Amp not turning on...why? help please!!!

 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 69
Registered: Oct-04
I already have a thread on the subwoofer section but i still cant get it to work. I dont know whats wrong, my amp just doesnt turn on, a few days ago, my fuse holder blew, not just that it melted!!! so i put in the glass fuses a 100A fuse with it. it was working fine and then my power wire fried up where it was connected to another part of the power wire, so 2, 8 gauge wires connected together, i had that at 2 different places and the power wire fried up at both ends, the tape just melted. i cut those parts off and taped up new parts. my fuse works because i have the fuse holder that has the light that lights up when it works. the power still doesnt turn on my amp. is it possible for the wire to have fried up anywhere else? although those were the only places that it was connected at. so this is what i know: that fuse doesnt blow, it works, but no power gets to my amp could that bemy wiring? or my amp? could my wiring get fried up anywhere else? anything i can check? anything i can do? thanks for anything guys.
 

Damien Rob.
Unregistered guest
lol um.... That is ALOT to go wrong, it is most def. your wiring bro. A 100A fuse is TO HIGH!!! You need to give us some specifics about your system and how much power you are drawing. Sounds like you have a combination of wrong parts and bad wiring.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 70
Registered: Oct-04
lol...my bad. I have a Fosgate POWER 851s amp, im putting out 850 x 1 @ 4ohms. to my kicker comp vrs. im using 8 gauge wire. my battery puts out 12 volts. my fuses use to get blown until i put this fuse (100A) now the power wire fried up, what could it be?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Carguy

Post Number: 18
Registered: Nov-04
Whoa, 100A is a lot of current! Anyways, for that much power you can't be using 8 gauge wire. You need at least 4 gauge or less wire. Make sure you follow the amp wiring warnings on it's length.
Are you really using up 850W of power? I think your windows or car trunk will go before you reach that much wattage. Anyways a wire burning up is not a good sign. If there is no short anywhere, then your power wire is too thin. 4 gauge is a good start but maybe you might want to invest in 0 gauge wire.
Do you have an alternator strong enough to supply that much power to the amp? If not, your lights will dim and use up lots of your battery power. Any amout of power the alternator can't supply, the amp will draw from the battery. So be careful. You could end up driving home with a dead battery or a blown alternator.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Carguy

Post Number: 19
Registered: Nov-04
Oh I forgot to mention about the power rating. If an amp says 850W rms, they're using a normal setting to measure it. If for example you decide to boost the bass by 2 - 3 times, you'll be exceeding the "normal" condition thus overloading the amp. You can easily go beyond 850w cause of it in peak wise.
 

Silver Member
Username: Joe718

Brooklyn, NY

Post Number: 170
Registered: May-04
Man you might have damged that amp. It only requires a 60 amp fuse to it. I have the old rockford 800 from 1999 it burned my wires but I split 8 guage to my mid and tweeter amp and 4 gauge to the bass amp an it held. But you have to change that fuse if you havent burned something internally in the map.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 71
Registered: Oct-04
man, :-(. bad news, i so blew out my amp. i think the 100A fuse was too much. this is whats up: ok, my amp now does NOT turn on at all. my wiring is ok because i tried another amp and that powers up, BUT the other amp doesnt put out any sound, it powers on unlike my fosgate but it doesnt give any sound. So i thought that i might have blown my speakers out, BUT then i tried that new amp that does power up on another speaker (a 6x9 i had lying around, that i know for sure works) and that didnt sound at all either, so what i know is that my fosgate doesnt turn on (any guesses why?) and that any other amp i try does power on (i tried 2 different ones after my fosgate), but there is no sound!!! why do you guys think that is? please help, im out of ideas, i kinda thought it was my RCA outputs cause i get no sound, but im no expert, please help.
 

Silver Member
Username: Joe718

Brooklyn, NY

Post Number: 176
Registered: May-04
its most likely your rca's, try another set from your H.U. to your amp and see if you get some sound.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 72
Registered: Oct-04
ok ill try that...but what do u guys think is wrong with my amp???y doesnt it power on???
 

Silver Member
Username: Deathshadow

Post Number: 171
Registered: Oct-04
The old amp would still power on even with out the RCAs..... 0 Gauge wire is way to low for 850 watts, 4 gauge is where you want to be. You also really don't want to go any higher then 60A fuses for your setup.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 73
Registered: Oct-04
no, im talking about my fosgate amp, why doesnt that one power up? thats what im asking, the old one powers up and the new fosgate doesnt. do you guys think its something internally?
 

Gold Member
Username: Glasswolf

NorthWest, Michigan USA

Post Number: 5428
Registered: Dec-03
your first problem is using 8ga wire
you NEED 4ga for 850 watts of current draw.
4ga is what I ran in my IASCA car, and that car ran a total of 160 watts for subs, and 500 watts for components.
anyway that 850 watt amp is drawing about 85A so you'll want an 85-90A fuse for that 4ga line, and the 4ga line is good for up to 125A.

If the amp still keeps blowing, you probably damaged it with the lack of current it could draw through that 8ga line.
 

Silver Member
Username: Deathshadow

Post Number: 175
Registered: Oct-04
That amp draws that much current glass?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 74
Registered: Oct-04
ok i get you...but what if i unbridge my amp, and only send 215 x 2 @ 4 ohms, would my 8 gauge be fine then? or do i still have to change that gauge because the amp is 850 watts? and are you guys saying that it wont turn on because of the 8 gauge and the 100A fuse or do you think its because it messed up internally? and also again about the sound thing, i get no sound with any amp, is that my RCA's?
 

Gold Member
Username: Glasswolf

NorthWest, Michigan USA

Post Number: 5436
Registered: Dec-03
http://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp
use that to determine wire size.

as for current draw I was thinking that was a mono class D amp, so if its a bridged 2 channel class AB, it really can draw up to 100A of current.

bridged or not, if the load is the same, the amp will put out the same amount of power.

if the amp isn't turning on at all, and you've replaced the fuse, when you melted the wire you probablyc aused a dead short which fried your amplifier. you need to go over the wiring and probably swap out that amplifier.
 

New member
Username: Imstillhere

Michigan

Post Number: 2
Registered: Nov-04
hey glasswolf or anybody who knows there crap...... this is the first amp i have ever hooked up and its a ALPHASONIK PMA 2300 and i need to know the best way to hook up powerer to it...what does it mean when it says hook up to car sterio auto antenna....and it says battery and it says ground...i need all that and how to hook up the fuse cuz on the amp diagram it says.....amp--------fuse------- battery and i really dont get it
 

Bronze Member
Username: Carguy

Post Number: 23
Registered: Nov-04
Hey Larry, I hope you had the power wiring done properly with right gauge.
About your question, battery means connect positive wire to your amp, ground means a wire that's connected to the car chassie/body, and car antenna means the wire that that remotely turns on and off the amp. It is a wire that's located behind your headunit. It might be yellow in colour and it should be labeled. If you have the manual for your HU, it'll also list it there telling you exactly which wire it is.
The fuse you're probably talking about is the one that's connected to the positive wire (red) near the car battery.
Hope that helps.
 

New member
Username: Imstillhere

Michigan

Post Number: 3
Registered: Nov-04
where is the best way to run your wires under or ontop the carpet?


by the way thanks isaac for your help
 

New member
Username: Imstillhere

Michigan

Post Number: 4
Registered: Nov-04
sorry bouyt all these but also what is the bst guage it is 1000
 

Bronze Member
Username: Carguy

Post Number: 26
Registered: Nov-04
Hey Larry, if you're going to do the power wiring yourself, make sure you go around the contours of the car frame, not over the carpet. The installers usually take the plastic trimmings around the door frame on the floor and put it through there. If you check the amp manual, it should tell you that power wires should go around the car on your right and all audio cables on your left. That is a good rule to follow. I have my car wired that way and it works great without picking up any "power/engine" noise.
For 1000W, you'll need at least 4 gauge, but I'd put in 0 gauge wire with 100A fuse. If you really want to go the extra mile, get a circuit breaker. They come in various sizes, 85A - 140A. That way you won't be burning up cash everytime it blows.
Be very careful when wiring. Nothing more frustrating than watching your fuses blow repeatly.
 

New member
Username: Hdubb

Farminton, Nm Usa

Post Number: 6
Registered: Nov-04
hey dan, i kind of had this same problem with my amp not turning on, and the only thing i did was moved my ground wire. this may not have to do with anything but it could be worth a try
 

Gold Member
Username: Glasswolf

NorthWest, Michigan USA

Post Number: 5439
Registered: Dec-03
you can also get adjustable thermal circuit breakers from marine supply houses and RV shops etc.
they allow you to dial in the current they'll take before blowing.
I have one downstairs. they're handy, but a bit on the pricey side.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 75
Registered: Oct-04
Glasswolf, when you said a little earlier that i need to swap out my amp, what exactly did you mean by that? and about the sound do you think its my RCA cables that burned out?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 77
Registered: Oct-04
Anyone here to help me out with my little situation???
 

Gold Member
Username: Glasswolf

NorthWest, Michigan USA

Post Number: 5458
Registered: Dec-03
it means replace the amplifier with a different one
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 79
Registered: Oct-04
would it be expensive to repair it? cause i really like that amp and was quite expensive, its a Fosgate Power 851s.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Djzavala

Whittier, Ca USA

Post Number: 80
Registered: Oct-04
And what about my sound issue. is that my RCA's? or why dont i get sound?
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