Head restart and fade/balance issues

[joule5]

Hello, any feedback/comments/suggestions/thoughts will be greatly appreciated. I've got two issues: Head unit resets intermittently and fade/balance does not control the correct speakers (details below).

Setup:
Car: 2017 Honda HR-V
Head - JVC KW-Z100W with Maestro RR2 and HO2 (replaced OEM 7" head)
Amps - Audio Control D-4.800 (4 channel with DSP & line output, 4 X 125 WRMS @ 4ohm) & LC-1.800 (mono for sub, 800 WRMS @ 2 ohm)
Speakers: Front: component 2-way Kickers (100 WRMS 4 ohm), Rear: 2-way Kickers (100 WRMS 4 ohm), Sub: Kicker L7 (720 WRMS 2 ohm).
Wires: Kicker 1/0 dual amp kit (silver tinned OFC), 16 AWG OFC to door speakers, 12 AWG OFC to sub. RCA shielded twisted pairs.
Wiring: Using HU preout RCA front and rear channels to D-4.800 amp. Sub amp LC-1.800 input is from D-4.800 RCA output. (photo below shows HU preamp channel 5&6 connection, but 5&6 are disconnected/unused now from the HU). All speakers are wired directly from amps, not through the head unit harness.
Tuning: Gains set with an Audio Control DM-RTA and with the built in amps max gain LEDs (whichever detected distorted sine wave first. Front and rear gains set with 1kHz .wav file, sub gain set with 50 Hz .wav file. Sub low pass set at 100 Hz at the head unit and at the amp. Front and rear high pass at 80 Hz, also at the head and amp.

My experience: This is my first self-install. I'm an engineer though, with tons of electronics and mechanical experience. Installation was straightforward. System was installed about a month ago.

Issue 1: Head unit reset:

1. The head unit shuts down and restarts intermittently.
2. Sometimes it restarts after a couple of hours, sometimes it restarts after a few minutes.
3. Sometimes the audio sounds like a skipping CD just before reset. Sometimes the audio cuts in and out a few times just before rest. Sometimes reset happens without skipping or cutting in and out.
4. Reset happens regardless of source.
5. Upon reset, the source is retained sometimes and other times the source is not retained.
6. Occasionally, the head unit displays a message to "Pull over to a safe area, turn the car off then back on again".
7. Protect LEDs do not illuminate on the amps and they don't "feel" excessively warm. No errors are displayed at the head unit.
8. I had a single 5.1 channel amp for the first few days but replaced it with the two amps that are in now. No change to the reset...

Troubleshooting progress:

1. HU firmware was two versions behind and has been updated.
2. Voltage at the amps is equal to voltage at the battery (usually 13-13.5 volts).
3. Resistance at amp grounds to negative battery terminal is 0 ohm and does have continuity. Remote wire also has continuity at 0 ohms.
4. HU power wire voltage is equal to battery voltage (13-13.5 V usually) and constant. HU voltage remains constant, even just before reset.
5. Reset is not due to HU overheating - it restarts while pulled out, definitely not blocking the fan.
6. I've been on the phone with Crutchfield for at least two hours total. They think the head is defective, and agree to replace it when its back in stock.
   1. I'm not convinced the head unit is faulty... but maybe.
7. JVC support does not have any suggestions.
8. I haven't bench tested the HU... that may be the next step.

Issue 2: Fade and balance do not control the correct speakers:

1. Fade position to full front center decreases front speaker volume to almost inaudible
2. Position to rear right reduces rear right volume and seems to increase left front and maybe rear left
3. Position to right front decreases right front and increases left front and rear right.
4. I'm going to check this again tonight with an SPL to get more definitive data. Overall, selected positions don't match the speakers they're supposed to control and several corner positions effect the reverse diagonal speakers.

Troubleshooting progress:

1. RCA preout channels are verified correct (see images below)
2. Amp output channels to speakers are correct. (I disconnected each channel one at a time and each speaker had zero sound when disconnected)
3. Verified, I'm in 2 way mode in head unit
4. Verified the sound priority is set to all seats equally.
5. My next step is to check continuity at each RCA, to make sure cable labels at each end match (not mislabeled from the manufacturer). I'll do this tonight.

Any thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

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[Scott2021]

May want to check your ground, even re-ground if using factory ground. Then, check all connections and for consistent voltage. Finally, pull it out and test on the bench. if it does it on the bench, it’s defective.

 

[joule5]

May want to check your ground, even re-ground if using factory ground. Then, check all connections and for consistent voltage. Finally, pull it out and test on the bench. if it does it on the bench, it’s defective.

Thanks, preciate it. I couldn't locate a factory ground (anyone aware of one in an HR-V? I ended up grinding a spot under the cargo tie down in the trunk. Wasn't my first choice, but it does have continuity at 0 ohm from negative terminal.

I'll bench test it soon.