How to Troubleshoot Car Amplifiers

Car stereo amplifiers sometimes behave in mysterious ways. There is nothing more annoying than starting a trip in your car and having the stereo act up so that you cannot enjoy some music on the drive. However, troubleshooting your amplifier is pretty simple if you have some basic car electronics knowledge.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Voltmeter
• Screwdriver

No Music From Speakers

1. Verify that the amplifier is turning on by looking to see that it is lit up.

2. Use a voltmeter to verify your power supply is a good 12 volts by touching the ground lead to you amplifier's ground screw and the positive one to the amplifier's constant power supply screw. Also verify that you have 12 volts coming from the remote lead wire which is usually a thin blue wire between the ground and constant 12 volt supply.

3. Look for the "thermal overload" light. It is usually a red LED on the side of the amp. If the amp feels really warm and this light is lit, the amp has probably overheated from being tuned wrong or turned up too loud and shut itself down to cool off.

4. Check the fuses on the amplifier. These can blow with extended use or during heavy bursts of use.

5. Make sure the "Gain" and other volume controls are turned up.

6. Confirm that the signal wire is still attached to the amplifier and has not come disconnected by vibrations in the car. Also check that the wires running out of the amp to the speakers are still attached to the amp.

Music Cuts In and Out

7. Find the amplifier's ground wire where it attaches to the car body. Check that it is tight because a loose ground will cause the amp to turn on and off.

8. Tighten all of the power connections on the amplifier, especially the ground, constant 12 volt and remote lead wires.

9. Check that the input and output wires are not loose.

10. Glance over the area surrounding the amplifier for a loose wire or piece of metal that may be occasionally hitting the wires on the amp causing small shorts that cut the music out.

Tips & Warnings

• If you still have problems with sound cutting in and out, check if the wire connections at your speakers are loose.
• Be careful when working with your car's electrical system. You can be shocked or damage your vehicle if you touch the wrong things.

[Blueacelb]

on 7/12/2008 Well what if I removed a larger subwoofer to put two slightly smaller ones in that take a lot less wattage? The speakers move normal but not very much sound at all.