Wtf Is Wrong???

[mugeneration]

Hey guys, just havin a few problems with my new amp. It keeps cutting out every now and then. Now it runs off of a dist. block that leads to another amp, so i know its not a power issue. Ive tried fixing the earthing, which i think is the problem. Ive played with it a bit but it hasnt fixed it. Any suggestions on what else it could be? Its not going onto power protection, the power light on the amp turns off when the music stops.

[J-MuN]

Check your remote wire. Use a thicker guage wire for the remote. If that doesnt work, use a new grounding spot. If problems still persist, send the amp for repair.

[mugeneration]

The amp turns on and everything, just every now and then it cuts out? I thought the remote wire only turns it on and off but does it carry a constant current to do this? Coz this may be my problem coz i remember when puttin the amp in my wire ran short so i had to join 2 pieces together.

[KAR-51K]

ive had this poblem b4 too, i dont really know how i solved it, i just changed the fuses and it worked alrite, could be wires touching..

[J-MuN]

Yes, remote wire is usually the main cause of this problem. I have alot of customers coming in with this problem and 8 out of 10 times, it is the remote wire.

Coz this may be my problem coz i remember when puttin the amp in my wire ran short so i had to join 2 pieces together.
there's your problem.

[mugeneration]

sweet when i get my car back ill sort it out. Its gettin its clutch replaced atm.

[ICACHA]

maybe supply and demand, your amp demands a certain current flow and your cables cant supply it OR its going into thermal shutdown (getting too hot) from too much doof doof :D

[vtek]

what brand amp is it? maybe you are drawing too much power from it? are you running a sub?

[mugeneration]

its a pioneer 480w amp, a new one. Its not cutting out from too much power, coz the other amp would cut out as well wouldnt it? I think it may be the remote wire, i was playing with the gains on the amp and it didnt make much difference. Also its only running my speakers, the other amp is running the sub.

[mugeneration]

Ok so heres the result of todays experiment. I re-did the remote wire, and there was no difference, it kept cutting out. So i decided to re-tune the amps again and what i found was that my speaker amp (the pioneer one) was cutting out during really heavy bass (which the second amp was providing). I dont know if it was because the pioneer amp was first in the series of bridging of RCAs (probably not, as it had to do with power), or most likely that my lil old battery couldnt handle all the current being drawn from it, and coz it wasnt getting enough the pioneer one would shut down (it turned off, not protection as its power light was going out).


Looks like a yellow-top is heading my way...... when i can afford it lol

[_CiVIC_]

it must have just been tuned up too high dude... all it was probably too much gain.. reduce that and it should be fine :wave:

[mcdare]

damn i used to have that problem too... turns out its the remote wire.

[mugeneration]

Yeah its still doin it, its really startin to sh*t me right off. It'll cut out if i turn on the high beams a lot of the time. I think im just drawing too much power yeah?

[J-MuN]

Capacitor should solve your problem. Try investing in one of these.

[ITRBoI]

Check your remote wire. Use a thicker guage wire for the remote. If that doesnt work, use a new grounding spot. If problems still persist, send the amp for repair.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[michael_antoi]

i dont think ur amp is having troubles, i think ur drawing too much power like u said.

Run another battery or get a capacitor

[mugeneration]

BUMP

Ok, got some more info. Was sitting in my car today with the volume on 2 (i.e. i wouldnt be able to hear it if i wasnt idling) and i noticed that whenever the engine fan came on, my amp would cut out again. Any thoughts on what that could be pointing to? I have a feeling that however im going to fix it will set me back a few hundred, so I'd like to get it right when i do lol.

[mugeneration]

Alright, now this is REALLY pissing me off. After sending the amp in TWICE under warranty its started cocking up AGAIN. It was fine for the first few weeks again but now its just gone shitty today, cutting in and out even at low volume. I reckon its just the amp but do you reckon strathfield will replace it this time?

[ICACHA]

and the brand of the amp is?

[mugeneration]

pioneer, i also run a boss amp for my sub and it has given me no trouble at all. This amp is a POS.

[ICACHA]

and you've tried another amp in place of the pioneer using the same wires it was wired to?

if not i'd try that first and leave the other amp in there for a while to see if it plays up as the pioneer did.

[EuroDude]

It shuts out when the Radiator Fan goes on?
That sounds like a power problem to the amp. I would:

Ensure the Positive power connection on the battery has not come loose, reconnect it and ensure good contact.

Ensure the Negative Ground is making good contact. You should use at least an 8 guage cable for the Earth and make sure the connector on the chassis is clean and tight, and free from paint/dirt.


I doubt its the Remote-In wire since that is a very low current signal. But in case there is an issue with your HeadUnits remote wire, you could redirect the Remote wire to a spare fuse port (ignition powered).


Disconnect the second amp (including the remote wire) and see if it still happens.


Note that if you use the same Remote Wire for both amps, that can cause problems (one amp could be zapping all the power, leaving nothing for the other amp). You may need to use a relay for the remote-in instead, or use two different Remote sources.

[mugeneration]

Well when i first sent it away on warranty, wagga car radio gave me a replacement amp while it was off, god bless em. It worked fantastically, not a problem at all. Now this thing just starts the same old problem a few weeks after being sent away. Everything else is fine, I've checked and double checked. Only thing i havnt checked is one amp draining all the remote wire power. But i doubt this is the case if it worked fine for that brief period before.

[troz]

The amp turns on and everything, just every now and then it cuts out? I thought the remote wire only turns it on and off but does it carry a constant current to do this? Coz this may be my problem coz i remember when puttin the amp in my wire ran short so i had to join 2 pieces together.

Yes it carries a constant current.

[mugeneration]

Note that if you use the same Remote Wire for both amps, that can cause problems (one amp could be zapping all the power, leaving nothing for the other amp). You may need to use a relay for the remote-in instead, or use two different Remote sources.

K, hate to sound noobish, but how do i do that exactly?

[aznsiko]

every now and then...? now is it cutting when there like big power drain? for example big bass? because if thats the problem then there aint enough power so big guage cable.. but other than that if it cutting randomly maybe when you go over bumps and stuff check all the connections...

[EuroDude]

Try running a seperate Remote-In from another power source.

Open the fuse box under the dash and use a multimeter (DC voltage) to determine which spare fuse holder is powered when the ignition is on.

Then stick a temporary paperclip or a flat terminal connector in there and connect that to a long wire then into the other amp's remote-in.

[mugeneration]

Is that safe? I was thinking you meant to wire straight from the back of the head unit, or take a wire stright from one amps remote in to the other's?

[EuroDude]

Yeah its safe. I mean i've been using a 12v 120amp source to my Audison Amp's Remote-in and its fine. Alot of car audio installers use the ignition for Remote-In anyway, especially if the HU is missing the Remote-In wire.

All amps Remote-in should only take what power it needs to register a continuous power check, which is something like 10milliAmps. Unless maybe if its a cheap'n'nasty amp, but its a Pioneer so it'll be fine to take a high current.

[mugeneration]

Wow i just keep coming back dont i? lol

Still got the same problem. Do you think maybe my earth cable is not thick enough? Maybe upgrading my battery and grounding cable would fix the problem? Or am i barking up the wrong tree?

[ICACHA]

WOW, we're not capable of knowing "exactly" what is up with your car, nor are people on here that knowledgable on car audio that can fix something via a post so i'd suggest take it into a store who "know" what they're doing and get them to tell you what is wrong with it and how it can be fixed :)

[mugeneration]

well ive taken it to 2 different professionals and both couldnt figure it out. So I'm asking for other possible reasons?

[EuroDude]

You need to try some Trial and Error to figure out the problem.

So the remote wire is going into one amp, and then routed to the new amp, right?

You should try it the other way around, re-route the remote wire into the new amp first, then the old amp.

Or to diagnose if it is indeed a remote problem, disconnect the old amp and see if the cutting out still happens.


Another thing to try is find another remote-in source for the new amp. As a temporary test, I would buy a cigarette lighter dummy connector (Jaycar or DickSmith) and attach a wire to the inside contact, and plug the wire into the new amps' remote-in.


If all that fails to rectify the problem, then I would return the new amp if possible, or sell it on eBay or OzHonda and buy a different brand such as an Audison.