Audio System refuses to work properly (all working components) .. confused

[Dustee83]

SO I've just upgraded my sound system in my 2006 Focus.

I Have a sony Headunit with 2x pre-outs (front & sub/rear)

2x BassFace DB2.1 (2/1 Channel Amps)

Vibe Slick 6C Component Set (in custom made rear mdf shelf)

JBL GTO 12" Subwoofer in custom built false floor (spare wheel well)*

- Having installed the system as follows:

Fitted head unit used factory wires and front door speakers

Spliced new cables to rear speakers on custom shelf (temporary until can get amps working)

Wiring kit -

4AWG power cable from battery (awg80a inline fuse at battery)

Cable runs into a 4way distribution block with 4x independent awg40a fuses) then 1 8awg power cable to each amp. 8awg earth cables from each amp to singular earth point properly grounded scratched down to bare metal and fitted with bolt.

Remote cable fitted to both amps.

NOW the HEADACHE!

Both amps power up (green LED) also custom fitted 2x led 120mm fans to them which power up from the Remote on with the amps just for a nice added touch and aid cooling.

However I get No sound from either amp via sub or rear speakers.

- Volt Tested the amps 12.8 volts on power cable to both amp with engine / stereo off - dips to 5.8 volt when stereo is on

- Volt Tested the Amps 1.3 volt on the remote lead when ignition/stereo is off - increases to 12.8 - 14.8 volts when stereo/engine is on.

- volt Tested both grounds to an independent ground and both read 0 volts

- Powered up BOTH amplifiers and hooked upto speakers / subwoofer on a 12v power supply for bench test.. ALL WORKS PERFECT in bench environment.

Used known working RCA leads..

Tested RCA outs on a secondary head unit (known working) still no sound in car!

Any idea what I could be missing?! I'm absolutely confused to hell right now

Click to read more...

 

[bigblank69 10+ year member]

Did you test the RCA cables outside of the car?

 

[Dustee83]

Did you test the RCA cables outside of the car?

Yes I removed the rca leads from my home cinema system and still no sound in the car
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[garychoffmann 10+ year member]

Jump 12v positive to remote turn on. It sounds like you have fans and lights running off the remote turn on? That really needs to be on a relay. Un hook the fans and lights, jump the 12v to remote turn on. See if it works. Remote wire is not deaigned for any sort of load on it.

 

[Dustee83]

Jump 12v positive to remote turn on. It sounds like you have fans and lights running off the remote turn on? That really needs to be on a relay. Un hook the fans and lights, jump the 12v to remote turn on. See if it works. Remote wire is not deaigned for any sort of load on it.

I've already tried this.. disconnected both fans.. still the same.. also bridged the 12v and remote on.. amps don't power up at all this way..

The fans will have their own independent power once I have everything up and running but there's a few extras I need to wire through before I can make this happen.

Firstly.. I need this issue resolving.. I must be missing something I'm just not sure what to check/do..

I've installed amps/stereos etc before and never come across anything like this [emoji57]

 

[Dustee83]

Ive attatched a Video - can see it runs fine through a 12v power supply when not in the car.. http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/59d282aa72f99/VID-20171002-WA0001.mp4

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[garychoffmann 10+ year member]

Check your crimp points, fuse and other connections starting from the battery back. If there is a bad connection it will drop voltage

 

[shizzzon 10+ year member]

You say at one point it dips to 5.8v. That's the problem right there. Extremely too low.

Take a cable, like jumper cables and run just the ground clamp off the ground terminal of the battery.

Keep your ground probe from multimeter on the other end of the clamp and start using the power probe from multimeter and start probing from the starting battery before AND after every termination point until you find a massive drop in voltage.

If you never find it.. then perhaps your grounding location is horrible. Perhaps you need a grounding strap ran to the front of the car due to the design of the vehicle itself?

If so, simply take jumper cables, clamp one end to battery ground, other end to grounding point of amps and see what happens.

 

[Dustee83]

You say at one point it dips to 5.8v. That's the problem right there. Extremely too low.
Take a cable, like jumper cables and run just the ground clamp off the ground terminal of the battery.

Keep your ground probe from multimeter on the other end of the clamp and start using the power probe from multimeter and start probing from the starting battery before AND after every termination point until you find a massive drop in voltage.

If you never find it.. then perhaps your grounding location is horrible. Perhaps you need a grounding strap ran to the front of the car due to the design of the vehicle itself?

If so, simply take jumper cables, clamp one end to battery ground, other end to grounding point of amps and see what happens.

I hadn't thought of trying this step... I'll give it a shot in the morning, should be fairly straight forward to find as for the sake of trying to diagnose the problem I've removed the distribution block and have just the one amp wired directly to the cable I run from the battery.The only break in this cable at this point is the fuse located at the battery end.

Cheers ??

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[LetMyBeatPound]

I had bad fuses do this... Allow enough voltage through to power the amp on but that was it. Could also be a bad battery... When my battery started going bad I was losing all sound from right side n intermittently on the left with the radio occasionally dying and the amps occasionally cutting out... But my problem before that was my fuse holder... Engine stereo off 12.8 on the battery, but around 3-5v on the other side of the fuse... The fuse wasn't burnt or anything either and tested ok for continuity but just wouldn't allow enough voltage through

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

5.8 volts??? How the hell is that even working?

Either....bad battery or alt. Since alt's recharge battery, you could be running straight off your battery and the alt isn't charging it.

 

[Dustee83]

Solved it... for some reason when the stereo was powered up the voltage dipped from 12+ to 5- .. only on the main feed. The remote power stayed consistent at 12+ volts.

Tested the cable terminal at battery.. this gave full voltage, before the inline fuse was full voltage and immediately after the fuse was 5.43 volts..

Changed the fuse and all is working..

Very strange not sure I understand how or why this happened but thanks to the pointers above. Headache solved!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk