I have a problem and I think it somehow a problem with the car (08 Avenger SXT). I am trying to hook up an amplifier and a pair of subs in the trunk.

Here is what I have done so far. I ran a 6ga wire directly from the battery posts back to the trunk and to the amp. I ran a 16ga remote power wire from an ACC wire under the dash back to the trunk and to the amp for remote turn on. I ran a 6ga wire from a chassis bolt in the trunk to the amp. This takes care of all power.

I spliced into the rear deck speaker wires and installed a Line Out Converted, also grounded to the chassis bolt in the trunk. Ran RCA wires from the LOC to the amp. Wired the subs to the amp.

This all sounds good at low volume. Here is the problem, when I turn the volume up the amp cuts out and quits playing. Power light is still on, but quits playing.

I thought the problem was the amp. So, I got another amp. The same thing is happening, with two different amps. They play at low volume but cut out when I turn it up.

Is there a power draw issue with my car? The amps are not that big. The first amp is only 250W RMS, and the second amp I tried was only 50W RMS, so they are not big power sucking amps. They both worked fine in my previous car driving the same set of subs.

Please help.

 

also forgot to mention, I thought maybe there was a problem with the LOC, so the second amp that I tried had its own high level speaker inputs. So, I eliminated the LOC in the second setup. Same results.[/align][/align]

 

Are you tapping into the wires after the stock amp or before? I would try tap into the signals coming directly out of the radio.

 

Is there a stock amp on this system, separate from the stereo? Where is it located? I'm tapping the speaker wires right at the rear speakers in the rear deck, so it would be after the stock amp, if there is one. I have the 6 disc changer, but I do not have the upgraded sound system, is there still a stock amp somewhere? Where is it?

Thanks for the reply.

 

I don't know if the stock system has an amp but I think the 6-disc system is a mid-range system with the base system having only single CD capability.

Maybe check under the front passenger or driver seat?

 

Try adjusting the line level inputs, I have a feeling you are putting too much power to the amp RCA inputs and that is causing the amp to shut down to protect itself. You definitely have enough power for that amp as far as the battery and alternator are concerned.. Im running a 600W amp without any issues.

Also check your positive and negative speaker leads if you reverse them some amps cut out.. Same goes for the positive and negative coming into the line level converter.. Check them as well..

If you turn it on and it works at low volume chances are you wired the positive, negative and remote sense wires correctly.. but there is also a chance that there is a bad power or ground connection but that is unlikely.

Lastly, A blown speaker/speaker lead shortwill also cause an amp shutdown at higher volumes.

I have the Boston Acoustics package which includes an amplifier and I am tapping into the amplified rear speakers using a line level converter.. So it shouldn't matter if you have amplified speakers or not as long as you adjust the line levels on the converter.

 

Yep, I have tried adjusting the gains on the line into the LOC. I have tried everything. I've been installing/toying with aftermarket amps and subs and stuff for 15 years, so I'm not too much of a novice. This really has me stumped.

I really want to get this working.... I need a little more bass!!

 

Are you sure you tapped into the correct speaker leads and that they are the correct polarity?

I went for the ones close to the rear speakers in the back of the car for3 reasons
1) It makes the install easier and slightly neater,
2) you cant screw up and pick the wrong speaker leads cause theyre definately going to the speakers The only variable would be positive and negative and the positive wires are marked on the speaker with red dots, and
3) since the wires will be shorter theres less chance of picking up distortion from other wires..

I mean it has to be one of the things I mentioned in this post or the previous one cause there isn't much else that can be done wrong lol

If you have a multimeter, set it to measure resistance and check the resistance of the speakers to check for shorts in your speaker.. should be 2 Ohms or greater depending on which speakers you purchased. Anything less should shut down an amp of your wattage since they usually arent designed to handle less than 4 Ohms at that wattage.

 

How are the subs wired ???
Series???
Parralel???
What Impedance ???
Amp wired stereo or mono ???

 

I tapped right into the speaker wires about 12inches away from each rear deck speaker. I'm pretty sure those are speaker wires The polarity is correct, I wasn't sure at first, so I tried the battery pop test that I found documented on Crutchfield.com when the + ona "C" battery touches the + on the speaker, the cone pushes away from the magnet.

The amp is 1 channel mono. I have two 4ohm subs. The +'s on both speakers go to the + terminal on the amp. The -'s on both speakers go to the - terminal on the amp. This should present a 2ohm load to the amp. Correct?