amp help

[slaxer398]

I was installing my subs today into my car when i went to go connect the ground and i noticed sparks around the wire, i also noticed a little smoke coming from the amp. I wired up the ground and the amp is on but the subs are not hitting. my question is, is the amp fried and i will have to get another one or is it repairable? it seems very weird to me but im not sure. any help would be great.

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[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

if the amp turns on its not fried.

Maby you have a loose connection somewhere.

 

[slaxer398]

it definately turns on because i see the power light but i am getting no sound. like i said i saw a little smoke but it seems to turn on. im hoping it is not fried. would touching the ground like that and sparking it fry the amp? is there anything that i could do to fix the problem

 

[Hooter 10+ year member]

well what is your wiring like, is your ground on a nice piece of flat metal, with a hoop connector soldered or nicely crimped on the end of the wire with a screw tightly holding it to the metal, or did you just strip the wire back and wrap it around a random boltor stuffed into a hole? are all the connections terminated or do you have bare strands of copper all over, there is a lot of DC and AC current flowing there and having bad wire is not only bad for the amp but very dangerous and could start fires, clean up all your wiring, terminate everything and if that doesnt fix it, then you most likely fried your amp

 

[homer3304 10+ year member]

When first applying your ground it will spark like that because you are charging the internal caps to the amp. As far as smoke coming from the amp, that is never good. Best if you dont use it and take off the cover and just look at it for melted spots, etc on the board.

 

[pavengmike6 10+ year member]

AMPS can turn on and still be fried. Is the amp NEW or USED? It sounds like one or more of the CAPS inside the amp shorted out (that would be the smoke).

If it is a new amp take it back and return it. If it is an old amp take the back cover off the amp and look at the circuit board. It should not have any areas that look burnt. (black). If so your amp is fried.

Depending on the extend of the damage determines if it can be repaired. If you melted any of the MIAN circuit bord you cannot fix that at a decent cost. If it was only a individual CAP that went out you may be able to take it to a electronic shop and have it fixed. The problem with most repair shops is they do not stock every elec blue print and have to order it, and they make you pay for that. It ends up costing more than 2 amps would cost to buy new. Are you sure you did not swap your power and ground wire by mistake?

 

[Nikuk 5,000+ posts]

keep in mind, alot of folks hook up grounds first batt last. this way when the circuit goes live there is complete connection. IMO a good ground is as important (if not more so) then a good power supply. as said above, make sure you have a clean and solid grounding point. no point, no common ground, no spot welds.

run the amp by a local electronics place or audio shop, most respectable places wont charge you anything to just look at it. and fixing is usually cheap depending on damage. best of luck