what is WRONG with my system?

So.. I have a Sundown SA-8 with 400 RMS.. a kicker amp w 400 watts.. one day my sub just stopped working, cut out. It would occasionally cut out on certain frequencies it seemed like in certain songs, like it would shut down for a few seconds and come back on. But not often. Anyways, the sub appears to be in no way blown, the amp is providing power. Replaced the RCA's. No fuse's appear to be blown. I'm a real rookie when it comes to car audio, but what could be the problem here??? Also, we took the sub and attached it to a home theater, and it works fine. So the sub definitely isn't blown.

Thanks..

ANOTHER NOTE: The "protection" light on the amp is completely dim.

 

I figure it as one of a few things:

Remote wire..make sure it's tight and not busted.

Power/ground..check them too.

Is there any kind of pattern to when it cuts out? If so maybe you should watch the amp if it shuts off or goes into protect mode.

Pull the sub out and check the enclosure wiring. That fixed it for a buddy of mine before, he had no idea what to do and I pulled the speaker out..problem found and solved.

 

It's almost always a loose conection or bad ground. Make sure you've got good bare metal.

 

Bad ground

 

really bad ground can cause this??? My ground probably could have been better... seems like under the cab seat there's NOTHING to ground to. I'll try a different spot tomorrow

 

gain set to high?

 

I agree with Ryan. If they just cut out then come back on it probably means the amp is overheating. There is one song I have on my iPhone where no matter how much power I have going to the subs the amp will ALWAYS overheat. If you have a light on your bass knob that is green but then turns red that means your amp is overheated.

 

It could yes..first check your amp. I had one that was bugging me some years ago. The wire had come loose in the spade connector so it appeared to be tight till I dug deeper.

I'd take some sandpaper to your ground spot and make it all nice and shiny, then try it again and see if that helps.

How long does it take after you start using the stereo to see this? Wondering if I can spot a pattern

 

Ok, it cutting out ORIGINALLY, would happen on a particular song. Then I started noticing it on other particular songs, just one or two. But at no particular time or point in the song, sometimes it would happen sometimes it wouldn't.

Now, the sub isn't working at all, so there is no pattern, it's just.. not working whatsoever. I'll try cleaning up the ground tomorrow after I get off work.. thanks for the replies and advice


as far as overheating and the amp.. the amp light is red, but I'm almost certain it's always been red. (oddly enough..)
Also, note that we plugged in another amp (we knew was in working condition) and had the same results, 0 sub response at all

 

Some amps have a separate protect light..and yes some always have a red light to indicate power, I believe my MTX amp does.

When you say you plugged in another amp, I assume you installed it into your truck..please advise. If so, take your amp and toss it in the other vehicle.

I'm believing you can isolate this to either your amp wiring or the amp, since you tested the sub out. You didn't mention but if you haven't, test the sub again on a song you know it was originally screwing up on.

I'd try in this order:

Put your amp in the other vehicle first. That is the more likely of the 2 causes if I had to offer my gut feeling. I say that because while wiring can make it cut in and out, most times I see that it's the amp before the wiring.

If your amp works on that test, remove the amp from the other vehicle and try it in yours.

If both pass, take the sub and put it on the other amp in the other vehicle..jam the hell out of the sub and see if you can cause it then. That's my last idea being that you tried the sub on a home system, but it's possible you didn't power it high enough inside.

 

Well if it was happening only on certain songs it sounds like it was overheating. It could have happened enough to where it damaged the amp leading it to overheat more easily. Which would cause it to cut out more often on different songs. Then if you let this go on for too long it may have lead to you damaging your subs with them going on and off suddenly and frequently.

But that's all hypohetical. Check your ground, cable connections, and everything thing else.

 

Sounds like a possible poor ground. I can tell you one thing though. I guarantee your amp is adjusted improperly

 

Reason I say this is due to you saying, "on certain frequencies"..

 

Honestly, right now i don't HAVE another vehicle, I don't know a lot of people with systems so I'll have to ask around to get some different help. Friend of mine had an extra amp, we installed it, with the same results.

Checked today and it's NOT the ground, the amp is getting and sending power... I'll try the amp on a different system when I can but I think it's the wiring or something in my setup. Urgh

 

Included an important note in the OP I completely did not notice, the "protection" light on the amp is completely dim.

Is the amp overheated completely to the point where it isn't functioning? <- my first question. But if so, then why wouldn't our WORKING amp... work?! I'm clueless, but I think it's speaker wire or adjustments on the amp or something

 

Could be, but then that doesn't explain the 2nd one. I'm guessing you removed the 2nd amp from something else recently.

The other thing I'm gonna throw at you is try using the RCA's differently. If you have more than one preamp out on your head unit try using in a different one. Longshot where you said you replaced them, but in theory it could happen. I had the right side of a radio cut out before.

 

Don't think theres more than one pre-amp on my headunit.
@ryan, I'm near certain the sub is properly wired, and definitely no sign of loose connections. The wiring I am not certain on however. I have positive connecting to the opposite negative on the sub, and each remaining positive and negative linking to the amp, just as it seems it would be i thought

 

Should be good, he mentioned earlier trying it on a home system and it worked..

 

Google your HU, if it's recently made I bet it's got more than one. But honestly I would do the jury rig method of wiring your amp right to battery outside of the truck and see if you can get it to play.

 

Yup, same speaker wire that went from the sub to the amp is the one that went from the sub to the home system we tested, which worked