n0id

I recently had my subs/amp installed in my rx8 (2.5 weeks ago) and it was running great. However, the other day the subs stopped suddenly. I turned down the volume, turned off the car, turned the car on and the subs worked.

Since then, ive found that if the volume is really really low, the subs stay on, once they get louder, they shut off almost instantly. Even when the car is cold (sitting for a few days off).

I checked the fuse holder and the installer put it on top of my battery, and put the cover back on (the black cover that all rx8's have for the engine compartment.

The fuse holder looks like it melted on one side, and i cant unscrew it.

Question 1: Is all this trouble just due to the melted fuse holder?
Question 2: The installer said he would replace it, however if i get the same holder, and he puts it in the same spot, wont it melt again? Or is this a fluke?
Question 3: The installer said that if that paticular fuse overheats, it will auto-shut off.... is this what im experiencing?

I dont know alot about stereos and how to set them up, so please answer as if im 10 years old

Thanks guys!

nate340

q1 yes when you turn up the volume more power is needed to run the amp and causes it to arc and short out and 1 of 2 things could be happening then when it shorts out the amp puts it self in protect mode and shuts down or that in fact you don’t have a fuse you have some sort of breaker and its thankfully shorting out after it and causing the breaker to trip and shut off the power.
q2 yes if he puts it in the same spot it will likely melt again make sure they place the fuse else were or some how protect it from the heat.
q3 i have a fair amount of audio knowledge but not specifically car audio and i have never heard of a fuse that gets hot and cuts its self out that’s called a breaker

i would get this fixed immediately because this could become a very serious problem causing multiple thousands of dollars damage to your car if in fact it is shorting out “the power wire is touching some part of the the chassis” hope this is helpful

nate340

[QUOTE=abbid;1900570]Actually, im having this issue to. If i start pounding it, both my amps cut off and start back up in about 20 seconds. I have no clue what this is because i had the volume turned way up for the first 2 weeks or so.[/QUOTE

its likely one of the output wires on one of your amps is shorting out on the car chassis and causing the amps to go in to protect mode

something is shorting out and needs to be found quickly before you do premanent damnge to your car or audio equipment

n0id

[QUOTE=nate340;1900588]What kind of damage are we talking about? Basically, all i saw him do was put a plastic fuse holder that connects the battery wire to the wire that goes to the amp (power)... he grounded it out on the metal frame, and then did a passthrough using the 2 back speakers to each sub.... sounds great to be honest, which suprised me since it wasnt going through the head unit.

EDIT: he also covered all wires with a black plastic/rubber cover, to keep it insulated and make sure it doesnt touch anything on its path through the car.

Then again, i dont know much about stereo installs, or audio equipment at all.

I would think that the worst thing that could happen, is a fuse blow, my amps and subs get damaged and need replaced right?

nate340

What damage can be done? Well depends on a lot of things. The only wires you really need to watch are the big power wire normally red and the remote wire normally fairly thin and blue. These are the only ones caring power.

Worst case situation. If the main power wire contacts a ground before the fuse it could explode your battery.

If the power wire starts getting hot and shorting out it could start to melt and melt what ever it runs next to. Ever seen under the trim on the drivers side there’s at least 30wires there and if melted and they all short out I’m sure you’d be looking at a new head unit and possibly ECU. The same with the remote wire doesn’t carry much current but if it grounds out somewhere on the car it will melt and could cause a fire.

They’re many danger’s of wiring in additional stereo equipment and is why is it’s best to have a knowledgeable install do the work.

But your problem could be as simple as you have a heat activated breaker, it’s getting to hot under the hood and its tripping and cutting power to the amp. But since it was working fine for a while and now is tripping I suspect its something else.

lurch519

How about some further information concerning your problem.

1. What amplifier are you using in your system?
2. What subs are you using? (exact model number)
3. How many subs are you using?
4. What guage power wire is run through the car, and is the ground wire the same guage?
5. What kind of and what size fuse is being used? (if you dont know, a pic would be helpful here)