Power problem with my Stereo Setup...Capacitors?

[ACWALSH8]

Also, any reason why my system sometimes handles the loud music fine and other times I cant even turn it to normal listening volumes without it shutting off?

same thing happened to me. Ill find out for you. For some reason a T7 or R7 controller comes to mind. But Im not sure like I said. I hope the wire size you listed is from the amps to the speakers...not the power supply.

Also....caps at around $200....lol.....If you are going to do anything about it look into a good one....i.e. more coin than 200.


EDITED for below\/

If it were me I would have put 0ga from the battery to the back panel into a dist block...then ran like 2ga to each amp.

[sdharley03]

One of these days Im going to find an installer that isnt a moron. The guy told me to go out and get 16 gauge which he said is bigger than I need but better to be safe than sorry with speaker wire.

I just checked out the amp kit I have for the sub and it is 4 gauge. JL amp kit XAPCS41.

What guage wire for the speakers should I have? Also, what is the difference in the gauges and why would that cause this problem (too small of wire and cant conduct enough voltage?)

Thanks again guys, I appreciate all the help.

[2manytrucks]

too high of a guage (thinner wire) cannot conduct as many electrons a lower guage wire (thicker)...therefore when the amps request power from the battery at thier normal requirement, not enough electrons can flow because the wire is too thin...to many electrons line up and don't have a path to go through is called resistance....to much resistance = heating elements... very bad.

[sdharley03]

I just went out to the truck to check the fuses from the amp kits under the hood. I turned the music on and immediately at volume 18 the speakers shut off. I went under the hood and started pushing on the amp kit wires and the music came back on. I turned the music up to volume 26 and it stayed on and then shut off a little later. I kept the music up loud and was fiddling around with the wires and it would go on and off so Im thinking something is loose there. The only problem is that the fuse block and wires I was messing with go to the 500/1 amp. I know the shutoff protection on the 450/4 is lower than the 500/1 so that one would always go off first, but does this make sense at all?

Now that I MAY have isolated the problem, do I have to disconnect the negative battery terminal to mess with this fuse?

[sdharley03]

too high of a guage (thinner wire) cannot conduct as many electrons a lower guage wire (thicker)...therefore when the amps request power from the battery at thier normal requirement, not enough electrons can flow because the wire is too thin...to many electrons line up and don't have a path to go through is called resistance....to much resistance = heating elements... very bad.

I gotcha...so what gauge wire are you using for your speakers and subs?

[2manytrucks]

I am using that kit I referenced before...0 guage main line and ground from batt to distro thru 40 amp fuse block to 4 guage powers and grounds on each amp. I am running Monster Cable 12 guage for my speakers. Same with the subs.

edit and disconnect the battery ground terminal before you play with the wiring. You don't want to fry the trucks computer. Hopefully your installer used spade connectors on all of the amp connections and you don't have tin wiskers touching.

[charrged]

what phase and ohm are you running?? and what size sub and brand??

and why it shuts off at low volume is at a sound with a real deep thud or bass not like the new get it shawty by Lloyd if so your amp is either not big enough to power your sub?? or subs?? or is pulling to much voltage usually when a amps power light shuts off and then turns back on its usually overheated is it hot??


iam running 4ga to batt in rear then 4ga to distubution block with dual 250amp fuses to one 4000watt then to a 600watt 4 channel for speakers with (2) 1.5 caps and (1) .5 cap no problems here.

iam not a pro but i know enough to be dangerous


ps yes i will be changing out the 4ga to 0ga just want to get the truck on the road again not big on the list.

[2TonHog]

+1 to 2manytrucks

I'm running 3 JL amps, a 450/4, 300/2 and 250/1. So I'm not far from what you've got going on.

I wasn't experiencing any power problems then, and I'm running a 5 farad Alumapro "The Cap" now, but only because it was almost free. If anything it seems the bass became a little smoother with the additional of the cap, but it's a small if any improvement.

I've got similar power wiring to 2manytrucks, 2 gauge to the Alumapro Cap, since it has a built-in distribution system which runs 4 gauge to each amplifier. I'm also running 12 gauge AudioQuest speakerwire to each component set and mid-bass, with the exception being an 10 gauge twisted pair running to the sub.

See about getting the power wire replaced, that should cure most of your issue.

[sdharley03]

what phase and ohm are you running?? and what size sub and brand??

and why it shuts off at low volume is at a sound with a real deep thud or bass not like the new get it shawty by Lloyd if so your amp is either not big enough to power your sub?? or subs?? or is pulling to much voltage usually when a amps power light shuts off and then turns back on its usually overheated is it hot??


iam running 4ga to batt in rear then 4ga to distubution block with dual 250amp fuses to one 4000watt then to a 600watt 4 channel for speakers with (2) 1.5 caps and (1) .5 cap no problems here.

iam not a pro but i know enough to be dangerous


ps yes i will be changing out the 4ga to 0ga just want to get the truck on the road again not big on the list.

The bass is fine and never distorts or shuts off, the speakers shut off. I have a JL stealthbox with a 12w3 in it powered by a 500/1 so it is definitely powered by the right amp. Just curious, what subs do you have in there that need 4000 watts and what kind of amps are you using?

[sdharley03]

+1 to 2manytrucks

I'm running 3 JL amps, a 450/4, 300/2 and 250/1. So I'm not far from what you've got going on.

I wasn't experiencing any power problems then, and I'm running a 5 farad Alumapro "The Cap" now, but only because it was almost free. If anything it seems the bass became a little smoother with the additional of the cap, but it's a small if any improvement.

I've got similar power wiring to 2manytrucks, 2 gauge to the Alumapro Cap, since it has a built-in distribution system which runs 4 gauge to each amplifier. I'm also running 12 gauge AudioQuest speakerwire to each component set and mid-bass, with the exception being an 10 gauge twisted pair running to the sub.

See about getting the power wire replaced, that should cure most of your issue.

Yeah it doesnt make sense why it is shutting off so it must be a wiring problem...which is the reason I had the guy rewire the entire truck. I could get it all done for free by my installer...but Tweeter closed all their stores here and the installer is in another profession now.

Unbelievable, now Im gonna get raped by another car audio store since i didnt buy anything from them.

[charrged]

directaudio for mids and tweets Hifonics for sub pushing one kicker L7 8" sealed box in rear con.

[sdharley03]

directaudio for mids and tweets Hifonics for sub pushing one kicker L7 8" sealed box in rear con.

You have 4000 watts for one 8" L7?

[charrged]

yup i got tired of always running into problems with amps and not loud enough the usual

i love it when ppl say what you got 2/12 or a 15 in there i just laugh and say nope just an 8" i love it


for pushing 4000 to it it sounds dam good no distortion or anything but it did cry twice in like 2 years but that was with the L5 then i went with L7 model i run evey thing on half any ways no bass boost crap

[2manytrucks]

Unbelievable, now Im gonna get raped by another car audio store since i didnt buy anything from them.

wish I was closer, I'd help you out...it really not that big of a deal, especially with you already having a template of where to run things. That is half the battle, finding out where to run the wires.

[sdharley03]

wish I was closer, I'd help you out...it really not that big of a deal, especially with you already having a template of where to run things. That is half the battle, finding out where to run the wires.

I appreciate that offer and I wish you were closer too...lol. Im just pissed that the guy told me that it would be better to rewire everything with this "better wire" and now I have to rewire all that.