Amp wiring, help!
Amp wiring, help! This isn't my first sub install but my first in a F-body. I have a problem that's got me stumped.
I'm using an Alpine CDA-9833 head unit with the monsoon amp powering the mids/highs. For an amp I'm using a rockford fosgate 1001bd amp and the sub is a RE SE10. I have 1/0 gauge running from the battery to a distribution block and then 4ga wires to the amp and to the capacitor. The ground is setup the same way, 4ga to a block, 1/0 to a good ground. These comoponents were all working fine when pulled from my pickup.
I wired everything up and it was working fine until I drove it around town, and the sub started making hissing noises and occasional low frequency thumps unrelated to the music.
Ok, so with a charger hooked up (does the same thing without a charger but I wanted to make sure the battery had constant power), the power leads to the amp show 13V, everything normal. When I turn the head unit on, the amp power light comes on and also the "fault" light on the amp is on and it drops to 8-9V. The remote turn on lead to the amp also shows this lower voltage.
I thought maybe the amp was bad so I hooked up another amp (RF 451S) and it showed the same voltage drop phenomenon. Unhooking the capacitor, RCAs, and speaker leads gives the same result (with just power, ground, and remote turn on going to the amp it's doing the same voltage drop and fault light on the amp is on).
The remote turn on lead is putting out 12v (and the amp shows 12v) but when I attach the remote turn on to the amp the voltage drops to 9v at both the amp and remote turn on lead. What the heck is going on? Any ideas?
I'm using an Alpine CDA-9833 head unit with the monsoon amp powering the mids/highs. For an amp I'm using a rockford fosgate 1001bd amp and the sub is a RE SE10. I have 1/0 gauge running from the battery to a distribution block and then 4ga wires to the amp and to the capacitor. The ground is setup the same way, 4ga to a block, 1/0 to a good ground. These comoponents were all working fine when pulled from my pickup.
I wired everything up and it was working fine until I drove it around town, and the sub started making hissing noises and occasional low frequency thumps unrelated to the music.
Ok, so with a charger hooked up (does the same thing without a charger but I wanted to make sure the battery had constant power), the power leads to the amp show 13V, everything normal. When I turn the head unit on, the amp power light comes on and also the "fault" light on the amp is on and it drops to 8-9V. The remote turn on lead to the amp also shows this lower voltage.
I thought maybe the amp was bad so I hooked up another amp (RF 451S) and it showed the same voltage drop phenomenon. Unhooking the capacitor, RCAs, and speaker leads gives the same result (with just power, ground, and remote turn on going to the amp it's doing the same voltage drop and fault light on the amp is on).
The remote turn on lead is putting out 12v (and the amp shows 12v) but when I attach the remote turn on to the amp the voltage drops to 9v at both the amp and remote turn on lead. What the heck is going on? Any ideas?
Since your power seems to be fine, try jumping the remote from the power wire and see if that fixes it then. If so, its simply your remote wire. If its not the remote, then the ground is the only thing left. My moneys on the remote wire though to be honest. I had a remote wire problem a not to long ago with the Fosgate 550S and my 400.4. Apparently, they REQUIRE at least 11-12V to even turn on. My remote would only put out 9.5V and it wouldn't turn the amps on.
You are probably right on the ground. I pulled off the ground ring and the bracket under it (used the rear seat belt mounting bolt) to find out it's painted under the metal bracket, so it the bolt. I'll sand it tonight and see if that cures it, maybe it's choking the ground even though I used it as my ground when checking voltages. If that doesn't work I'll try jumping the remote on like squee suggested. If that is the culprit will some of the other outputs work for a remote turn on like power antenna lead? I have a camaro so I don't use that wire.
You are probably right on the ground. I pulled off the ground ring and the bracket under it (used the rear seat belt mounting bolt) to find out it's painted under the metal bracket, so it the bolt. I'll sand it tonight and see if that cures it, maybe it's choking the ground even though I used it as my ground when checking voltages. If that doesn't work I'll try jumping the remote on like squee suggested. If that is the culprit will some of the other outputs work for a remote turn on like power antenna lead? I have a camaro so I don't use that wire.
