Sundown 1500 going into Protect at loud volumes

[dwpjr 10+ year member]

Background: I am using a Sundown 1500 to run two Sundown Zv1 15's dual 2's. I have this in a Suburban. I have the stock 140 amp alt. with two regular Autozone batteries under the hood, and two C & D batteries in the back. I've done the big 3(really 6) with 1/0 wire. I have one run of 2/0 welding cable from the front to the back. My main ground in the back is 2/0 welding cable coming off the cassis to one of the C & D's. I also have an MB Quart 80X4 running 4 6.5 component sets. The Sundown keeps going into protect even when the voltage is 13.5. I have replaced all cheap "ring terminals" with tinned copper lugs. All wire running to the Sundown is 1/0 OFC except for a couple runs of 1/0 CCA, none more than 5 feet long. I have replaced fuse holders, checked every connection, etc. I can't find the problem.

I have very cheap RCA cables...cheapest ones Walmart sells. could they be causing the problem? When I unhook the power from both amps, and connect it back, I get a spark. Should that happen? It seems that after that spark, the Sundown works for a few minutes, then starts going into protect again.

I'm pulling my hair out because I had this exact same setup in an Expedition with only one battery under the hood, and none in the back. My voltage would drop into the low 11's and never ever go into protect.

Help me please!!! lol

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[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

hell no those rcas shouldnt spark!!! sounds like you need get that amp looked at under your warranty if you have one,if not..find someone that will take a look at it,but ya..get that amp looked at,and pull the power from it,before you damage it any furthermg:

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

Its normal to see a spark when sticking the power wire inside the amp. It could be your rca's, try buying better ones to see if it works. Also it could be your ground wire as well and how long is it? What kind of headunit do you have? Are you running the amp at .5 ohm, 2 ohms, or 8 ohms? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

rcas don't cause an amp to go into protect something in the amp is bad and as it warms up with use after a minute it fails and go's protect your amp needs servicing.

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

rcas don't cause an amp to go into protect something in the amp is bad and as it warms up with use after a minute it fails and go's protect your amp needs servicing.

Sundown doesnt like certain types of rca's and heard it can cause it go into protect.

 

[brooklynjoy2008 10+ year member]

Why are you connecting power or ground wires that are hot? if just one of those little wires touch your grounded amp it can mess it up. You should always connect the wires to the amp then connect the battery or fuse, I learned this the hard way. Also try checking the resistance of your ground.

 

[dwpjr 10+ year member]

I'm running at .5 ohms. The ground wire is about 5 foot long coming directly off the chassis. The amp does not get warm at all. This happens whether I have just turned it on, or been playing it at mid volume for awhile. I'm not connecting the power cord directly to the amp when it's hot, I'm connecting the power wire to the battery terminal when I get the spark.

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

Service

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

I'm running at .5 ohms. The ground wire is about 5 foot long coming directly off the chassis. The amp does not get warm at all. This happens whether I have just turned it on, or been playing it at mid volume for awhile. I'm not connecting the power cord directly to the amp when it's hot, I'm connecting the power wire to the battery terminal when I get the spark.

Thats one long ground wire. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif

Try playing each sub one by one see if it still goes into protect.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Thats one long ground wire. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif
Try playing each sub one by one see if it still goes into protect.

keep doing this here, and void your warranty..take it out and send it off before you completely trash that amp

 

[sundownz Pro Seller]

You are operating at 0.5 ohm -- you may get protect at a very high volume level depending on your actual impedance profile in this setup. If you have the capability to do so clamping power would clue you in a bit. At a certain point the amp will go into protect if you are pushing for more power than it can safely deliver. On a 1500D that is going to be 1900+ watts or so before that happens typically.

Also... a bad RCA *can* make an amp protect if it sends an unwanted signal to the amp. Typically the cheap RCAs present no issues unless they are damaged.

 

[timma100 10+ year member]

I'm running at .5 ohms. The ground wire is about 5 foot long coming directly off the chassis. The amp does not get warm at all. This happens whether I have just turned it on, or been playing it at mid volume for awhile. I'm not connecting the power cord directly to the amp when it's hot, I'm connecting the power wire to the battery terminal when I get the spark.

What kind of electrical do you have if your running at .5??

 

[dwpjr 10+ year member]

It's going into protect way before reaching maximum power. If I unhook power to the amp, then hook it back up (with a spark), I can play it for a couple of minutes really loud without any issues, then it starts going into protect. And it starts doing it at less and less volume....sometimes even when my voltage is above 13.5. Punchy bass definitely makes it go into protect faster. I had the exact same setup, minus the two C&D batteries in a different vehicle with no issues at all. I've even had it go a week or so in this vehicle with no issues. I feel like I've tried everything, and I don't know what else to try.

 

[dwpjr 10+ year member]

What kind of electrical do you have if your running at .5??

Two batteries under the hood, two C&D batteries in the back. The big three. 95% of wiring is 1/0 or 2/0 OFC. Stock 140 amp alternator. I think my electrical is good enough.

 

---------- Post added at 04:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:27 PM ----------

 

keep doing this here, and void your warranty..take it out and send it off before you completely trash that amp[/quote
Warranty ran out years ago. lol

 

[timma100 10+ year member]

Two batteries under the hood, two C&D batteries in the back. The big three. 95% of wiring is 1/0 or 2/0 OFC. Stock 140 amp alternator. I think my electrical is good enough. 

---------- Post added at 04:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:27 PM ----------

 

keep doing this here, and void your warranty..take it out and send it off before you completely trash that amp[/quote
Warranty ran out years ago. lol

Yes sir that is plenty of battery.. how do you have the batteries wired? Grounded to each other? (if so thats a very good thing)