H/U Very Hot!

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Hello All,

I recently acquired a 92 Camaro RS that had a Kenwood stereo in it that was only playing on the front speakers. I removed the head unit and found they had it all wired wrong, so I wired it the way it is suppose to be wired. Turn it on and all the speakers sound like they are playing well, however, I touch the back where the heat sink is and it actually burnt my finger to a blister and it had only been playing about 5 mins. I have never had this happen with any stereo I have ever installed and I have done many over they years. SO I took it out and put in an older stereo that I know works (was a sony explode) well and within 3 mins I check and this one is also as hot (I didn't touch it long enough for a blister this time). So just out of curiosity, I wire up the last stereo I have laying here which is a Pioneer and same thing so Hot that not only was I not able to touch it, it was starting to melt a piece of electrical tape that was touching it.

This is something that I have never seen before, so I have been doing a lot of reading and finding that others have had the same issue but there seems to be a lot of disagreement as to what is the actual cause or how to actually find the problem, so here are a couple things that I looked at to see what I could find.

I disconnected all the speaker wires and turned it on with just the power, put a cd in and made sure that it was playing by watching the numbers on the screen, after 10 mins no heat.

The Speakers, I don't know what was installed but I was told that they were all replaced. SO idk if this is the correct way to check without taking the speakers out of the car, I used my multi-meter to try to get an idea of what ohm speakers were installed because I read that could be an issue and the readings I got using the wires were all 4.0 on the front 2 speakers and RR speaker. The LR speaker however was giving a reading of 5.0.

Now I know I'm probably just grasping at straws here and probably sound like I'm clueless but I admit that, that's why I'm hear hoping that someone can point me in the right direction. I am assuming that it is something to do with the speakers or the wiring to the speakers because I get the same results from 3 separate stereos but I don't know where to go from here to narrow down the issue.

Thank you for any help,

Jim

 
Hello All,
I recently acquired a 92 Camaro RS that had a Kenwood stereo in it that was only playing on the front speakers. I removed the head unit and found they had it all wired wrong, so I wired it the way it is suppose to be wired. Turn it on and all the speakers sound like they are playing well, however, I touch the back where the heat sink is and it actually burnt my finger to a blister and it had only been playing about 5 mins. I have never had this happen with any stereo I have ever installed and I have done many over they years. SO I took it out and put in an older stereo that I know works (was a sony explode) well and within 3 mins I check and this one is also as hot (I didn't touch it long enough for a blister this time). So just out of curiosity, I wire up the last stereo I have laying here which is a Pioneer and same thing so Hot that not only was I not able to touch it, it was starting to melt a piece of electrical tape that was touching it.

This is something that I have never seen before, so I have been doing a lot of reading and finding that others have had the same issue but there seems to be a lot of disagreement as to what is the actual cause or how to actually find the problem, so here are a couple things that I looked at to see what I could find.

I disconnected all the speaker wires and turned it on with just the power, put a cd in and made sure that it was playing by watching the numbers on the screen, after 10 mins no heat.

The Speakers, I don't know what was installed but I was told that they were all replaced. SO idk if this is the correct way to check without taking the speakers out of the car, I used my multi-meter to try to get an idea of what ohm speakers were installed because I read that could be an issue and the readings I got using the wires were all 4.0 on the front 2 speakers and RR speaker. The LR speaker however was giving a reading of 5.0.

Now I know I'm probably just grasping at straws here and probably sound like I'm clueless but I admit that, that's why I'm hear hoping that someone can point me in the right direction. I am assuming that it is something to do with the speakers or the wiring to the speakers because I get the same results from 3 separate stereos but I don't know where to go from here to narrow down the issue.

Thank you for any help,

Jim
As a previous owner of a 1992 25th Anniversary Heritage Edition Camaro, I can tell you that what you are getting is NORMAL for THAT car. The back of the radio is ALMOST touching the transmission hump and there is NO ventilation back there.. It gets warm behind the radio opening even with the stereo out. The only way I got around it was with an Alpine HU that I could turn off the internal amplifier and run the 4x6's in the dash and the 6x9's by your head off a 4 channel amp. Furthermore, the two vents behind the radio, one on each side of the center console, can be removed... well broken then removed. This will allow you to FLUSH mount your DIN sized head unit with the right dash kit... I forget which one I used but the mounting hole was able to be made flush (It slid out and in) once the vents behind the radio are removed. I have only ever used two brands of dash kits (Metra and Scosche) so it is one of those two. Hope this helps.

EDIT: Metra Dash Kit - This Kit!!

 
I think I forgot to mention that its getting this hot while not even installed in the dash yet. This is just testing it to make sure everything works before actually putting the dash back together and the car not running.

Thank you for the response. I will most likely be looking for additional ways to keep it cool even after it is all completely installed.

 
I think I forgot to mention that its getting this hot while not even installed in the dash yet. This is just testing it to make sure everything works before actually putting the dash back together and the car not running.
Thank you for the response. I will most likely be looking for additional ways to keep it cool even after it is all completely installed.
Hmmm. If you are driving all 4 speakers off the HU, it's gonna get hot. The louder it is, the hotter it will be. If you plan to keep it that way then start fresh. Run all new speaker wires to each speaker. This will be the best way to know for sure what is going where and what positive and negative are at each speaker. Personally, I am not a fan of using the HU's internal amplifier for anything and very rarely will I use a CD in the HU. My Kenwood relaxes at room temperature no matter how loud I play my music.

Again, speaking from previous ownership of a `92 Camaro... Find yourself a small form factor 4 channel amp, mount it in the glove box (Left rear side of the hatch area) and run new wires to each speaker. Time consuming yes, but not hard. There are like 14 star drive screws on the underside of the dash cap and it pops right out. The panels aren't that bad either. The screws for the clothes hanger mounts (6x9 covers) are long and a punk to put back in sometimes but you get used to them. It is a nice project and you can hide everything so it looks stock but it will keep your head unit from getting hot and it will be louder and cleaner sounding.

My Camaro.

l_d2c639375dc04005b2740d613bb92a9c.jpg


 
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