Amp Overheating issue

[monsterman 10+ year member]

I have a Alpine MRV-F345 4channel under my back seat.

http://www.jeephowto.com/wj/radio_amp3.jpg exact picture of where my Alpine sits (obviously the seat rests on top of this space)

It's wired to Type-R comps and JL coax all at 4 ohm. It was purchased used from a guy on craigslist and was installed by a reputable local shop. I have reason to believe that the amp has a heat issue. After playing at 3/4 volume (pretty loud) for about 1 hr the amp will heat up and go into protection mode (this is where it lowers output to cool amp) and digital display reads 170F and the amp reads HOT!. Also I noted today that the fan was not on. The amp is placed in a location with very little ventilation and limited space. It is oriented with heatsink facing upwards. The sound will suddenly become more quite and it's annoying.

My Mmats D700.4 amp under the other seat driving my TC2000 15 is warm, but not hot, in exact same circumstances. Both amps, are pushed to about 3/4 output. Everything is wired with 0 gauge from battery and 4 gauge from dist. block.

I actually just read that the fan doesn't come on until 170F. The gains are set to .5/2 for front and .8/2 for rear.z

If amps commonly overheat in very tight, low circulation areas, I would be interested pick up a matching Mmats 4 channel or other significant quality amp to fit in this area.

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