Who can figure this out?

[the727kid 10+ year member]

I have having a very odd issue with my amplifier. It is a Kicker ZX850.4, was working fine until a few days ago. The issue is the amp shuts down after only a few minutes of play.

#1. The issue is to consistent to be a loose wire.

#2. The amp shuts off completely, no red light for protection, but it does show a green light when it is on.

#3. When the amp is off, the DMM reads 12v at power and 12v at remote.

#4. I tried by-passing the fuse to see if that is the problem, didn't help.

#5. Tried running the remote directly from the ACC instead of the MS8 and no luck with that.

#6. The amp will not turn back on unless it has been sitting for a decent amount of time.

Other than this I am pretty much stumped. I would be guessing something went wrong with the amp, but I don't know why it would turn on a play perfectly fine then shut off.

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[nateberrier 10+ year member]

Sounds like something is loose on the board and is heating up and separating, it could be a ton of things though.

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

Did you check the impedance of your speakers at the amp with the amp off? Might have a short somewhere in the wiring or the speakers/crossovers.

 

[nateberrier 10+ year member]

Did you check the impedance of your speakers at the amp with the amp off? Might have a short somewhere in the wiring or the speakers/crossovers.

This.

also might try letting it sit on with nothing connected, see if it gets warm without doing anything. Ive had amps do this.

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

Impendence is reading fine.. 3.6ish for the mids and 6.7ish for the tweets. An issue like that though I would imagine would put the amp into protect not shut it off completely. It doesn't get warm by its self either.

There is a local Kicker Dealer that also repairs amps, I guess I am going to have to stop by there.

 

[Horsemanwill 10+ year member]

AT DIyma you said you can "predict" when it's about to go out. explain.

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

If the car has been sitting for several hours, it will shut off in around ~5 minutes. If the car has been sitting for only an hour or so it will shut off withing 90 seconds. If the car has been sitting for 20 or less minutes it will not turn on.

 

[Horsemanwill 10+ year member]

have u tried it outside the car?

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

I check both forums regularly lol..

 

[Horsemanwill 10+ year member]

have you tested teh amp powered up outside the car. like a bench test seperate power/ground/ remote etc.

 

[sub-FATHER 10+ year member]

sounds like you have a bad battery up front or a bad Wire connection on the battery. you can also check your Ground. is your Ground completely cleaned and scraped to bare metal? and on the frame?

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

Humm... maybe the solder cracked where the power/ground/remote joins the circuit board?

If it's still working then take it out and repair it before it gets ruined.

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

sounds like you have a bad battery up front or a bad Wire connection on the battery. you can also check your Ground. is your Ground completely cleaned and scraped to bare metal? and on the frame?

Battery is good, tried different power and ground wires. Ground is directly to the battery since it is in the trunk.

 

[Team Maxxsonics 10+ year member]

You said in item: "#3. When the amp is off, the DMM reads 12v at power and 12v at remote."

Are you having this problem when the engine is running or off?

Either way, you should have had a higher voltage reading (12.5-12.9 engine off and 13.6-14.4 engine running).

It's best for you to be very specific so you we can get accurate info and provide accurate solutions.

My guess is that it is the remote wire is dropping voltage or current limited (this happens all the time).

Try this: (assuming you have proper power and ground connections)

1. Disconnect the remote wire from the amp (very important part).

2. Place a jumper wire from the amp remote input terminal to the amp constant + terminal (the amp should turn on).

3. Turn on the head unit and try for a period of time past when it would have normally have shut off.

4. If the amp stays on and works correctly, the problem is your remote source (loose wire connection or head unit problem) which is easily fixed.

Let us know.

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

The voltage is in the 14s. I have tried an alternative remote source but not a direct 12v power line.