amp blows fuses

I got an amp that just keeps blowing fuses right when u put them in and turn the deck on they just blow out..is it a speaker is grounding out? power and ground look good and same with remote wire, also on another vehicle i got a setup that it cuts out sometimes the customer says when he turns the steering wheel sometimes it cuts out, only the left side, any thoughts on either vehicles?

well partner, it could be a few things. If the amp has good circuitry, it could be that something isnt wired right, or one of the speakers is blown, and it just blows the fuse so it doesnt mess up the amp. Or, it could be a pos, and something is screwed up so they keep popping. As for the cars that mess up when you turn, look for loose wires. That happened to me in my last car, turns out i had a wire hitting the ground when i turned, causing the receiver to stop playin for a sec, then it would start back up.

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1990 Honda Civic HB:
Clarion DXZ545MP H.U.
2- 6.5" Power Acoustik interiors
Diamond Audio 600.1 amp
Diamond Audio 15" M6MKII
Pyramid PB881X 4 CH. Amp

so the best bet would be to pull the speaker wire test the amp with no output and see, then check each wire to isolate the one that is probably grounding out, then for the other vehicle that has the issue with the left side working part time look for wires, also is there any trick to do the gm dash removal? like on a 95 blazer how u gota pull that dash apart is there some trick?

Before you pull anything out check and make sure you didnt confuse the 12v power and the ground on the amp. Make absolute sure that everything is hooked up correctly.

wiring the amp reversed wouldnt do that. It wouldnt even turn on. I doubt that would do anything, but good thing to mention none the less.

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1990 Honda Civic HB:
Clarion DXZ545MP H.U.
2- 6.5" Power Acoustik interiors
Diamond Audio 600.1 amp
Diamond Audio 15" M6MKII
Pyramid PB881X 4 CH. Amp

yea i didnt install any of it..both customers that like to come in to goodguys and make me work for my pay :-( so how do i test again for a grounding out speaker? im thinking to just pull the speaker wire out to see if thats the problem, but would i just have to start 1 by one pluging them in?

yea i didnt install any of it..both are customers that like to come in to goodguys and make me work for my pay :-( so how do i test again for a grounding out speaker? im thinking to just pull the speaker wire out to see if thats the problem, but would i just have to start 1 by one pluging them in?

yea i didnt install any of it..both are customers that like to come in to my shop and make me work for my pay :-( so how do i test again for a grounding out speaker? im thinking to just pull the speaker wire out to see if thats the problem, but would i just have to start 1 by one pluging them in?

Well i hooked up the power to the ground vice versa and it was popping the fuses. This happened this weekend. It was dumb.

To answer your question on the 95 blazer dash- First the two screws above the speedo need to be out, then everything just pulls out. If there is tilt steering, make sure it is all the way down, and you will have to put the shifter (if it's automatic) to the 1st gear position. Once you get it coming out, stop before you hit the hazard switch because if you break it off, the hazards will stay on untill you replace the switch, which is part of the multi-function switch (blinkers, wipers, cruise). It all has to be replaced as a unit, which is about $150-$250, depending on how good you know the guys at the parts store. Just make sure that when it gets close to the switch that you pull on the top of the dash so it pops out first, then lift the left side up and out first. If I remember correctly, the shifter has to go back into park at this time. You'll have to disconnect the wire plugs to the back of whatever switches are in the dash (headlights, 4x4, cargo light) before it comes all the way out.  You didn't mention if it was the full size or s-10 size blazer, both were made that year, but this method should work for either.

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You'd better get me out of this lord... or else you'll have me to deal with. -- Hunter S. Thompson "F.A.L.I.L.V."

my biggest problem was reinstall, there were some metal clips from below that were making the install rather complicated, it didnt want to go over the clips, yea its the s10, i got it all done, but the metal bracket/ clip pieces scraped up the plastic a little bit, but is the install the same in a new silverado and escalade? are they both fighting with the dash to get it around the steering column and shifter?

I started thinking about what why fuses pop, and chi's statement about nothing would happen. Well, what happens when you short or "ground" out your amp? Your power wire gets a ground right? Well that pops the fuses. Now with your REM in and a ground connected to your power, wouldnt it make sense that your fuses blow? Just a reflection here, if anyone knows please let me know if im wrong.

I haven't had the pleasue of working on a silverado any newer than a '99 or any escalades, but up through those years, yeah, it's all wrestling plastic. I was also going to add that it helps a lot to do it in really hot weather so the plastic is more pliable. I live in the north, so we don't get much weather like that.  It's also not very hard to drop down the steering column, but that ends up being more of a hassle after you've gotten the hang of wrestling it out. You almost have to drop it if you don't have tilt wheel, unless it's above like 90 deg. outside.

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You'd better get me out of this lord... or else you'll have me to deal with. -- Hunter S. Thompson "F.A.L.I.L.V."

yea i was really fighting the 95 blazer today I didnt have time to check the amp, also what would be the trick to isolate the grounding out speaker? would it not pop if i hook it up to the battery? basically im asking whats the trick to figure out which speaker is doing that? and yea how do you installers do it? hard to wrestle plastic when the customer is right there

also if its not that the ground n power are reversed.. do you guys have any other suggestions?

DISCONNECT THE SPEAKER WIRES FROm the amp and then remote it on and see if the fuse blows again...if it does you've got blown outputs in the amp.... if it doesnt take a DMM and meter all your speaker wires for continuity to ground... i personally like to use my old analogue meter for this... if you do get a continuity reading on any speaker wire, then that is the wire that is shorted to ground....

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

On the new silverado's and the escalade the dash just pulls right off, no screws or anything, it just pulls off. And on the newer vehicles the hazard switch is no longer a problem.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

how do you "meter all your speaker wires for continuity to ground" what setting do i put the meter on and whats the process?

set it on diode test or x1 R ohm scale..... clamp one lead to a good solid ground in the vehicle and use the other lead to probe all your speaker wires.... you should not get a reading at all... if you get a resistence reading on any speaker wire then that wire is shorted to ground, since are are metering for continuity between the ground lead and the speaker lead.....

simple,  yes?  no?  da?  nyet?  ja? nein?

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

Oui, Non? Tu comprende?

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

da, good isolation technique, kgerry.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.