out. I took the cover off and noticed some big electrolytic capacitors leaking and found a resistor wondering around. What probably happened is it got really hot and something no longer has a good solder connection. Unless it is some really expensive amp, and worth fixing I would just scrap it and get another one off ebay or ubid. You could also check you local craigslist for a good deal.

[mcimo]

hmm its probably fried then
oh well I cant afford a new one for a while so ill have to try and fix this one...

[nevrdun]

Dont try to fix it. Your spinning your wheels. If you dont know about wiring it into your vehicle your not going to be able to diagnoce a bad trasistor or capacitor or anything like that much less replace it properly. If a shop installed it take it to them and see what they say. White smoke means dead or dying. That simple.

[mcimo]

The problem is I dont think its under warrenty. I wouldnt try to just do it myself, I'd open it up, take some pics, and post them here so more knowledgeable people (like yourself) can help diagnose whats wrong. I am quite good at figuring out to fix stuff, so if I was told whats wrong I could probably fix it. Besides, it hardly works as is, so even if I did mess it up, it wouldnt be that big of a deal. I'll see if I can get some pics up later.

[BadMofo]

The problem is I dont think its under warrenty. I wouldnt try to just do it myself, I'd open it up, take some pics, and post them here so more knowledgeable people (like yourself) can help diagnose whats wrong. I am quite good at figuring out to fix stuff, so if I was told whats wrong I could probably fix it. Besides, it hardly works as is, so even if I did mess it up, it wouldnt be that big of a deal. I'll see if I can get some pics up later.

Unless you.... ya know.... die (I don't know much about amps... but I know lots of electronics, like TVs and Stereos, hold a charge).

[mcimo]

Unless you.... ya know.... die (I don't know much about amps... but I know lots of electronics, like TVs and Stereos, hold a charge).

LOL that sounded almost hopeful :smashfreakB:

Is there sumthin your not telling me? :rolleyes:

Haha i know not to work on carpet, and to touch some metal before I start. I definately dont feel like getting electrocuted, or zapped haha!

[90Lude2.0s]

lol better buyin a new one then gettin electrocuted

[94ludeguy]

i know for a fact that amps still hold a charge even when disconnected from a battery. so u could get a lil buzz if u opened it up

[90Lude2.0s]

haha sounds like your talkin from experience :]]

[94ludeguy]

lol i never got a buzz knock on wood. but i have touched a screw driver to the ground or power (cant remember) while everything was disconnected and it arched lol

[BadMofo]

That's alright... I have an electrician friend who accidentally cut a live 120v 20 amp wire with a pare of needle nose plyers... blew him off his ladder and literally blew a hole in his plyers... he keeps the plyers with him as a reminder to make sure that he's not working with hot wires lol. I also used to work with a guy who got electricuted by a pulse tig welder.... the hospital told him the only reason he lived was because his arms/hands were above his head at the time... his left hand was grounded when his right hand accidentally touched the live electrode and the shock ran through his arm, across his shoulder blades, back down the other arm, and then jumped out of his left hand through his glove to make contact with the ground (his let hand was resting on his grounded work bench... the glove was not thick enough to stop the current from jumping through it to reach the ground). He was crouched down at the time when it happened... the hospital told him that if he was standing up (with his work below him as opposed to above him) that there was a good chance the current would have flowed through his heart on it's way from one side of his body to the other (electricity will follow the path of least resistance)... He got lucky and walked away with severe burns on each hand and a helluva story to tell...

But yeah... back on topic it's not a matter of not working on carpet and stuff dude... that is solely to not damage electrical equipment by static charge...

I'm not worried about you static shocking a PCB and damaging it... I'm worried about you getting a quick 20+ amp DC shock from a capacitor or coil... You probably won't die... but it sure as **** won't be fun =P

[94ludeguy]

i have been shocked from an outlet tho before. i had a nice head ache for a while

[thomas97]

they speak of capicitors, they hold their charge literally forever, i pulled an ol toy out of my grandfathers attic and the capicitor shocked me and i go, is this a joke!?

he goes
"no tim!, thats been unpluges for 30 years now!"

with an amp which uses alot of power can you uh say...

ZAAAP!

[BadMofo]

Yeah... "flux capacitors" are the worst... They take 1.21 "jiggawatts" to operate...

LOL... Back to the Future reference FTW...

J/K... but seriously... don't hurt yourself to save a buck dude....

http://archive.vexingviews.com/motivation/jiggawatts.jpeg

[mcimo]

Thanks for all the concern guys! Gonna make me cry... lol.
So theres really no way to let it get rid of its charge before I open it?

[nevrdun]

Uh you guys are nuts. Stuff like tvs and computers and house hold appliances can have components that can dicharge and harm you. Grab a standard ol' 1 farad cap, much larger than what would be in an amp, touch the pos and neg terminals with your fingers. Nothing. Touch the terminals of a 2400amp Kinetik battery. Nothing. You wont harm yourself taking it apart. With a circuit board attached with other components a cap wont hold any kind of charge for more than a few hours, if that. Now Im not an electrical engineer but work at a mobile electonics shop as an installer so I have some first hand experience and more than average knowledge. Not trying to bash on anybody or anything just setting it staight.

If there is something other than water damage you probably wont even see it.

[mcimo]

Oh really... hmmm so should I open it? You don't think I'd be able to see anything?

[94ludeguy]

Uh you guys are nuts. Stuff like tvs and computers and house hold appliances can have components that can dicharge and harm you. Grab a standard ol' 1 farad cap, much larger than what would be in an amp, touch the pos and neg terminals with your fingers. Nothing. Touch the terminals of a 2400amp Kinetik battery. Nothing. You wont harm yourself taking it apart. With a circuit board attached with other components a cap wont hold any kind of charge for more than a few hours, if that. Now Im not an electrical engineer but work at a mobile electonics shop as an installer so I have some first hand experience and more than average knowledge. Not trying to bash on anybody or anything just setting it staight.

If there is something other than water damage you probably wont even see it.

then explain to me why on my amp i had it spark when i touched it with a screw driver when it was disconnected.

[yogi_pahl]

you said wight smoke came out of ur amp right?? well if thats the cas i think ur amp might be fried. got a friend with an amp if so take urs out and hook it to his and see if it works what kinda of amp you got anyway ?

[mcimo]

Directed Xtreme

[yogi_pahl]

whats the model # and u got the box it came in and all that or does the shop and did you get it this xmas or what


if u got the box it came in u can sedn it back and it be under Warranty

http://www.directedxtreme.com/amplifiers/xa5001_warranty.asp

[mcimo]

model xa-3002

heres the manual
http://www.directeddealers.com/manuals/og/directed_audio/G43100.05.10.15.20_10-05.pdf

[mcimo]

"Your product warranty is voided if the product is damaged through negligence, misuse, or mishandling, or if any bar-coded labels are removed from the product. "

Seeing as how it was my fault in the first place, its probably not under warrenty. Oh well thanks for looking that up though, awesomeness.

[mcimo]

Dang I just found the one I have on EBay for $65 shipped. That only $20 more than a tank of gas haha.

[nevrdun]

then explain to me why on my amp i had it spark when i touched it with a screw driver when it was disconnected.

how long was it disconnected for? You can short a screwdiver againts the chassis of the amp because it is a conductor. Your body will not conduct that much direct current.

[yogi_pahl]

well call the place that put it in and ask if they can lokk at it for free never know they might or try and hook it up to some one elses car it if works in thear car

[94ludeguy]

how long was it disconnected for? You can short a screwdiver againts the chassis of the amp because it is a conductor. Your body will not conduct that much direct current.

idk i cant remember i just know it happened so it made me think lol

[nevrdun]

idk i cant remember i just know it happened so it made me think lol

yeah kinda weird huh. I saw an 18ga wire become a fuse! I was putting an ignition controled battery isolator in a dual batt setup in an avalanche which is a 200A relay and on the neg wire going to the body I was tightening and slipped and WHACK but burn divot in my wrench and the wire was brittle crispy resemblance of a wire. So always disconnect the neg term!!