Sub and amp not working. Need troubleshooting help and tips!
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,035
Likes: 134
From: North Augusta, SC
You really need to make a trip to your local Lowes or Sears and buy a cheap multimeter. $20 will get you a digital one, but the cheap ones are fine for 12v 
The fuse may be good, it could be a loose connection between the end of the fuse and holder, or something else may have melted, or it could be such a fine break you can't see it.
Check resistance across the fuse with it removed, should be almost nothing. If your wires will reach, also check for resistance from B+ terminal to hot wire on amp, again should be almost nothing. If you find an open, that's the problem.
The fuse may be good, it could be a loose connection between the end of the fuse and holder, or something else may have melted, or it could be such a fine break you can't see it.
Check resistance across the fuse with it removed, should be almost nothing. If your wires will reach, also check for resistance from B+ terminal to hot wire on amp, again should be almost nothing. If you find an open, that's the problem.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 4,293
Likes: 46
From: FL
You really need to make a trip to your local Lowes or Sears and buy a cheap multimeter. $20 will get you a digital one, but the cheap ones are fine for 12v
The fuse may be good, it could be a loose connection between the end of the fuse and holder, or something else may have melted, or it could be such a fine break you can't see it.
Check resistance across the fuse with it removed, should be almost nothing. If your wires will reach, also check for resistance from B+ terminal to hot wire on amp, again should be almost nothing. If you find an open, that's the problem.
The fuse may be good, it could be a loose connection between the end of the fuse and holder, or something else may have melted, or it could be such a fine break you can't see it.
Check resistance across the fuse with it removed, should be almost nothing. If your wires will reach, also check for resistance from B+ terminal to hot wire on amp, again should be almost nothing. If you find an open, that's the problem.
From the B+ terminal of the amp I got 0.00V, nothing. No power. From the batterys positive terminal, I got 11.8V. On the battery side of the fuse, Im getting power. On the amp side of the fuse: nothing. Not a blip on the meter. The fuse looks great. Its not loose or anything. Heres a picture:
Im getting power to the remote turn on. I didnt know how to test for Ohms, but I can tomorrow. It started raining when I was testing. Can we eliminate a bad ground at this point? It just seems like the fuse went bad. I took a 40A fuse out of my ponitac and that blew immeadiatly as soon as i put it in. The fuse in the Vette is a 60A...probably a stupid idea but Im just trying everything I can. At this point I feel like its a bad fuse. Power is not making it across the fuse. I did breifly touch the wires together without the fuse and it sparked and I immeaditatly pulled them away...again, probably a bad idea...
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,035
Likes: 134
From: North Augusta, SC
Turn the dial on the meter to the omega/horseshoe looking thing, that's the ohms/resistance setting. Put one lead on each side of the fuse and see what you get. Try not to have both leads touching your skin at the same time, it may give a false reading of your resistance instead of the fuse. Tap the leads together to see the difference between an open and 0 ohms.
I'm guessing the fuse is bad. Since the other new one blew so fast I'd guess there's something going on with the amp at this point
I'm guessing the fuse is bad. Since the other new one blew so fast I'd guess there's something going on with the amp at this point
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,035
Likes: 134
From: North Augusta, SC
You're prob not getting power thru the fuse because it's blown where you can't see it.
Someting is causing all of these fuses to blow. Most amps have some type of protection circuit that would kick in if a speaker is wired wrong or goes bad, so if all of the info you've given so far is correct, that points at your amp somehow being bad. Maybe you can have a shop troubleshoot it for a few bucks. Any chance it's still under warranty?
Someting is causing all of these fuses to blow. Most amps have some type of protection circuit that would kick in if a speaker is wired wrong or goes bad, so if all of the info you've given so far is correct, that points at your amp somehow being bad. Maybe you can have a shop troubleshoot it for a few bucks. Any chance it's still under warranty?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 4,293
Likes: 46
From: FL
Well I'll replace the in line fuse and if that doesn't work, I'll buy a new amp. No worries it's money well spent IMO I'll know tomorrow. Thanks for your help. Here's hoping its the fuse!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 4,293
Likes: 46
From: FL
Ok I'm a little scared. I replaced the in line fuse and the amp turned on. Sub didn't work and I smelled smoke. Amp started to SMOKE! I immeadiatly pulled the fuse and negative terminal of the battery out and took the amp out of the car! I then went to check if everything was ok with the car and now it wont start and worst of all: my headunit wont turn on anymore. I am getting all the weird error messages on the DIC associated with a bad battery. My hope is that my battery is fryed and not the headunit or any of the electronics of the car. Thanks for your help.
Oh yea: worst of all: none of the fuses blew. So the amp was able to stay on and burn to hell.
Edit: just went outside to check the battery, its been on the charger and it seems that everything is a-ok. Car turned on, radio headunit turned on. Music was playing loud and clear, no more error messages etc. Im going tomorrow to buy another amp to hook up. If it does the same thing, and blows all the fuses, OR starts smoking, what would be your theory on what could be wrong to blow up my amp? Bad ground? Bad wire?
Oh yea: worst of all: none of the fuses blew. So the amp was able to stay on and burn to hell.
Edit: just went outside to check the battery, its been on the charger and it seems that everything is a-ok. Car turned on, radio headunit turned on. Music was playing loud and clear, no more error messages etc. Im going tomorrow to buy another amp to hook up. If it does the same thing, and blows all the fuses, OR starts smoking, what would be your theory on what could be wrong to blow up my amp? Bad ground? Bad wire?
Last edited by forg0tmypen; Apr 21, 2012 at 03:42 PM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,035
Likes: 134
From: North Augusta, SC
Yikes 
Things break, electronics go bad
Before you connect a new amp, use your neighbors meter on the sub itself. Measure the resistance across the wires that were connected to the amp speaker output. I'm guessing at your sub type and how it's wired, but expect to find between 3.5 and 4 ohms across those wires, if you get less please post the exact model number of the sub and if you can take a pic of how it's wired.
Any chance the amp is still under warranty? Letting the smoke out would prob be covered.
Things break, electronics go bad
Before you connect a new amp, use your neighbors meter on the sub itself. Measure the resistance across the wires that were connected to the amp speaker output. I'm guessing at your sub type and how it's wired, but expect to find between 3.5 and 4 ohms across those wires, if you get less please post the exact model number of the sub and if you can take a pic of how it's wired.
Any chance the amp is still under warranty? Letting the smoke out would prob be covered.
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Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 4,293
Likes: 46
From: FL
I just wanted to update everyone on this long thread. My amp was blown. I replaced with another Alpine amp good for 500 rms mono power. Everything works great. Now I want to know, what sub can I put into the car to replace my JL audio sub...it sounds terrible for rock music, but good for hip hop. Either way, Im very thankful for everyone's help especially Markcz. I learned a ton of stuff from doing this.
