rookie mistakes...arced my amp...Please help!!!

[Tonytone310]

This is my very first time installing a stereo and dont know much about electrical.so I recently upgraded my stereo system, changing the head unit, and adding an amplifier and subwoofer.the previous owner had an out of factory stereo already installed, so what I did was switch the old HU with a pioneer DEH-X4800BT. I had to change the power cord input which was easy and left the speakers Already installed alone. The amp is a pioneer GM-D8601(1600max watt output). I connected the amp to the battery with 4GA power wire and grounded it to metal of the bench in my van. (Connection is good). The amp is connected to the a 12in kicker (1000watt max). I installed it perfect(I think)and the system was working fine for about 4hours before i had disconnected to mount the amp and sub to board. WHAT I FORGOT TO DO WAS DISCONNECT IT FROM THE CAR BATTERY!!!! It wasnt until I accidentally arced it amp when the hot wire touched the metal frame of the amp...twice(dummy I know).rite away I disconnected the terminals from the battery and proceeded. When it was all set back up I started the car and about 7 seconds into a song the hear unit completely turns off and restarted. It continued to happen whenever the volume is up and the sub kicks bass. I did an inspection, tightened the (then loose) terminals and hot lines, and I can get now get the stereo to bump pretty loud with the bass kicking hard for quit sometime, but occasionally it will power off and restart again. What the heck did I do?? Did I mess up the amp, or possibly the car electrical?? The gains on the amp match the output from the stereo and no fuses blown, and the sub is working fine.... I'm just freaking out a bit and need some advice.... thanks

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[tdotluoma]

Check to see if any protection lights at on once it turns off. Have you made sure that the impedance are matched up correctly (if the amp says 2 ohm stable or has a power output rating at 2 ohm then your sub needs to be 2 ohm or greater). Also make sure your gains are not pinned to the max

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[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

since the HU resets, it's likely a short in the speaker wire outputs of the HU. if even just one wire strand can touch metal in the dash, it can cause your issue.

if the amp saw a short or problem the HU would remain on.

 

[Tonytone310]

Hey guys...sorry for the late response, I really do appreciate your help. As for an update... The situation has gotten worse. The HU went front the occasional reset to resetting nearly Everytime i turn signal or brake light...I had a long drive up to Oregon and figured it be best to disconnect the amp and was working fine till randomly on the highway the speed odometer and other gauges went all crazy on Me. Turn signals wouldn't even blink,just stay on. I noticed the voltmeter fluctuates from 8 to 12 or so alot even when everything seems to be working fine. And

tdotluoma- to answer your question the protection on the amp will either blink red and and limit the bass and volume for a sec...or blink red and cut off immediately before powering back on. As for ohms and gains...well like mentioned I knew nothing when buying my equipment, just took the advice the best buy guy gave me before buying. But I'm studying now and I'll be sure to have an answer tomorrow.

Keep hope alive- thats what I'm thinking, but now with other issues I'm not really sure

But I do have a 20+ yo van and lots needs maintenance and servicing/repair. Any advice or tips would be awesome thanks again and I'm sorry if this post isn't where it's supposed to be

 

[cthedinger 10+ year member]

If you need help let me know. Check out Stereo Zone in Whittier, CA. Ask for Sami, tell him Coleman sent you. He will get it fixed for you.

Stereo Zone

11664 Washington Blvd

Whittier, CA 90606

(562) 696-4422

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

What else was plugged into the amp when you touched it with the +12? If RCAs were connected the +12 probably tried to find ground through your head unit and probably damaged something. Didn't you have that fused?

The other electrical trouble with the van seems unlikely to be caused by aftermarket stereo equipment unless you did something very unusual. Are you sure the stress of the extra load hasn't worn down an already old/tired alternator and battery?

 

[dbjunior 10+ year member]

With fluctuating volt meter of look into the alt and battery setup. Most major parts store will test it free.

 

[Tonytone310]

What else was plugged into the amp when you touched it with the +12? If RCAs were connected the +12 probably tried to find ground through your head unit and probably damaged something. Didn't you have that fused?
The other electrical trouble with the van seems unlikely to be caused by aftermarket stereo equipment unless you did something very unusual. Are you sure the stress of the extra load hasn't worn down an already old/tired alternator and battery?

The RCA's were connected I believe, but the fuses on the HU are fine. I haven't opened it up to take a deeper look. The battery is new I just bought one last week and the alternator seems to be working fine, cuz I did the disconnect battery test and she ran fine. I got a repair manual for my van model and will start checking and testing after work

 

[tdotluoma]

Hey guys...sorry for the late response, I really do appreciate your help. As for an update... The situation has gotten worse. The HU went front the occasional reset to resetting nearly Everytime i turn signal or brake light...I had a long drive up to Oregon and figured it be best to disconnect the amp and was working fine till randomly on the highway the speed odometer and other gauges went all crazy on Me. Turn signals wouldn't even blink,just stay on. I noticed the voltmeter fluctuates from 8 to 12 or so alot even when everything seems to be working fine. And tdotluoma- to answer your question the protection on the amp will either blink red and and limit the bass and volume for a sec...or blink red and cut off immediately before powering back on. As for ohms and gains...well like mentioned I knew nothing when buying my equipment, just took the advice the best buy guy gave me before buying. But I'm studying now and I'll be sure to have an answer tomorrow.

Keep hope alive- thats what I'm thinking, but now with other issues I'm not really sure

But I do have a 20+ yo van and lots needs maintenance and servicing/repair. Any advice or tips would be awesome thanks again and I'm sorry if this post isn't where it's supposed to be

The gauge cluster problem seems very odd...

I don't really know what's up with that, and as for your volts, it could be a bad alternator. With the van running you should be seeing 13.3 to 14.4 volts. If you are lower than that you most likely have a charging issue with the alternator.

If your amp is going in to protection at low volumes it is either a case of wrong sub impedance or a pooched amp. At least that's what I can gather from my experiences...

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[Tonytone310]

OK...had a busy week but finally took some extra time to try different advice I've gotten from people... And I think I might have fixed this issue. The way I had it set up originally was I matched the colors on the harnesses and spliced the blue rem wire with both the blue power wires from the amp and car making a 3way splice. Then there was this extra single wire (black w/degree stripes) that I couldn't figure out for ****, other than a ground. After several tries and fails or re wiring I decided to separate the blue power from the amp and connect to the red ignition wire which seems to the winning setup. I think the improper wiring was causing the battery to drain faster faster than the alternator could keep up with...which would explain the weird electrical business with the gauges and lights and stuff. Gonna go for a cruise in the morning and see what's up. I'll let you guys know