Amp cuts off when loud.

[IshbOO 10+ year member]

I got a Voodoo 1600.1, supposed to run 1 ohm at 1600w rms. It seemed to have worked fine for about a month, after that whenever i turned the volume a bit up the amp shuts off, then when I turn the volume down it soon kicks in. I know it is not over heating Bcause it does this as soon as I go outside to drive, Although it didn't start doing this until the weather has been getting warmer. The subs are Dual 4 ohm VCs, SS RL-p 12s. I got a box from a friend which has terminals. The guy at the audio shop said it could be incorrect wiring, could it be I wired them wrong with terminals? Im not sure. Kinda stumped. If anyone has some suggestions that would be great.

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[phrozen5100 10+ year member]

What kind of wiring are you running? Have you checked your ground/power connections? I'm assuming you have those in parallel/parallel for a 1 ohm load, so that shouldn't be a problem. Do you notice a crackling / popping noise at any times from the subs?

 

[flakko 5,000+ posts]

problem could also be low voltage... my alt/battery cant handle my amps sometimes and it dips to 10v and below. after that, my amps cut off

 

[phrozen5100 10+ year member]

If you can get access to a DMM, then it would definitely be good to check the voltage as well. You said it was working fine for a month? Hopefully you didn't kill your alt. that quickly...

 

[IshbOO 10+ year member]

hmm. well it has 14 gauge speaker wire i think? and 4 gauge power and ground, the power and ground are good, have never had a problem with that, i turned the gains way down, and it helps a bit cause i cant get the amp to draw power to shut off, but i also was thinking maybe it could be the electrical system, but why would that cut the amp? i dont have a volt meter in my car, and dotn got a thing to measure my voltage, dunno what it could be, ive never used terminals until now, im kinda thinking thats it, but then when i go recheck thew wiring, it looks to make sense. anyother way i could wire it? could I wire each sub to 2 ohms? or would i have to wire to 8ohms or w/e in series. i dunno, dont want to lose the bump in the trunk...

 

[phrozen5100 10+ year member]

OK, since you don't have a DMM, when your volume is cranked up quite a bit with the subs still playing, do you notice any light dimming (interior/exterior)? I don't see why your terminals would cause any problems unless the connections there simply aren't very good. For future reference, consider upgrading to 2 ga. when you install your next amp, that 4 ga. is about at it's limit and larger wire never hurts. To make the best use of your amp you should keep it wired as-is.

 

[flakko 5,000+ posts]

hmm. well it has 14 gauge speaker wire i think? and 4 gauge power and ground, the power and ground are good, have never had a problem with that, i turned the gains way down, and it helps a bit cause i cant get the amp to draw power to shut off, but i also was thinking maybe it could be the electrical system, but why would that cut the amp? i dont have a volt meter in my car, and dotn got a thing to measure my voltage, dunno what it could be, ive never used terminals until now, im kinda thinking thats it, but then when i go recheck thew wiring, it looks to make sense. anyother way i could wire it? could I wire each sub to 2 ohms? or would i have to wire to 8ohms or w/e in series. i dunno, dont want to lose the bump in the trunk...

some amps have low voltage protection meaning that if the amp gets too low of a voltage then it will cut off.

you NEED a dmm. you NEED one.

 

[IshbOO 10+ year member]

yeah, guess i will have to get a dmm, both mine here are messed up, needa new one anyway. hmm but i dont ever get dimming of the headlights, or the interior. a few times when it started a song my headunit shut off, and all my lights for like a second, happend twice. but hasnt done it in forever, and dont get any dimming. i just went out and turned the gain up again, to where it should be, ima go wash the car and hopefully my shit is working. but im sure it will cut off. I can only turn it up so loud b4 it starts cuttin off, say it cuts off at vol 24, then i turn it to like 14 it kicks back on, and i can play it fine with out it ever shuttin off at vol 21. i dunno, guess ill go try and get a dmm tonight

 

[IshbOO 10+ year member]

finally got a DMM and everything seems to be fine.... guess my amp is fuxored? just bought an L7 also. thinkin about going 1 ported setup.