Kenwood KAC-X201T Blinking Blue Triangle

[Deepak Walia]

So I brought the amp up to the battery and connected it straight and grounded to the engine block. The amp turned on and the blue light didn't blink. I was also getting 14v with multimeter connected to the terminals of the amplifier. So now, I'm even more confused. It is the ground wire going to the back that is bad or the positive wire from the battery?

 

[Deiimos]

So I brought the amp up to the battery and connected it straight and grounded to the engine block. The amp turned on and the blue light didn't blink. I was also getting 14v with multimeter connected to the terminals of the amplifier. So now, I'm even more confused. It is the ground wire going to the back that is bad or the positive wire from the battery?

Based on your first post I'd start with the ground, reinstall the amp, and then run a different wire straight to the battery negative or engine block, if you have any spare wire to do this test.

Can of course also inspect the terminals at the end of the old wire, look for rust or corrosion on the old wire too / contact points, or even just cut off a few inches and put a new ring terminal on or whatever it has on it and see if that fixes it.

I'm leaning towards ground because you said:
"Car is turned on, if I touch the positive and ground terminal at the AMP, the highest voltage I get is about 9v. However, if I touch the positive terminal on the AMP and the ground to the chassis of the car, I get over 14v".....
So this makes me think it's the ground, and where I would try first.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Id check the ground and make sure its secure,
Check the power connection wiring at the battery
Make sure all the supply wiring and ground wiring is tight and making contact.
Check the Remote wiring from the HU to the amplifier and make sure that the Copper portion and not just the wire casing is only making contact at the remote on the amplifier.
make sure all fuses on amplifier are in excellent condition, then all speaker wiring connects solid.
Be sure to check each sub woofer for proper Ohms value. Its best to check each sub separately before connecting to the amplifier.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Its possible you may have one bad sub as well dropping the ohm load down a bit throwing the amp into protect as well? Check all wiring to make sure secure first. Road vibrations over time create loose connections eventually. I usually check mine twice a year

 

[Deepak Walia]

So I checked the ground wire. And god*am*tt, the frekin ground wire had wiggled out of the connector. Put a new connector on and everything works fine. I think when I originally put the connector on, I didn't have a proper crimping tool; I must have just hammered it down.

Thank you to everyone who helped troubleshoot this problem. It's nice to have knowledgeable people to speak with. I hope it continues to run for another 20 years.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

@Deiimos Hit it on the spot from the beginning of a bad ground. Excellent! Im happy to hear that you went through some procedures to locate the culprit. Sometimes it can be the most of simplistic issues. Great diagnose and find for a well outcome of an issue here. Hopefully that amp will serve a while longer. Most older amplifiers to me seem to be built so much better to last and easy to repair with minimum skills