Left side of component set going out randomly...

[Chrisrizzy]

Last Friday I had an amplifier installed to run my JBL component speakers that I've had running off the OEM amp since late July. Everything sounds awesome, but for some reason, the left side of the components has randomly gone off a few times with no warning really. The right side of the set is unaffected when this happens. Then, they'll come back and sound as good as they did before. This never happened to me before adding the amp, but I suspect the RCAs going to the amp could be bad although brand new. I have checked all connections and the RCAs going to them fit in, but seem like they should fit just a tad tighter. If everything else is performing well and when the left side works it sounds good, do you agree or have another idea?

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[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Who installed the amp? I would check the speaker connections on the amp. Same thing happened to me. My speakers would randomly cut out and found out the amps' speaker terminals the speaker wire was "cut" by the set screw and giving crackling/popping noises...and sometimes wouldn't work. Put a connector on the end of the wire that goes into the amp and works fine ever since.

 

[Chrisrizzy]

Best Buy.... I know it sounds bad, but trust me, I've seen the install quality and heard stories from the other two shops by my house and have been discouraged. The main installer at this best buy has been doing car audio for 20 years and I can tell him and the other guy definitely know their stuff so I would think it'd be done right. And by cut, do you mean totally detached from the connection on the amp?

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Best Buy.... I know it sounds bad, but trust me, I've seen the install quality and heard stories from the other two shops by my house and have been discouraged. The main installer at this best buy has been doing car audio for 20 years and I can tell him and the other guy definitely know their stuff so I would think it'd be done right. And by cut, do you mean totally detached from the connection on the amp?

Sounds good. Send John Kuthe to them!!

Yes, disconnected from the amp...sorta....with some pieces of wire in the amps' speaker terminal....trying to make contact.

 

[Chrisrizzy]

Sounds good. Send John Kuthe to them!!

Yes, disconnected from the amp...sorta....with some pieces of wire in the amps' speaker terminal....trying to make contact.

No lol John will come and bash on them when they want to do things correctly. He's better off wasting his $ at overpriced Custom Sounds like he is. There's a reason most of their customers are for window tint haha.

And I'm still a bit confused on the speaker wire thing. Everything looked OK to me when I checked it, but I could definitely be wrong as I don't know **** haha. Could I send a pic of the wiring tomorrow before I leave for class?

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Not sure how a pic is gonna help any but if you want to.

 

[Chrisrizzy]

Not sure how a pic is gonna help any but if you want to.

Pics are a pain in the a s s here anyway. I'm not getting anything from the left now even after messing with the wires. I really don't care to mess with it right now. If I just brought it up there to them, do you think it'd be a pretty quick fix?

 

[crosjr 10+ year member]

Gotta start troubleshooting somewhere. I would start with switching the L/R RCAs at the amp input and see if the side you lose switches.

 

[Chrisrizzy]

I tried that first last night and it did not switch.

 

[crosjr 10+ year member]

Ok, sounds like Boomin has the right direction then. Either bad speaker wire connection at the amp or at the crossover or the wire was knicked somewhere along the way. Was it a new wire run or did it tap through the factory wiring to the doors?

 

[Chrisrizzy]

It's new wire run I'm pretty sure. And neither the tweeter or the mid plays. The smallest wire connected to the ground on the amp looks a little messed up (sorry I'm bad with the names of wires) amp isn't going into protect either