Help! Amp Turns Off Every Time Car Auto-Stop/Starts

a-a-r-o-n

CarAudio.com Newbie
Hello! I just installed a Infinity Primus 6004a Amp on my 2018 GMC Terrain, which was a hell of an install process, and am running into an issue I don't know how to solve. I don't do a ton of DIY audio projects, so I was hoping someone with more experience on here might have an opinion on how to solve this.

Like most newer cars, my car has an auto stop-start feature. So, if you are in traffic or at a red light, the engine will stop when the car isn't moving. It will then restart itself when you take your foot off the brake. In my car, this is a feature that cannot be turned off. The problem I am having is that every time the car auto restarts, the amp turns off for 3 seconds. I tested everything with a volt meter, and identified that the root cause is that the car battery voltage drops to 10.8v for 1 second every time the car restart happens (when the engine is cranking up). I ruled out it being the remote line by using a separate battery to power it, so it sensitivity to the line powering the amp itself, which is also has the same voltage reading I get when the car is starting directly at the battery. This is a 2018 GMC Terrain with low miles, and I don't really have anything else indicating an issue with the battery. I get over 12v resting with the car off and over 14v with it on.

So, my question is, is it normal for an amp to turn off if the car voltage drops to 10.8v for a second? Is there a way to solve this problem? As you can imagine, having the audio cut out for 3 seconds every time the car goes through an auto-stop/restart function is really really really annoying. This is also not a behavior of the factory radio.

Please help!
 
Yea, it isn't the remote line (tested powering the remote line differently and had same result). And, the main power to the amp is a new dedicated 8awg line ran directly to the battery.
 
Last edited:
I just did an install on a 2019 terrain with the turbo 4 engine.
He can turn off the auto start/ stop feature on his. Read the owners manual carefully. I'll text him today and ask the sequence he has to do to turn it off. I'll get back to you as soon as he gets back to me.
It is a pain in the *ss though. He has to turn it off every time he starts the car. But if he doesn't, his amps won't shut off. That is a unique problem unfortunately
 
I just did an install on a 2019 terrain with the turbo 4 engine.
He can turn off the auto start/ stop feature on his. Read the owners manual carefully. I'll text him today and ask the sequence he has to do to turn it off. I'll get back to you as soon as he gets back to me.
It is a pain in the *ss though. He has to turn it off every time he starts the car. But if he doesn't, his amps won't shut off. That is a unique problem unfortunately

Thanks, let me know! I just found some write ups on different vehicles having the same problem where people just got a different amp that was less sensitive to the voltage drop, but this is the only amp that has the specs/features I need that is also small enough to hide inside the dashboard. The only other path I can think of would be to install an accessory battery and battery isolator, but I'm don't think I have the space to hide that anywhere practical in the vehicle. These cars were not designed to have aftermarket audio upgrades.
 
Thanks, let me know! I just found some write ups on different vehicles having the same problem where people just got a different amp that was less sensitive to the voltage drop, but this is the only amp that has the specs/features I need that is also small enough to hide inside the dashboard. The only other path I can think of would be to install an accessory battery and battery isolator, but I'm don't think I have the space to hide that anywhere practical in the vehicle. These cars were not designed to have aftermarket audio upgrades.
No, they weren't! Upgrading the electrical in my buddies terrain has been nothing short of a nightmare! That's why it's still stock right now 🤣
 
The factory battery is 4 years old. It could be getting weak and causing the problem. You could test this by connecting a jump box or jumper cables to your car and trying to start it while your stereo is playing.

Their are also stop start bypass kits available so that your car doesn’t turn off in the first place. Which might be a good idea anyway due to the extra wear on the starter.
 
Hey, sorry for the wait.
So, here's s couple things for you to try. Each one you'd have to do every time you started the car, but, it is what it is. That car really ***** trying to customize it.
First, I doubt there is, but do you have a button in the car that has an A in it with a kind of a circle around it?
Another way is to start the car with the hood open, and then close it. It's supposed to make the car think it's with a mechanic.
The way my buddy does it, is, he puts it in drive, then he puts it in low, then scrolls to L9.
 
Hey, sorry for the wait.
So, here's s couple things for you to try. Each one you'd have to do every time you started the car, but, it is what it is. That car really ***** trying to customize it.
First, I doubt there is, but do you have a button in the car that has an A in it with a kind of a circle around it?
Another way is to start the car with the hood open, and then close it. It's supposed to make the car think it's with a mechanic.
The way my buddy does it, is, he puts it in drive, then he puts it in low, then scrolls to L9.

Yea, the 2018 SLE doesn't have a button to turn it off
 
After surfing for some solutions, I've decided to swap out the refurb amp for a new/same non-refurb one (isn't operating to spec, supposed to function down to 9v), and also order a new car battery (tested on the lower end of okay, may be time to replace). Waiting for those to come in, but hoping one of the 2 solve the problem. I'll post back with an update for the next person that has this problem
 
After surfing for some solutions, I've decided to swap out the refurb amp for a new/same non-refurb one (isn't operating to spec, supposed to function down to 9v), and also order a new car battery (tested on the lower end of okay, may be time to replace). Waiting for those to come in, but hoping one of the 2 solve the problem. I'll post back with an update for the next person that has this problem

I'd hold off on the battery. Replace the amp first and you might save yourself the cost of a battery. There are also batteries known for keeping higher voltages, the spl guys might have recommendation. I wonder if a good capacitor might help in this case. 🤔
 
Alright, closing the loop on this for the next guy that has this problem:

I replaced the amp with the same model but non-refurb and it had the same problem. For reference this is the Infinity Primus 6004a which is also the same amp as the JBL Stage A6004. So, I then pulled the car battery out and took it to OReilly to have them load test it. It came back "good" but with about 25% of life remaining.

Now knowing I would probably be doing this within a year anyway, I decided to buy a new ACDelco Gold AGM car battery on Amazon. I popped it in, and the amp is no longer cutting out on restart. This car's battery is in a tight space and has items mounted to the top of it, so I didn't have the option of buying a larger than spec battery. However, the ACDelco Gold had 70 more CCA than the one installed at the factory.

The moral of this story is avoid using this amp if your car has the auto-stop/restart feature. It is too sensitive to the voltage fluctuations that occur during this cycle. I would use a different one, but it is literally the only 4-channel amp I found that has built in adjustable bass boosting EQ for all speaker channels, speaker-level ins, and is also small enough for me to hide in a space inside the dash. I needed this to add low-end while also avoiding adding a sub that I didn't really have space for.

I will say though, now that the install is working I am really happy with the audio upgrade. You can read more about doing this on a 2018 GMC Terrain here: https://www.terrainforum.net/thread...speakers-amp-without-breaking-the-bank.32606/
 
Alright, closing the loop on this for the next guy that has this problem:

I replaced the amp with the same model but non-refurb and it had the same problem. For reference this is the Infinity Primus 6004a which is also the same amp as the JBL Stage A6004. So, I then pulled the car battery out and took it to OReilly to have them load test it. It came back "good" but with about 25% of life remaining.

Now knowing I would probably be doing this within a year anyway, I decided to buy a new ACDelco Gold AGM car battery on Amazon. I popped it in, and the amp is no longer cutting out on restart. This car's battery is in a tight space and has items mounted to the top of it, so I didn't have the option of buying a larger than spec battery. However, the ACDelco Gold had 70 more CCA than the one installed at the factory.

The moral of this story is avoid using this amp if your car has the auto-stop/restart feature. It is too sensitive to the voltage fluctuations that occur during this cycle. I would use a different one, but it is literally the only 4-channel amp I found that has built in adjustable bass boosting EQ for all speaker channels, speaker-level ins, and is also small enough for me to hide in a space inside the dash. I needed this to add low-end while also avoiding adding a sub that I didn't really have space for.

I will say though, now that the install is working I am really happy with the audio upgrade. You can read more about doing this on a 2018 GMC Terrain here: https://www.terrainforum.net/thread...speakers-amp-without-breaking-the-bank.32606/

Another option in the future would be to use the "ignition on" wire to trigger a relay that pulls 12v directly from the battery for your remote wire.

My sorrento has the same stupid feature and when the car "stops" the voltage on the ignition on wire drops to about 8v. If you use that signal for your remote on, your amp will shut off. I've done a little digging trying to find a easy way to add a system to the car, but for now it remains stock until someone comes up with a harness.

Matt
 
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a-a-r-o-n

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