car stero system
 

couple of questions:
1.my kenwood works but the display is out and now i cant control any of the buttons. it is like it is locked so im forced to listen to the volume and same radio station.
2. my sub will kick on and off....it will work for 5 mins and then will just cut off and not work for a long while..im not even pushing anywhere close to full power...i am getting power to the amp and no error message to amp(have also tested the amp)....this happened before the kenwood started acting up.

RE: car stero system
 

Id say your Kendwood now belongs at the end of an anchor chain. Time to upgrade.

Your HU could be the problem with the sub cutting off unless its the only amp shutting down.

Usually that means either a wiring problem or youre driving it too hard and its going into protect mode or its overheating.

Make sure the gain is not set any higher than the halfway or noon position. Its not a volume control. Its sole purpose is to match the input signal from the HU with its output signal so when the HU is at 50%, the amp is at 50%.

When the amp cuts off, get a test light and make sure the remote and power wires have power. Then make sure your ground is sufficient.

Make sure its got plenty of air space around it for proper cooling.

RE: car stero system
 

i had the amp tested and tech said it worked fine.....here is the weird thing, the sub and and amp will work fine when i turn the key backwards in acc, when i start the car it still works fine, but after around 10 mins of driving is when my sub stops working. i also dont have my battery wire hooked up to the battery directly.(this is installed in my camaro ss)i can post pics of any of this if needed..[/align][/align]if it is the hu.....which ones do you recommend....ive been out of the system game for a long time. [/align]

RE: car stero system
 

Whoa!

What is your amp's power wire running to then???

If youve spliced into some 16 guage factory wiring and are using that to power a subwoofer amp then thats your problem right there!

The amp is going into protect mode from low voltage.

The power wire for your amp should be NO LESS than 8 gauge all the way to the battery.

RE: car stero system
 

it is hooked up to the accesory terminal on a 1999 camaro ss....so is this the prob...i am running 8 guage to the engine bay accesory terminal....i didnt hook this system up a guy that worked for circuit city did it. so it has to be hooked up to the battery direct connected?

RE: car stero system
 

mmhmmm. Never heard of a set up like that.

RE: car stero system
 

its a hot point in my car.....it seems as though alot of relays run to this point?

RE: car stero system
 

ur fine with hooking it up there ur problem is that the resistance or inpedence of ur woofers is to low for ur am. namely ur probly running a 2 ohm load to a two channel amp that is bridged. what amp and subs are u running? most likely this is the problem because the amp is trying to produce power that its not made to. if u let me know what ur running i could probly figure out ur problem. as for the headunit if it is the old d-mask type it probly went bad. these headunits are known to go faulty. the d-mask ones are the ones u can flip over and make the face all black.

RE: car stero system
 

You are not fine running it to an accessory outlet. An amp draws a whole lot more current than your typical cell phone charger which is what these things were meant for. These things are 10-20 amps at best and your amps are drawing3 times that amount!!

Plus, these things are hooked up with 14 guage power wire at best! If youre running multiple amps thru this youre BEGGING for a fire!! Thats a lot of juice youre trying to squeeze thru a way too small wire. That mean a lot of resistance which means a lot of heat which means FIRE.

Slap the guy that installed it for you, buy some power wire no less than 8 gauge and preferably 4 and wire it properly.

I do agree with Porter that you could also be running the amp at too low an impedance. If its a2 channel amp and youve got 2 subs bridged off of it, then youre pushing it too hard and its going into protect.

If its not shutting off due to improper voltage and your car isnt on fire out in your driveway right now thenthis isthe next most likely cause.

RE: car stero system
 

what hes talking about is the post were the fuse box gets powere from the battery which is usually at least 8 gauge in size. the reason they attached the wire there is because gm batteries have side posts that are a bitch to add a power wire. that post has a direct wire to the battery so in therory its the same as him hooking on directly to the battery. im the install manager for a circuit city and ive done it a million times with no problem.