Amp keeps cutting out
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 161
Likes: 7
From: PA
Amp keeps cutting out My amp randomly started cutting in & out. It seems to only happen at higher volumes & at random times. It's not wiring related. My guess is the amp is taking a crap which would really suck since everything is new. It's an Arc Audio XDi805.
Any ideas or suggestions?
Any ideas or suggestions?
What kind of amp? 2 ch? 4ch? Brand/model?
I'll assume the amp isn't shutting off due to heat. Can you see the power led? Is it going into protect mode?
What's your connection at the batt and fuse holder like?
Where is the amp mounted? If a sub amp, is it on the box?
I'll assume the amp isn't shutting off due to heat. Can you see the power led? Is it going into protect mode?
What's your connection at the batt and fuse holder like?
Where is the amp mounted? If a sub amp, is it on the box?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 161
Likes: 7
From: PA
What kind of amp? 2 ch? 4ch? Brand/model?
I'll assume the amp isn't shutting off due to heat. Can you see the power led? Is it going into protect mode?
What's your connection at the batt and fuse holder like?
Where is the amp mounted? If a sub amp, is it on the box?
I'll assume the amp isn't shutting off due to heat. Can you see the power led? Is it going into protect mode?
What's your connection at the batt and fuse holder like?
Where is the amp mounted? If a sub amp, is it on the box?
When it cuts out, the power LED goes out. It's in the Z06 mounted behind the seat.
How's the ground look? Paint stripped away? Silver screw used? If you have a DMM, how much resistance do you see from the negative terminal of the amp to the negative batt post?
If ground is good, that leaves only a few possibilities.
Loose turn-on wire making an intermittent connection
Loose power wire
Loose fuse holder
Something shorted internally in the amp
I'd test them in that order. If you are able to replicate the amp cutting out, and have a DMM, put it on the remote wire and power wire and see if it stays at 12v while cutting out. If so, you have your culprit.
If ground is good, that leaves only a few possibilities.
Loose turn-on wire making an intermittent connection
Loose power wire
Loose fuse holder
Something shorted internally in the amp
I'd test them in that order. If you are able to replicate the amp cutting out, and have a DMM, put it on the remote wire and power wire and see if it stays at 12v while cutting out. If so, you have your culprit.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 161
Likes: 7
From: PA
How's the ground look? Paint stripped away? Silver screw used? If you have a DMM, how much resistance do you see from the negative terminal of the amp to the negative batt post?
If ground is good, that leaves only a few possibilities.
Loose turn-on wire making an intermittent connection
Loose power wire
Loose fuse holder
Something shorted internally in the amp
I'd test them in that order. If you are able to replicate the amp cutting out, and have a DMM, put it on the remote wire and power wire and see if it stays at 12v while cutting out. If so, you have your culprit.
If ground is good, that leaves only a few possibilities.
Loose turn-on wire making an intermittent connection
Loose power wire
Loose fuse holder
Something shorted internally in the amp
I'd test them in that order. If you are able to replicate the amp cutting out, and have a DMM, put it on the remote wire and power wire and see if it stays at 12v while cutting out. If so, you have your culprit.
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Launching!
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 223
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From: Apple Maggot Quarantine Zone
Could be plenty of different things. Could have a bad speaker, a pinched wire getting shorted or grounded somewhere, a voltage drop somewhere in the system.
You need to get a meter on there, and see what it is doing at higher volumes. If the LED is going out, it SOUNDS like a power issue. Check all connections between battery terminal and the amp lugs. I have seen corrosion, bad crimps from pre-assembled cable lugs, loose fuses, bad grounds, undersized power wires, etc...all can cause problems like this.
Start with reading voltage on the amp itself, between positive and negative. Turn it up, and see if you start losing voltage when the amp is really working.
BTW, did you run power wire straight to the battery?
You need to get a meter on there, and see what it is doing at higher volumes. If the LED is going out, it SOUNDS like a power issue. Check all connections between battery terminal and the amp lugs. I have seen corrosion, bad crimps from pre-assembled cable lugs, loose fuses, bad grounds, undersized power wires, etc...all can cause problems like this.
Start with reading voltage on the amp itself, between positive and negative. Turn it up, and see if you start losing voltage when the amp is really working.
BTW, did you run power wire straight to the battery?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 161
Likes: 7
From: PA
Could be plenty of different things. Could have a bad speaker, a pinched wire getting shorted or grounded somewhere, a voltage drop somewhere in the system.
You need to get a meter on there, and see what it is doing at higher volumes. If the LED is going out, it SOUNDS like a power issue. Check all connections between battery terminal and the amp lugs. I have seen corrosion, bad crimps from pre-assembled cable lugs, loose fuses, bad grounds, undersized power wires, etc...all can cause problems like this.
Start with reading voltage on the amp itself, between positive and negative. Turn it up, and see if you start losing voltage when the amp is really working.
BTW, did you run power wire straight to the battery?
You need to get a meter on there, and see what it is doing at higher volumes. If the LED is going out, it SOUNDS like a power issue. Check all connections between battery terminal and the amp lugs. I have seen corrosion, bad crimps from pre-assembled cable lugs, loose fuses, bad grounds, undersized power wires, etc...all can cause problems like this.
Start with reading voltage on the amp itself, between positive and negative. Turn it up, and see if you start losing voltage when the amp is really working.
BTW, did you run power wire straight to the battery?
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 223
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From: Apple Maggot Quarantine Zone
Also, I would be curious about the grounds on the corvette. With the design and materials used, I'm not sure that just finding a metal spot to clean and ground to would work.
Does anyone know how Chevy designed the chassis ground system for Corvettes? My only experience with something like that was in composite airplanes. They actually have a ground circuit running through the structure, instead of using the structure as the ground.
Reading the voltage at the amp terminals while turned up would be the easiest way to test your ground. If it stays fairly constant, you can rule out a ground issue.
Does anyone know how Chevy designed the chassis ground system for Corvettes? My only experience with something like that was in composite airplanes. They actually have a ground circuit running through the structure, instead of using the structure as the ground.
Reading the voltage at the amp terminals while turned up would be the easiest way to test your ground. If it stays fairly constant, you can rule out a ground issue.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 161
Likes: 7
From: PA
Also, I would be curious about the grounds on the corvette. With the design and materials used, I'm not sure that just finding a metal spot to clean and ground to would work.
Does anyone know how Chevy designed the chassis ground system for Corvettes? My only experience with something like that was in composite airplanes. They actually have a ground circuit running through the structure, instead of using the structure as the ground.
Reading the voltage at the amp terminals while turned up would be the easiest way to test your ground. If it stays fairly constant, you can rule out a ground issue.
Does anyone know how Chevy designed the chassis ground system for Corvettes? My only experience with something like that was in composite airplanes. They actually have a ground circuit running through the structure, instead of using the structure as the ground.
Reading the voltage at the amp terminals while turned up would be the easiest way to test your ground. If it stays fairly constant, you can rule out a ground issue.