Electrical issue. Amp shutting down.

[RobertR 10+ year member]

I am having what I believe is an electrical issue that I cant figure out. Ill start by listing my setup.

kenwood kvt-617dvd

1 jl 12w6v2 d4 wired parallel in a ported box

jl 500/1 v1

4 ga power and ground. both directly to the battery

50A fuse 18" away from my positive battery terminal

Okay so the issue I am having is my amp stops working when I turn up the volume. It will come back on for a few seconds and then shut off again for 10 or 15 seconds. It will continue to produce bass at very low volumes, but when I turn it up I will get a few seconds of bass and then it starts acting up so I shut it down out of fear of burning something up.

I set up the amp according to jl's website using a 50hz tone and a dmm to 31.6v. I am getting 14.12v from my alternator.

The thermal light not coming on and neither is the low ohm warning light. The power light stays on. The amp does not feel warm to the touch.

Now I dont claim to be an car audio expert by any means, (otherwise I would be answering questions like this instead of asking them) but wiring an amp seems to be pretty straight forward. Im also pretty sure that with this setup I WONT get ear drum shattering, smash every system at competitions, brown note busting bass. But...... I should at the very least be able to slightly irritate my neighbors and not get laughed at by the kid in the cavalier with two 12" DUAL subs in the neon lighted box and the 500 watt lightning audio amp.

I will be looking into doing the "big 3" to see if that helps. Im honestly not looking forward to it due my battery being in the trunk and trying to run 1/0 ga wire from my alt all the way back but I will if I have to.

I know the amp will shut off if the voltage from the battery drops too low but I have no idea how low it has to drop till it shuts off. I would think that if I am getting 14.12v from my alternator that low voltage is not really my problem. But again Im no expert.

I will try to answer all questions the best I can. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

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[Germ305 10+ year member]

Wait...Did you ground the amp to the body (Bare metal) of the vehicle? or literally the battery?

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

Get your hands on a multi meter and see what your voltage is at

Also didn't read all of that just skimmed but what battery do you have and do you kno the size. If ur alt... I don't see how that amp is pulling thst much power.... What is the condition of your battery

 

[Germ305 10+ year member]

Get your hands on a multi meter and see what your voltage is at


Also didn't read all of that just skimmed but what battery do you have and do you kno the size. If ur alt... I don't see how that amp is pulling thst much power.... What is the condition of your battery

Not to get off topic...but dayum Tj answer your messages...or text me.

 

[RobertR 10+ year member]

It is grounded directly to the battery.

battery info:

Autocraft Titan

battery group size:48

Size: 11.38" L x 6.88" W x 6.88" H

Cranking Amps: 875

Cold Cranking Amps: 700

120 reserve

Voltage: 12

Termination: A

Battery is in good condition.

 

[Germ305 10+ year member]

It is grounded directly to the battery.

I could be wrong (never seen anyone ground an amp to the battery)...But I suggest trying to ground that amp to the car body...remember to remove the paint from the spot you plan on grounding it.

 

[BlactimusCrime 10+ year member]

try turning your gain down a bit, and wheres your bass boost at?

 

[BlactimusCrime 10+ year member]

I could be wrong (never seen anyone ground an amp to the battery)...But I suggest trying to ground that amp to the car body...remember to remove the paint from the spot you plan on grounding it.

this isnt the issue. the battery is the best place to ground if you can, wire is meant to not lose voltage, car chassis are not really designed for that lol

 

[RobertR 10+ year member]

boost is all the way down. Ill try turning the gain down tomorrow. Stupid question: JL website says to set gain to 31.6v. Which is where mine is at. Could this be wrong? Ive heard the 500/1 actually puts out closer to 700 watts. Should I adjust the gain from the manual specs or real world numbers? Should I check the wiring on the sub in case I missed something?

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

I could be wrong (never seen anyone ground an amp to the battery)...But I suggest trying to ground that amp to the car body...remember to remove the paint from the spot you plan on grounding it.

All of my amps are grounded to my batts....... Of course the batts are grounded to the frame but nonetheless...

OP not sure about ur issue but seeing how u have no idea what voltage your amps are seeing I would say start there. Buy a volt meter to see if you are dropping way past what u may think you are.

 

[RobertR 10+ year member]

amp see's 14.09v to 14.10v

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

test it while its playing also for 500w/700w big three isnt needed also double check your wires sub to amp make sure there not crossed

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

amp see's 14.09v to 14.10v

How do u know this?? Jus cause ur alt charges at 14v's in no way means ur amps are seeing 14volts.... I think you have a voltage issue but what do I know....

 

[RobertR 10+ year member]

I know ts getting 14.09v to 14.10v because when I touch the leads of my DMM to the positive and negative on the amp while the car is running it says 14.09v and would sometimes hit 14.10v.

 

[BlactimusCrime 10+ year member]

I know ts getting 14.09v to 14.10v because when I touch the leads of my DMM to the positive and negative on the amp while the car is running it says 14.09v and would sometimes hit 14.10v.

do you have music on when you do this? you need to.