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Amp goes straight to protect mode

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=83461
Printed Date: May 14, 2025 at 8:04 AM


Topic: Amp goes straight to protect mode

Posted By: 98acura
Subject: Amp goes straight to protect mode
Date Posted: September 28, 2006 at 2:28 PM

Hi, new here, but i did some searching around before i posted this, didnt find anything that was of much help..

I have a 98 acura integra with 2 amps in the rear;
From the battery to a 1.0 farad cap from the cap to a power distribution block, i have 2 amps in the rear, both MB Quart amps, one is a 100x4 (full range) the other is a 1000(rms)x1 1-ohm stable pushing 2 12" solo-baric L7's.. All the power wiring is 4gauge through out the entire system. This setup has worked fine for a year now, with the occasional overheat on really hot days (live in southern florida) when im really cranking the volume.. In other words, its completely stable..

One night the amp just quit working for the subs, and i noticed the protect light on the remote mounted on my dash was on, figured it got a little warm since i had been really cranking it.. but since then, it will not come out of protect mode, the other amp, is fine, works normally, all the wiring is fine for the sub amp.. it just will not come out of protect mode.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions as to what i can check (other than wiring, it has all been checked and is ok) to maybe fix this?



Replies:

Posted By: 98acura
Date Posted: September 28, 2006 at 2:55 PM
the subs are 4ohm dvc, wired so that the amp is seeing a 1ohm load..




Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: September 28, 2006 at 2:57 PM
Sounds to me like the amp is pooched. If it worked, for that time frame, then didn't, and all wiring is fine, would almost invariably blame the amp.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."




Posted By: forbidden
Date Posted: September 28, 2006 at 2:58 PM

Unplug the speaker wires from the amp and see if the protect light goes out. If it does the problem lay in the speakers (blown) or the speaker wires (dead shorting). If it does not go out, unplug the rca's. Retest again, if it goes out, the rca cable was dead shorting. If it is still in protection, then the amp is toast and the magic smoke that makes it work is no longer there. A bad ground or a high ground return resistance is a key culprit in a power supply failure. A improper load is a key pointer in a output section failure. Post up the results of your tests.



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




Posted By: jonathancullen
Date Posted: September 28, 2006 at 9:27 PM
same thing happend to my friend with a little amp from walmart lol, he was being stupid and hooked up the amp while listening to music. hooked up the amp to the battery and the remote to the deck and then hooked up his ground!!!!! dead amp, wouldnt go out of protection mode so he called me and i told him was stupid. walmart takes everything back though lol. sorry to hear about your amp though




Posted By: j_darling2007
Date Posted: September 29, 2006 at 7:14 AM

Yeah, like forbidden said, check for a short in your rca'a or speaker wires.  That sounds like a pretty nice setup you got there, I hope you get it fixed.

Jacob



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There are 3 kinds of people in the world, those who can count and those who can't




Posted By: 98acura
Date Posted: September 29, 2006 at 12:27 PM
I checked the speaker wires and rca wires no luck, still protect.. I pulled the amp out of the car and removed the bottom panel. The panel was caved in a bit and had been rubbing on several components inside. It hadnt touched anything metallic or any traces on the boards themselves. It has however rubbed the top of one of the large capicitors inside the amp, as well as the edge of a board inside the amp (mounted like ram would be mounted on a motherboard) it rubbed the top edge..

Any more ideas of things to check? Is the amp fried? Could it possibly be repaired?




Posted By: jonathancullen
Date Posted: September 30, 2006 at 7:56 AM
it could quite possibly be repaired. if you have checked everything then i dont doubt your amp is fried. sorry to hear that




Posted By: jonathancullen
Date Posted: October 01, 2006 at 9:54 AM
sry to hear that though, nouseforaname is right





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