Amp issues

[mikedudley17]

ok so i have 2, 10 inch subs(think they are called Total Audio, some offshoot from JL audio) in my car. They are supposed to be 500 watts a piece and were originally powered by a 250 watt Clarion amp. I recently indulged myself in a slight upgrade to a Sony Xplod amp(1000 watt, 2/1 channel, w/ high level inputs which is what im using). Now i know the sony xplod subs suck but i figure the amps should be ok, at least for what i need it for. now when i had the Clarion hooked up, if i increased the bass too much at high volumes, the amp would kick out and would not come back on til the car was totally shut down and restarted. now i hooked up the Sony and WOW, i had some bass in my car finally, i mean, mirrors fuzzed over and my rear view mirror would fall off(i have a wide mirror that clips over the stock rear view, the actual mirror would not fall off, just the attachment mirror), seats vibrating like a mofo, car rattlin like hell-the works. but then a few days ago, i was listening to some music and all of sudden i lost bass. wtf? damn, i thought i solved this issue by buying a larger amp. so i got home, turned off the car, and then turned it back on after a few seconds to see if the subs would kick back in. and nothin. so i looked at the amp while the power was on in the car to see if the green light was on. and nothin. hhhmmmmm, i checked my connections on the amp, checked my remote connection in my fuse panel, and checked my in-line fuse under the hood. all good. i took the in-line fuse out to cut power completely to the amp and left it for a minute. returned the fuse back the block and and turned my car back on. still nothing. now im pissed and just go inside to try and think about what could be wrong and as it was getting dark out i didnt feel like ****in with it no more. the next morning i go out to my car to go to school and as i get rollin down the road i turn up the stereo and low and behold i have bass. seriously, wtf!?! now im really confused but i dont argue with it and enjoy it. then the whole scenario happened again. it kicked out for no apparent reason. and i cant find the culprit. then a few starts later i have bass again. now it done did it again. the amp wont turn on and i have no bass. anyone have any idea about this whole situation. like i said, connections are good and solid, all fuses are intact(even the ones on the amp), and the amp is bolted safely to the box. i have no idea what to do.

HELP!!!!


thanks to all who help.

[TrickyAveo]

Your subs are toasted. Pull one of your subs out and smell it. It should smell like burnt wires.I had same problem upgrade my amp to rockford fosgate 1500db. week later toasted subs. When my subs cool down they started working again. could only turn it up so far before cut out again. Your amp will go into clipping mode. think thats what they call it.
check your subs mike. dont mess up your amp.

[mikedudley17]

well i went out and pulled my subs and smelled them and well, they dont smell like burning rubber. fact they dont smell like anything at all except subs i guess lol. still oh so confused.

[TrickyAveo]

wow! sorry mike Did you try to ajust the input levels on the amp? Thats good there not toasty subs. lol

[mikedudley17]

i did actually. theres a lil knob i turned with a screw driver and i turned it down. it was at a wee past 3/4 of the way up but now its resting at 1/2 way. this is seriously frustrating lol.

[xtreme 2]

did you tighten your fuse for the power wire? When I first installed mine they would cut out like that at random point until I found that there are 2 allen screws to tighten the fuse to the block...

I have Fosgate wiring and you have to pull off the little rubber logo to get to the screws, but then the logo pops back on to them...

I replaced my amp 3 times thinking it was bad before I realized that... felt a little stupid but got new amps each time lol...

[AveoRob]

Have you checked your ground on the amp? alot of the time intermittent problems are a faulty ground. Make sure you have good contact metal to metal and a short ground cable, preferrably 18" or less. try sanding the contact point. Oh and obviously check to make sure you have 12V at the amp from the power wire.

[mikedudley17]

i will definetly check those ideas out. finding a ground in the sedan was a bit tough for me as im not that creative. i really hope it is just sumtin stupid like what you guys are saying. wont be able to do anything tonight as i dont have the right tools but hopefully tomorrow i can check em. and as of right now i still have no power to the subs, its been over 24 hours.

anyone else for other suggestions?

[mikedudley17]

well i still havent checked everything like i said i was going to, but i went to turn on my car last night and i had bass again, so now i dont know what to think. but i am still going to check connections like i said. over and out.

[xtreme 2]

sounds like one of the two ideas we posted. Either bad ground or loose fuse.