What is wrong with my amp?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 1,966
Likes: 0
From: Washington DC
What is wrong with my amp?
I have a very nice Rockford Fostgate 600W amp mounted verticaly to the back of the trunck in my C5, there should be plenty of air flow.
Buuut, when I listen to music loud (not gangsta loud, Led Zepplin loud) it lasts about 20 minutes, then it shuts off. If I leave it for a minute I can turn it back on at a lower level and it is fine.
Is it the setting (gain?) that is causing it to run so hot?
Any advice is welcome :cheers:
Buuut, when I listen to music loud (not gangsta loud, Led Zepplin loud) it lasts about 20 minutes, then it shuts off. If I leave it for a minute I can turn it back on at a lower level and it is fine.
Is it the setting (gain?) that is causing it to run so hot?
Any advice is welcome :cheers:
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,469
Likes: 6
From: 68 427 4.11s Roadster
Re: What is wrong with my amp? (Hernan)
Try feeling your amp when it shuts off and see if it is getting hot.
I think that you may have a wire crossed and this is shorting the amp. After a period of time the amp can't take it anymore and protects itself.
I had this problem with duel voice coils, if I kept the volume down it would never shut off. Slightly higher and it would. I forgot now if the wire was shorted or open to one speaker. But thats what it was.
I think that you may have a wire crossed and this is shorting the amp. After a period of time the amp can't take it anymore and protects itself.
I had this problem with duel voice coils, if I kept the volume down it would never shut off. Slightly higher and it would. I forgot now if the wire was shorted or open to one speaker. But thats what it was.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 4,537
Likes: 84
From: St. Joseph MO
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Re: What is wrong with my amp? (Hernan)
If your amplifier gain is over 3/4 than it's probably to high, try lowering it to above a half, or until minor distortion sets in at max volume.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,302
Likes: 2
From: Atlanta GA
Re: What is wrong with my amp? (Hernan)
What impedance (ohms) are you showing the amp? If you are running it at 2 ohms, or bridged, or god forbid both, you might want to try to lighten the load. It sounds like the overheat protection is kicking in. Try setting back the gain as well. Have you considered mounting a couple of cooling fans to blow across the heatsink? Also, you said it is mounted vertically... are the fins parallel or perpendicular to the floor of your car? If they are parallel, they might not be able to let heat escape quickly enough, causing your amp to build up heat. Check these things out and let us know. Good luck! :cheers:
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,178
Likes: 2
From: Windermere FL
Re: What is wrong with my amp? (dtorc4)
Dumb question as dtorC4 just said it but is the amp mounted so the heat sinks are like this
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or this
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Then need to go the second way if you are mounting it vertically and not flat. Since heat rises, if you mount it the first way, it just rises up to the next sink. The top one is the only one radiating it off.
92TripleBlack :smash:
[Modified by 92TripleBlack, 11:08 PM 12/5/2001]
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or this
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Then need to go the second way if you are mounting it vertically and not flat. Since heat rises, if you mount it the first way, it just rises up to the next sink. The top one is the only one radiating it off.
92TripleBlack :smash:
[Modified by 92TripleBlack, 11:08 PM 12/5/2001]
