Hello I have 2 amps in my 2005 screw f150 which have been acting up lately. The first is a massive 4 channel amp running about 200 watts rms to four Hertz Energy component speakers and the second is an elemental designs NiNe1 amp powering two 11Kv2 subs. The system has been in my car for over a year and has worked flawlessly. About two weeks ago I started having trouble with the 4 channel amp cutting out. Then it got really bad. Whenever I would hit the brakes, activate a turn signal, put my truck in reverse, or use the power windows the amp would shut off. It got so bad one morning when I started the car the the 4 channel clicked on and off a bunch of times in a row when i had done nothing. That was it I took the fuse out of the line to protect the amps and try to figure out the problem. To make things a little more clear on my wiring I have 2 gauge running from the batter to the back of my truck where it is split into four gauge going to both amps. The sub amp does cut off as well but not nearly as frequently. I can crank up my system and hear the 4 channel go off, so no music but the bass keeps on thumping. Now my power demands are not that high but I installed the Big 3 upgrade using 2 gauge wire, making sure to sand all grounds and fuse the alternator battery line. Next I checked all of the power lines for shorts, bare wire, and loose connections. Because I had a bit of extra wire in the car, I cut and stripped all of the power wires to make new connections. Lastly the turn on signal cable which was split running to each amp had only had a wire nut connector holding all three wires together. So i soldered the connection. Then I reinstalled the amp and everything seemed ok at first. My amps still cut out though and sometimes at random. Not nearly as bad as they were however. My avic D3 head unit shows the voltage output in the connection status screen and when i have the system cranked up, it usually reads 14.2-14.3 volts however they still cut off. If I run the audio system and really play with everything electronic (windows headlights etc) the amps shut off when engaging another electrical device but the voltage output rarely drops below 14.1 volts and if i really try to do a lot at once like holding all four window buttons up or down flashing my hi-beams and stepping on my breaks occasionally the voltage can drop to 13.6-13.9 volts. What could be the problem? I still need to check over the entire turn-on signal cable. Could it be that? Any help would be GREATLY GREATLY appreciated.

 

check for voltage drops at the power wire that supplys ur amp, if i read correctly, u are reading the volts on the remote wire, that isnt the issue. test ur alt, and battery as well

 

good call! thanks ill do that. It really bothers me how the system acts up. Today I had no problems at all ... I was driving in the rain, had my system cranked up very loud and nothing disrupted it. Not my high beams, blinkers, windows, brakes ... nothing. And ... even though that voltage readout is the power to the headunit, today it never dropped below 14.6 volts. Weird ... I really wonder what It could be. Also if my car itself isnt having any electrical problems can I assume my alternator is fine? I mean everything worked fine for over a year and I cant be pushing out more that 500 watts rms. Also thanks for the reply :-)

 

So I checked the voltage from the battery and it also seems fine. I am beginning to think that it is the remote turn on wire could this be the problem?

 

Did you check it while it was under load? It maybe that your alternator is starting to go bad and can not keep up with the demand of everything. They could be shutting themselves off as a safety feature.

 

If it's just your 4ch cutting out, and your battery voltage is staying in the normal range like you said, I'd say it's either a bad ground to the 4ch or the amp is going bad.

 

Thanks for all the help guys! Anyhow here is where I am at now. so i figured maybe the turn on wire could have rubbed through or had a poor connection or something so i ran a new cable of larger 14 gauge wire and then ran new grounds from both amps. I turned the truck on and bam everything worked perfectly .... for about a day and then the same crap started happening again. Its not only the 4 channel amp but 98% of the time it is. If i am really fussing with everything like flashing my high beams with my wipers on and moving all four windows up and down occasionally the sub amp will shut off but almost never. Do you really think the 4-channel could be bad? I mean i have only had it a little over a year? Could it be a short somewhere not associated with the amps? And the problem is not only inconsistent in that it shuts off when there are any new power demands but also sometime the camp will flicker on and off repeatedly like click click click ... with the leds flashing like mad. I am so confused and annoyed. Again thanks for the help! is there a way I could test the alternator? also is there a way i could test if the amp is bad?

 

To be honest...this sounds like it could be a combination of a couple things going bad at once.

To answer wether or not the amp could be bad, yes, it can. Ive seen amps last 30 seconds, and ive seen them last 10 years. The only real way to test the amp is to either hook that amp up in another car, or get another 4 channel and throw that into your truck to see if it does the same thing.

It also sounds like you might possibly have an alt going bad as well. Im assuming that your remote wire is attached to the remote out on the D3 and not another source of switched power, correct?

 

Yes it is connected to the output from the D3 ... can I simply use a digital voltmeter to test the alternator?

 

Don't some amps have over temperature protection? Perhaps they are over heating and powering themselves off?

Just a thought...

 

Yeah...but its just odd that its usually happening when something else electrical is being used.

I dont know how to test an alt man...I think autozone has a contraption that they can hook it up to? might wanna give them a call.

 

Well its definitely not because of over heating because it happens when the amp is cold and i have never gotten my amps to be more than warm to the tough. I did take my car over to auto-zone to see if they had one of the computers that can check for an electrical problem but alas they did not. Im gonna stop back today to have them test my alternator.

 

The alternator, under load would be my guess. That would cause the voltage drop, at the amps, it sounds like you are seeing.
Also what enging rpm are you at when the amps cut off the most? Alternators put out at different RPM's. Some do better at lower RPM's some at higher.

 

Thats what I was thinking too. Use your DMM and measure your voltage at the amp on the power wire while someone turns the fogs on and off and puts the windows up and down. Do it at 2 different times, one when the amp is working fine and one when its not. Post back with the voltages. Depending on big it is, you might be able to use a cap to keep the voltage constant to your amps.

 

Ok ill do that. The problem happens at all rpms but it seems not as bad when on the highway. And sometimes it seems like the alternator isnt under any load and it can happen ... like if i just started my car and have it in park the amp can cut on and off very rapidly without doing anything at all just sitting there with the volume at zero.