amps dont stay on any more

Hopefully I can get a better response this time. I have a huge issue currently with my car. I own a 97 Honda Civic with 2 pdx 1.600 and 1 pdx 4.100, 2 alpine 12" type R's, and a Pioneer deh-9800bt. The two 1.600 are being ran with 0 gauge that is then put through a distro block and outputs 2 4gauge wires which go into the amps. Then I have 2 4gauge ground into a distro block that goes into 0 gauge which is grounded. The pdx 4.100 has a 4 gauge power directly to the amp and 4 gauge ground. Everything is wired correctly. I put in a HO alt about a week ago and have had no problems in the time that its been in the car.

My issue is this. As I was driving my car back home tonight everything was working perfectly and fine. I then proceeded to change songs a couple of times. There was a sound at one point during this that was as if the song was going to play and then stopped, but that was because I switched to the next song. Then all of a sudden no sound at all period. I immediately stopped my car and looked at my amps and 2 of them were off, the 4.100 and one of the 1.600's. The other 1.600 was on, but the light was very low. Turned off the stereo and then back on and all the amps power up but then almost immediately power down except for the 1 1.600 which stays on yet very low power and no noise.

I got home and checked my voltages. Battery is at 14.4, the line up to the first fuses are 14.4. The amps are getting 14.4 with the stereo off. As soon as I turn the head unit on the voltages on the amps drop to about 6 volts and the remote line is about 2.5.

I am completely stumped at what my issue is here. I think its possible that I have a short but I don't understand how it would just pop up out of nowhere. Can anyone give me some insight into this? Please feel free to ask me any other questions you might need to diagnose this issue because I really would like to get this taken care of asap.

Just a shot in the dark, But maybe try running a remote wire directly to the battery to see if thats your problem

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UNLABELED Custom Car Club President

Check your ground, check fuses at any distrubution blocks, just had an agu look good, but lost 6 volt through it.  Amps could be blown.

I unhooked my amps except for the 4.100. I tried running a remote line from the distro block of the amps I wasn't using to the 4.100 and the same thing happened. Ill give your suggestion a try though. Think its possible the remote line got a short somehow or just blew?

lspker wrote:

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Check your ground, check fuses at any distrubution blocks, just had an agu look good, but lost 6 volt through it.  Amps could be blown.

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I don't think its the fuses unless all 3 somehow got blown. Ill take a look at that too, but they all looked good after eye checking them. The amps do turn on, they just almost immediately turn off shortly after

i am an idiot wrote:

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There is a bad connection or a bad fuse somewhere in the system.  Turn the radio on and check voltage at one of the amps, but this time place the negative meter lead to the chassis of the car.  If you now read 14.4 or close to that, you have a bad connection on your ground to the amp.  If the voltage is around the 6 volts you experienced earlier, there is a bad connection or a bad fuse somewhere on the power path to the amp.

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When we checked voltages yesterday, we were getting 14.4 when we used the door latch as our ground. I dont remember specifically if the positive was directly on the amp or if it was on my distro block. Ill check as soon as I get home. I'm leaning more towards a ground issue or a remote line issue. Is there a fuse for the remote line on the head unit or on the car somewhere? I replaced the fuse for the 4.100 amp which is on its own power line although goes to the same ground point and again it powered on and then off almost immediately. I'll check everything as soon as I get home.

Thanks a lot for the help by the way =)

+1 on it being a ground issue since all the amps are experiencing the problem, and you have them all grounded in the same location.  unless you fuse the remote wire yourself there probably won't be a seprate fuse for it but may be protected with the fuse on the radio (doubtful).  check the voltage on the remote using a "known" good ground and then with the ground running to the amps.  let us know what readings you get...

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...half of the truth can be worse than a lie. <----Roger Russell said that..

thanks a lot guys. It was a bad ground and has been fixed

WoooooHooooo  glad you got it figured out.

If yo run your ground all the way back to the battery, you won't have ground issues

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"That'll get ya 10 in Leavenworth,11 in Twelveworth, or 5 & 10 in Woolworth". Groucho Marx