problem with subs...
Guest
Posts: n/a
problem with subs...
ok first off let me say that i know absolutely nothing about subs, or amps, or anything stereo related. with that being said, i was driving home from irvine yesterday, and the system was bumpin....i turn the corner to get to my house, and the subs just shut off. im thinkin, ok no big deal, they just came unplugged. nope. everything is plugged in, the amp is workin fine (i.e. gettin juice) but nothing is coming out of the subs. i checked the fuses, and they all seem to be fine. (i don't know what a blown fuse would look like, anyway.) i talked to silverdevil, who said that if hte fuses were blown, then the amp wouldn't turn on, which it does. how can i fix this, without goin to a shop and having hte install guys be like "stupid girl, it was only....." if anyone can help i will love ya forever!!
The LA Clipper
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,539
Likes: 0
From: SoCal, California, US
Rep Power: 346 
You know I think that when you blow a fuse an amp can still potentially be on, but its protection light should go on. The reason i think that is because the amp should not only be connected to the battery but also to the radio by way of the turn on lead (usually the blue wire). So it will light up like it has juice runnin to it, but the protection light will be on.
It is very easy to see if your fuse is blown...just open up your hood, and look for a fuse holder that should be within a couple feet of your battery. Now just like any other fuse there should be a metal "piece" inside of the fuse. If the metal thing in the fuse is broken in half or looks fried, then your fuse is blown.
Just make sure that everything under the hood is connected as well (not just the stuff to the amps). Also, make sure that you amp grounds are still properly connected. These can come loose very easily if they are not bolted down good.
One really important thing...if you are gonna mess around with your stuff please disconnect the negative on the battery so that you don't blow anything...or atleast undo the power wire to your amps.
[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]
It is very easy to see if your fuse is blown...just open up your hood, and look for a fuse holder that should be within a couple feet of your battery. Now just like any other fuse there should be a metal "piece" inside of the fuse. If the metal thing in the fuse is broken in half or looks fried, then your fuse is blown.
Just make sure that everything under the hood is connected as well (not just the stuff to the amps). Also, make sure that you amp grounds are still properly connected. These can come loose very easily if they are not bolted down good.
One really important thing...if you are gonna mess around with your stuff please disconnect the negative on the battery so that you don't blow anything...or atleast undo the power wire to your amps.
[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]
The Standard One
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 11,659
Likes: 1
From: City of Angels, California, US
Rep Power: 417 when my fuse popped.. my amp light wasnt even on..
and ya last time i forgot to disconnect the negative.. touched the power/ground wire and saw a spark... the fuse didnt even pop...
maybe one of the wires inside the box is loose?
btw, font what size fuse are you using for your jbl? i'm only using a 30 and it popped only once. is 60 too high?
and ya last time i forgot to disconnect the negative.. touched the power/ground wire and saw a spark... the fuse didnt even pop...
maybe one of the wires inside the box is loose?
btw, font what size fuse are you using for your jbl? i'm only using a 30 and it popped only once. is 60 too high?
The Standard One
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 11,659
Likes: 1
From: City of Angels, California, US
Rep Power: 417 i think its about 3/4 way up and i'm only running 4 ohms... imma re-wire it after a week or so, just wired it in 4 so that i could break in the sub.. i'm afraid of blowing my sub too [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/IMG].. the excursion on these(power hx2s) are 
scary even imagining that they could go even further.. i'm probably only pushing 500watts to them.. but then i am using a large sealed(1 cubic inch) so they might not even be able to hande the normal 1000wrms
scary even imagining that they could go even further.. i'm probably only pushing 500watts to them.. but then i am using a large sealed(1 cubic inch) so they might not even be able to hande the normal 1000wrms 
i boogie for the raindrops
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 4,497
Likes: 1
From: Jackson, Mississippi
Rep Power: 0 breaking in a sub yourself is a myth.... dont worry bout it... REAL break-in of subs is done in free air situations with subsonic frequencies.... you can crank your subs to full blast the first day you get em no problem... and when you wire it at 1 or 2 ohms or whatever, youll pop 30's all day
Guest
Posts: n/a
well it wasn't my fuse...i took it to a shop and asked the guy to look at it, and he said that he thinks i blew the speakers....well they are crappy ones anyways. so he suggested that what i should do if i want quality sound is to go with another sub/amp setup, which is what im gonna do. i took my other subs back to best buy and got a refund. so now im jsut gonna educate myself on what is good, bad etc so that i will be somewhat knowlegeable when the time comes to buy new ish. cuz i want to go with premium, good quality sound and equipment. so im just gonna research everything.....but thanks for the replies....
The LA Clipper
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,539
Likes: 0
From: SoCal, California, US
Rep Power: 346
Quote
[hr]Originally posted by: LudlamTheory
your gain must be REALLY low.... i could pop 60's ALL day with a 1200.1[hr]
[hr]Originally posted by: LudlamTheory
your gain must be REALLY low.... i could pop 60's ALL day with a 1200.1[hr]
Registered!!
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 4,344
Likes: 0
From: bay area, california
Rep Power: 337 ya, when we went to compete with my buddy borrowing my old 1200.1, we had to wedge 8 guage in there because we popped a couple 60's before it even got loud at 1 ohm. that amplifier cna definitely suck the current out of your e-system, no problem
Registered!!
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 100
Likes: 0
From: London, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 0 Hey SpoiledSteph I would question what is really going on with your system. Although it is possible to blow your subs, the odds of both of them suddenly blowing at the same time is pretty rare. It sounds like the shop may be trying to get you to buy new stuff. There are some things you can do to check it out yourself and see whats going on. First off dont try that 9V battery trick. Sure it can move the sub but it can actually cause damage to the speaker as it is a DC pulse.
To troubleshoot the device you have to start from the source. Make sure the CD player is playing (duh) and all the speakers are working (assuming you have them wired direct to the head unit). There is a lead of some sorts which is switched and will turn on the amp. It is usually blue and alot smaller than your power wire. Some amps will power up the amp light with this on even if the fuse is blown, or a protection light may come on in the same place as the power light. Either way go to your local hardware store and buy a simple 12V tester (3bucks). You attach the negative to the ground terminal and then probe the switched source when the car is on (the light should come on with keys turned on and off with the keys off). Then try the 12 power (red wire) to see if it is on. If the light comes on for both then you know there is power to the amp. If there is no power on the red wire check under the hood where it connect to the battery and also there should be a fuse right after. Make sure its connected and that the fuse is working there too.
To check a fuse all you have to do is pull it out and look at it. It will be H shaped and you have to make sure the piece of metal between the two sides is connecting it.
If you know the fuse is good and the power is good...try taking another speaker and trying it on the amp. Even a home speaker will work. Just plug it in and see if you get any sound. If not there is a problem with the music coming from the head unit and the amp, or the amp itself being blown. A good way to tell if the amp is blown is to watch the cone. If you connect the speaker while the amp is on and it draws in or out and stay there, this can indicate the amp is cooked and sending out DC. You would have to have a shop take the amp out and do more testing on it at this stage.
If another speaker works then try connecting one of your subs to the amp and alternate either one. If your speaker plays with one and not the other then you might have a shorting sub which would make both of them stop playing (and probably the blow the fuse). If neither one works then its the wiring from the sub to the box...or the box to the actual sub (although its hard to believe it would just stop)
I know you have taken your subs back already but keep this in mind for next time. There may have been nothing wrong with your setup that 10 mintues couldnt have fixed. Also that way you dont get a shop trying to sell you something you dont need. For example i had a friend who had a 12 orion DVC sub and a kicker amp that sounded pretty good. I was in the car one day and I asked him cause he didnt hear it. He said the sub was "tired" according to the guy at the shop and it needed to be replaced. I made him pull over that second...checked the master fuse for his power wire and it was corroded and not making a connection. I cleaned it and put it back together....bam! sub was pumping again......just goes to show you what some shops will try. Not all shops are bad mind you....just gotta protect yourself I think.
To troubleshoot the device you have to start from the source. Make sure the CD player is playing (duh) and all the speakers are working (assuming you have them wired direct to the head unit). There is a lead of some sorts which is switched and will turn on the amp. It is usually blue and alot smaller than your power wire. Some amps will power up the amp light with this on even if the fuse is blown, or a protection light may come on in the same place as the power light. Either way go to your local hardware store and buy a simple 12V tester (3bucks). You attach the negative to the ground terminal and then probe the switched source when the car is on (the light should come on with keys turned on and off with the keys off). Then try the 12 power (red wire) to see if it is on. If the light comes on for both then you know there is power to the amp. If there is no power on the red wire check under the hood where it connect to the battery and also there should be a fuse right after. Make sure its connected and that the fuse is working there too.
To check a fuse all you have to do is pull it out and look at it. It will be H shaped and you have to make sure the piece of metal between the two sides is connecting it.
If you know the fuse is good and the power is good...try taking another speaker and trying it on the amp. Even a home speaker will work. Just plug it in and see if you get any sound. If not there is a problem with the music coming from the head unit and the amp, or the amp itself being blown. A good way to tell if the amp is blown is to watch the cone. If you connect the speaker while the amp is on and it draws in or out and stay there, this can indicate the amp is cooked and sending out DC. You would have to have a shop take the amp out and do more testing on it at this stage.
If another speaker works then try connecting one of your subs to the amp and alternate either one. If your speaker plays with one and not the other then you might have a shorting sub which would make both of them stop playing (and probably the blow the fuse). If neither one works then its the wiring from the sub to the box...or the box to the actual sub (although its hard to believe it would just stop)
I know you have taken your subs back already but keep this in mind for next time. There may have been nothing wrong with your setup that 10 mintues couldnt have fixed. Also that way you dont get a shop trying to sell you something you dont need. For example i had a friend who had a 12 orion DVC sub and a kicker amp that sounded pretty good. I was in the car one day and I asked him cause he didnt hear it. He said the sub was "tired" according to the guy at the shop and it needed to be replaced. I made him pull over that second...checked the master fuse for his power wire and it was corroded and not making a connection. I cleaned it and put it back together....bam! sub was pumping again......just goes to show you what some shops will try. Not all shops are bad mind you....just gotta protect yourself I think.
Thread
Thread Starter
Honda Civic Forum
Replies
Last Post
