Killed an amp...I think. - Honda Prelude Forum

indylude18 · 02-04-2010, 12:10 PM

Anybody have the electrical know-how to troubleshoot a car audio amplifier? My Kicker zx350.2 decided to go into "protection" mode today, and I am out of ideas to figure out the problem with it. The amp was driving 2 4ohm 6x9 speakers always kept at reasonable volume so it wasn't like it was under a huge load. Its worked fine since I installed it last the summer. Now, all it does it make the "protection" light blink red. The main power light does not come on, and the blinking "protection" light stays off when I disconnect the RCA's. I have checked and re-checked all my connections. Power, Ground, Turn-on lead, RCA input, Speaker output...they are all good. I'm fairly convinced it is an internal problem in the amp, and I even cracked it open to see if anything was disconnected to no avail. Any ideas?

Moneymunky106 · 02-04-2010, 12:21 PM

i know you said u checked all ur cables and that they were fine but thats what i thought too lol. the power light on my amp would come on but no sound out of my speakers. it turned out to be the power connection to my car battery. it still had contact but not enough to fully power the amp. check that and see if its loose...other than that i have no idea how to help you :/ you checked everything anyone other than a professional would know to check

Moneymunky106 · 02-04-2010, 12:23 PM

also did u think to check the fuses. it sounds obvious but sometimes they get overlooked. my old amp seemed busted because the protection light was the only thing that would turn on. turned out to be a fuse that still looked good but was actually not allowing the current to pass

indylude18 · 02-04-2010, 12:24 PM

No, it's not the power cable. I have two other amps running off the same power distribution block as my "dead" amp and they both work. All the fuses in the amp and the distribution block are fine as well.

indylude18 · 02-04-2010, 06:31 PM

Nevermind. After several hours or rewiring (Ah, the joy of large complicated car stereo systems), found it to be one of my grounds that wasn't getting a good enough contact. Good-bye wire tuck

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Moneymunky106 · 02-04-2010, 08:28 PM

ahhh i see. yeah thats always my first assumption is the ground has lost contact because most ppl that i have helped "fix" their systems have had bad grounds. but you seemed to know what ur talking about and you said you checked the ground so i was trying to think of a more miniscule problem. glad you fixed the issue tho

indylude18 · 02-04-2010, 08:56 PM

I did check it, but it was failing by backing out of the coupling that I crimped onto it. Upon inspection, it looked fine because there was rubber covering over where it was loose. I'm still annoyed I didn't catch it before trying to swap in another amp though. Ugh. At least it works now.