Amp wiring

[Dougwoods7]

I have 2 skar audio 12s and an autotek 1600.2 amp. I used a wiring kit. I think it was 4 gauge or thinner. My inline fuse has melted the case and the wiring is almost burned in two. I was told i needed to run 0 gauge and replace the inline fuse with a 300amp....is that correct?

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[Bass Addict 10+ year member]

I have 2 skar audio 12s and an autotek 1600.2 amp. I used a wiring kit. I think it was 4 gauge or thinner. My inline fuse has melted the case and the wiring is almost burned in two. I was told i needed to run 0 gauge and replace the inline fuse with a 300amp....is that correct?

Sounds right.

 

[some dude]

How many Amps was the melted fuse rated for?

Do you listen to music at maximum volume for any long periods?

 

[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

I think 4 gauge is rated 150 A at 25 feet.

I’m running 12ft of 1/0 gauge with a 200 A inline fuse. My maximum amperage draw is 140. Some will fuse for the wire, but it doesn’t make sense to me if I did a 350 A fuse in my case.

 

[Dougwoods7]

How many Amps was the melted fuse rated for?

Do you listen to music at maximum volume for any long periods?

Im really not sure but yes i listen to it on the to work and back

 

[spokey9]

Did you buy a cheap amp kit or an ofc kit?

 

[Dougwoods7]

Did you buy a cheap amp kit or an ofc kit?

Cheap. From advance auto parts

 

[Firewalker]

That would explain it. Buy a proper kit that has OFC in it. Amazon, Sky High Audio, Sonicelectronix, Crutchfield even eBay has OFC kits for sale.

 

[spokey9]

It was more than likely aluminum wire then and it takes roughly one size larger for aluminum to carry the amperage as copper...

I'd double check your grounds are good just to be on the safe side but using better quality wire in the appropriate size and a quality fuse holder should fix the problem...looking at that amp it's a class ab so it's inefficient so it's gonna draw more power than a same size class d to output the same wattage...maybe 0g is what you need I'm not sure tbh...just use copper (ofc) this time around...

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

That amp has two 20 amp fuses. You don't need 0 gauge or 4.

Had to have been a poor connection as 8 gauge CCA is rated 40 amps at 20' long.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

That would explain it. Buy a proper kit that has OFC in it. Amazon, Sky High Audio, Sonicelectronix, Crutchfield even eBay has OFC kits for sale.

It was more than likely aluminum wire then and it takes roughly one size larger for aluminum to carry the amperage as copper...

I'd double check your grounds are good just to be on the safe side but using better quality wire in the appropriate size and a quality fuse holder should fix the problem...looking at that amp it's a class ab so it's inefficient so it's gonna draw more power than a same size class d to output the same wattage...maybe 0g is what you need I'm not sure tbh...just use copper (ofc) this time around...

The correct answer is loose connection.

 

[HardofWhoring]

I think 4 gauge is rated 150 A at 25 feet.

I’m running 12ft of 1/0 gauge with a 200 A inline fuse. My maximum amperage draw is 140. Some will fuse for the wire, but it doesn’t make sense to me if I did a 350 A fuse in my case.

The fuse on the wire is for the wire. If you make the fuse higher than the wire's capability, then the fuse is pointless, and if you have too much draw, you will melt the wire, to where it could connect to metal, arc, and burn your vehicle to the ground.

 

[HardofWhoring]

I agree it sounds like a bad connection. If you melted it at the case, then that is where you most likely had a loose connection. You really need to crank down hard. I've also seen some fuse connectors that COULD be connected with a screwdriver. You won't get it tight enough without a wrench.


* Almost every amp has on-board fuses. Those fuses are for the amp.
* Your inline fuse needs to be rated higher than your total amp(s) fuse(s).
* Your wiring needs to be capable of more than what the inline fuse will be rated at. You can go as big as you'd like with the wire, and it only takes up a little more physical space, and costs a little more to buy.
* Your inline fuse on the wire is supposed to be as close to, or at the battery to protect the wire, (any length not fused from battery to fuse is prone to melting and causing a catastrophic meltdown).
*The inline fuse on the wire, needs to be less than what the wire is capable of handling or else it is pointless. The fuse is there to INTENTIONALLY be the weak point in the circuit. IF it's going to fail, then you would like it to fail where it is protected and can be the easiest fix.

 

[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

The fuse on the wire is for the wire. If you make the fuse higher than the wire's capability, then the fuse is pointless, and if you have too much draw, you will melt the wire, to where it could connect to metal, arc, and burn your vehicle to the ground

Yeah, using a fuse higher than 350 on a 0 gauge wire is bad but I’m using only a 200 with a maximum draw of 140 I can use a 150 but I didn’t find one in ANL