Ground melted in my previous amp.

[Ncascone]

Hey guys,

My last amp was a Infinity Reference 611a. I was powering 2 12 inch Alpine type Rs. It went well for about a year and a half and then the ground in my amp melted.

I spoke with someone today who said the problem was probably a bad ground. He said it was probably due to not having a thick enough ground wire. Does this sound right and what kind of a ground wire would I get to make sure this doesn't happen again. Was previously using Scosche amp wiring kit so that's the kind of ground cable I was using.

Thanks in advance for any help with this!

Click to read more...

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

not necessarily a bad ground if it happened over time like that, much more likely that it corrodes over time and heated up. make sure to check and clean your grounds every few months and resand the ground for the best connection

 

[Ncascone]

I noticed that! I noticed that gunk had accumulated under the ground even though it was secured very tight. Very interesting, I did not know this. Thanks a lot for your response man this helped a lot.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

It'll be light green in color....kinda like laundry soap looking.

I was wondering myself....how the hell do you melt a ground.

Get rid of that infested corroded cable and replace it. I've seen one so corroded it disconnected from the battery.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Yeah, I see some crazy corroded shit come in the shop at work.

Found some 4/0 welding cable in the back of the shop that was mostly corrosion under the insulating jacket. You could feel it cracking when you bent the insulation. Whole length of wire was worthless

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Alex, what causes corrosion? Is there a way to prevent it?

 

[Massive spl]

Alex, what causes corrosion? Is there a way to prevent it?

Moisture. Buy good wire and lugs... Copper tinned.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Moisture. Buy good wire and lugs... Copper tinned.

Is your name Alex? lol j/k

Gonna wanna do that/big 3 to my s10 soon.

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

a well cleaned tight ground kept dry shouldnt corrode for many years. it's actually a good idea to tape off the surrounding area of where you're sanding to keep it covered in paint and less likely to rust, but aint nobody got time for that, including myself lol

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

a well cleaned tight ground kept dry shouldnt corrode for many years. it's actually a good idea to tape off the surrounding area of where you're sanding to keep it covered in paint and less likely to rust, but aint nobody got time for that, including myself lol

Tape? No bad idea. it will eventually come off over time. Maybe clear silicone.

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

Tape? No bad idea. it will eventually come off over time. Maybe clear silicone.

you're misunderstanding what im saying, tape around the ring terminal and then remote the terminal, leave the tape, and sand, once you've sanded remove the tape and the factory paint will still be there protecting the metal

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

you're misunderstanding what im saying, tape around the ring terminal and then remote the terminal, leave the tape, and sand, once you've sanded remove the tape and the factory paint will still be there protecting the metal

guess not. I would use heat shrink around the end of the terminal instead of tape.

Pic maybe?

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

guess not. I would use heat shrink around the end of the terminal instead of tape.
Pic maybe?

lol taping around the outline of the terminal man, yes heatshrink for the rest of it

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Sounds like a lot of work

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

takes 15 seconds to put the terminal down, put tape around the outline, and then sand only where the terminal is.. if thats a lot of work i dont want to know how lazy you are