amp cutting out when turned up

[Burnout_bro]

my amp has been cutting out when i turn up the volume is works fine untill i want to crank it really loud, it never used to do it, only started happening about 3 days ago, i dont understand whats goin on with it, it just cuts in and cuts out 2 seconds on 2 seconds off the louder i go the more the amp cuts out

[calais_cruzin]

Im thinkin that the amp prtect is cuttin in, u porbly got a fault in the wireing sumwhere n it shortin out into protect

Check to see if a red light comes on wen u crank it.

[Car Audio Factory Outlet]

my amp has been cutting out when i turn up the volume is works fine untill i want to crank it really loud, it never used to do it, only started happening about 3 days ago, i dont understand whats goin on with it, it just cuts in and cuts out 2 seconds on 2 seconds off the louder i go the more the amp cuts out

Sound like your amp has had it!!!

It is going into OVERLOAD mode!

Have you check you voltage to the amp. the earth, and also the ohm setup on your sub??

[Luke0011]

the fuse could be worn, replace then test again. If still there, you need to do further testing.

[shaggerz]

The amp is going into protection mode due to a fault.

1. Check the impedance presented to the amp. If it is too low, the amp will see this as a short and go into protection mode to prevent damaging itself. Things that will cause low impedance are too many speakers or voice coils connected in parallel, (connecting speakers in parallel lowers the overall impedance) or possibly a short in a voice coil caused by overdriving the amp into clipping. This will cause the voice coil to overheat, insulation to melt internally, and shorts to occur in the voice coil. You could even be using one single speaker that is too low impedance for the amp. If your amp's manual specifies a minimum impedance of 4 ohms and you have a 2 ohm sub connected or two 4 ohm subs in parallel, or even four 8 ohm subs in parallel, the impedance will be too low and the amp will go into protection mode to prevent damage.

2. Check that the wiring to the amp is of sufficient size and that the earth connection is good quality with no resistance in the connection (should be large surface area metal to metal contact). A bad earth or resistive connections (caused by bad contact from amp to earth or amp to battery) can cause voltage drop at higher power levels and this will cause the amp to shut down due to insufficient voltage at these high levels.

3. Check that the amp is not overheating. It should have plenty of air space around it and not be enclosed in any way without some sort of aided cooling in place. Most amplifier transistors or ICs have a thermal shutdown built in so that they disconnect the output rather than melt and cause damage.

EDIT: Oh one other thing... check that there are no stray strands of copper wire poking out the side of your speaker connections that might be shorting the output somehow. If all those things appear fine, then the amp is probably faulty.

[lieos]

could be starved of power ie you said i didnt use to do it but recently its started to over time batteries lose charge and cannot handle the current draw from your amp. it may also be your alternator but the basic point im bringing across is that if ur amp is starved of power then it is likely to cut out for protection

[garfa]

the fuse could be worn, replace then test again. If still there, you need to do further testing.

how does a fuse become worn?

[wrx884]

loose mayb??? ive had some fuses come loose at the ends and caused a problem like this agggess ago i got a distribution fuse block instead and some new fuses and hasnt dun it since. worth a check but sayin that it would cut in n out volume up or down tho

[garfa]

yeah for a fuse to be using up so much power that it is causing the amp to starve i think the holder would have melted a long long time ago.

[Phreddy]

Hey guys.

I've found that the fuse doesn't "wear" as such, but over time - given the usually pretty harsh environment under a car bonnet - the contact areas can become coated in funny white-ish deposits which can affect the actual contact to the fuse terminals. If the holder actually gets to the point of becoming hot, then the "springiness" in the fuseholder contacts can be reduced by a whole lot, then even if you do clean up the contacts it's too late. You'll have a hard time achieving a good contact from then on.

Hmmmm - should be a regular maintenance thing to clean the fuse contacts - maybe even a mist of WD spray now and again to combat the nasties.... Food for thought.

Oh, only bringing that up 'coz there was a member who posted a little while ago about a similar problem, but with the additional symptom that the fuseholder was melting. In THAT case, it was simple bad connections, but the holder had become so deformed it needed replacement anyhow.

OK, I'll shut up now....

Cheerz!

[Burnout_bro]

sorry i didnt reply guys, the amp is stuffed thats the problem NEVER BUY BOSS AUDIO i found that the hard way blew up 2 subs

[shaggerz]

lol anyone here could have told you that... you didn't mention it was boss.