Did I Fry My Amp II: The Sequel

[ThumpinLawyer 10+ year member]

Alright, so reality has sunk in that something went wrong and my amp is as good as a door stop.

My next question is, will having wire that is too small, (i.e. 4 guage (not 4 awg) to the D-block and 8 guage to the amp) cause the current to go right the fuse and blow the amp like it did the last time.

The reason I ask is, if I am going to drop 4 bills on a new sub amp, I don't want to blow up a brand new amp.

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[jco1385 5,000+ posts]

if you plan on dropping $400 on an amp, might want to learn wtf you are doing before you go blowing up **** //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

and whats the difference in 4ga vs 4awg?

 

[tigerf117 10+ year member]

Not 100% sure what are you asking OP, but having too small of wire can cause issues. Blown fuses is the worst I've seen, but may be able to blow an amp. Either way, if you're $400 on a sub amp, might as well pick up some 0awg from knu while you're at it, and run 4awg straight to the amp (I'm assuming $400 for a sub amp you'd be clearing 1000wrms easily).

::edit:: and do the big 3 while you are at it

 

[MakeshiftAudio 10+ year member]

4AWG != 4 gauge? Wat?

x2 what all these other are saying.

 

[93dakota 10+ year member]

In his defense I guess you can say that CA 4ga. is actually larger then 4 awg but still having a small wire wont hurt the amp it will only restrict what it can do.

 

[profundus-sanus 10+ year member]

in for the trilogy

 

[AudioworksCt_JK]

Alright, so reality has sunk in that something went wrong and my amp is as good as a door stop.
My next question is, will having wire that is too small, (i.e. 4 guage (not 4 awg) to the D-block and 8 guage to the amp) cause the current to go right the fuse and blow the amp like it did the last time.

The reason I ask is, if I am going to drop 4 bills on a new sub amp, I don't want to blow up a brand new amp.

There is no difference between 4 gauge and 4 awg. AWG=American Wire Gauge

Having the 8 gauge after the distribution block is not your problem. The most that will happen from that scenario is that the amp may blow the fuse and the wire might get a bit warm (when you add more resistance the current is forced to go up). What kind of amp is is? what is the minimum impedance? Do you know what ohm the subs are? Do you possibly have a bad sub? Shorted?

How is the amp grounded? Make sure it is grounded to a good point on the chassis. Try not to ground to a point that is tack welded to the main structure. Usually the floor of the chassis is a good place.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

if you plan on dropping $400 on an amp, might want to learn wtf you are doing before you go blowing up **** //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif
and whats the difference in 4ga vs 4awg?

Too true...if you are getting an amp to smoke, there is DEFINITELY something wrong that has nothing to do with the size of the wire.

And yes, in my world 4AWG = 4 Gauge...same thing.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

There is no difference between 4 gauge and 4 awg. AWG=American Wire Gauge

Having the 8 gauge after the distribution block is not your problem. The most that will happen from that scenario is that the amp may blow the fuse and the wire might get a bit warm (when you add more resistance the current is forced to go up). What kind of amp is is? what is the minimum impedance? Do you know what ohm the subs are? Do you possibly have a bad sub? Shorted?

How is the amp grounded? Make sure it is grounded to a good point on the chassis. Try not to ground to a point that is tack welded to the main structure. Usually the floor of the chassis is a good place.

Many good questions that need some answerin' before you go drop 4 bills on a new amp, hook it up into the same setup you have now, and watch it go up in smoke. If you are going to do that, just take $400 and set it on fire.

 

[ThumpinLawyer 10+ year member]

First of all, I know wtf I'm doing, but I wasn't the one who installed it, which was my first mistake, I know and frankly I don't need to hear about it because obviously it was a mistake.

Why didn't I do it myself? I don't have the time anymore like I used to. I made the mistake of trusting a stereo shop, which I have never done before in my life and will never do again.

I don't know where it's grounded, because I didn't do the work myself, but believe me I'm going to find out today when I return to the place that installed my stuff.

As far as the gauge of the wire, I have been told by multiple sources that American 4 gauge is slightly larger than Asian 4 gauge, not that I actually think the size of the wire is what caused the problem, but you have to understand that I had this same setup in my last vehicle for five years with no problems, then 2 days after I had somebody else install it in my new car, the amp blows.

My point in asking the question about the wiring is that before I rip out every bit of wiring and installation equipment from my car and start over, I wanted some opinions on what the problem might be.

 

[ThumpinLawyer 10+ year member]

Oh, and my 2 subs are 4 ohm dual voice coil wired to run at 1 ohm, which my Crossfire VR1000D was capable of handling.

Not sure if a sub is shorted, they both worked fine when they came out of my last car.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

Well, if you had it profeessionally installed and paid the $$$$ for them to do it, then they should not only be the ones to troubleshoot what caused the problem, but they should stand behind their friggin' work and buy you a new amp. Customer service these days seems to really S-U-C-K! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/mad.gif.c18f003ab0ef8a0d9c27ca78d77a6392.gif

I hear you with regards to "If I want something done right, I'll do it myself". I have found that whether it is car audio or anything to do around the house, at least I know if I do the job myself it will be done to my exacting standards. And if I didn't do it right, I only have myself to blame.

 

[bernser1er 10+ year member]

ur amp will over heat when it is not getting enuf current do to wire be to small

 

[ThumpinLawyer 10+ year member]

I am just so frustrated. I know I screwed up big time, but the labor is warrantied from the place I had the work done, but because they used the wiring I bought and provided them, they will not warranty the wiring and any damage caused by faulty wiring.

That is why I am so concerned as to whether the reason my amp blew was because of faulty wiring or a crappy installer.

If the install was crappy, it will be warrantied and hopefully they will be the ones replacing my amp, if it was my wiring, I am screwed.

 

[jco1385 5,000+ posts]

ur amp will over heat when it is not getting enuf current do to wire be to small

please explain