lovely electric smell - new amp install

[DUlrich1227 0]

Sunday i finally got my amp installed at the local shop.. (soundstream ref 2.640) I drive an 06 xterra so we put it in "gully" of the back above the spare tire. Drove home.. noticed a slight smell figured it was the amp burning in... drove to work monday am.. no issues .. driving home monday the amp started cutting out on me.. got home lifted the "cover" of the area where the amp was noticed it was VERY VERY hot to touch and the amber light on .... figured wow guess there is not enough airflow..and the amp over heated...(not sure if you ever saw the back of an xterra but this is a big space) so figured i would just take the cover off... drove to work this am.. no problems... driving home did the same thing but that "electric smell" seemed a bit more prevelant.. stopped at the install shop to "question" wiring etc" they said they double checked everything.. showed him the amp and it was very hot to touch "couldnt keep hand" on it that hot . Is it safe to assume i just got a bad amp? not sure what or where to check...

HEAD UNIT: ALPINE CDA - 9887

SPEAKERs : CDT ES6.2

AMP: Soundstream Ref 2.640

the head unit i have had, the speakers and amp where installed sunday...

thanks

dave

[shizzzon 461]

amp's dont give off a "burn in smell" so don't expect one.

It sounds like someone has got something wired too low of an ohm load.

Time to whip out the DMM and start measuring resistance with the amp completely off.

[CrazyKenKid 64]

Sunday i finally got my amp installed at the local shop.. (soundstream ref 2.640) I drive an 06 xterra so we put it in "gully" of the back above the spare tire. Drove home.. noticed a slight smell figured it was the amp burning in... drove to work monday am.. no issues .. driving home monday the amp started cutting out on me.. got home lifted the "cover" of the area where the amp was noticed it was VERY VERY hot to touch and the amber light on .... figured wow guess there is not enough airflow..and the amp over heated...(not sure if you ever saw the back of an xterra but this is a big space) so figured i would just take the cover off... drove to work this am.. no problems... driving home did the same thing but that "electric smell" seemed a bit more prevelant.. stopped at the install shop to "question" wiring etc" they said they double checked everything.. showed him the amp and it was very hot to touch "couldnt keep hand" on it that hot . Is it safe to assume i just got a bad amp? not sure what or where to check...

HEAD UNIT: ALPINE CDA - 9887

SPEAKERs : CDT ES6.2

AMP: Soundstream Ref 2.640

the head unit i have had, the speakers and amp where installed sunday...

thanks

dave

X2 wiring issue! if something gets hot normally a wiring issue! lol! dmm time! either use a buddies or buy a cheap one!! and set it to ohm! and check each set of leads from the amp with the amp off!! and report back!

Edited October 21, 2009 by CrazyKenKid

[DUlrich1227 0]

checked the leads at the amp with the car off.... on my r-shack mm i get a 3.7 on each ohm @ 200 on the mm ... :-)

[CrazyKenKid 64]

checked the leads at the amp with the car off.... on my r-shack mm i get a 3.7 on each ohm @ 200 on the mm ... :-)

o wow that is pretty close to 4ohm so no wiring issue then lol we can rule that one out! umm next thing is jsut trial and errror i guess.. maybe see if the shop will swap you amps and see if the problem still happens and when you swap get like another brand jsut to rule out anything else, b/c if you got one bad amp you just MIGHT get another one, lol i know 2 in a row is rare but you never know! or borrow a friends who's i working well.

also what kind of voltage are you getting to this amp? like turn on your vehicle and turn the music up some and jsut use your dmm and touch the power and ground of the amp and see what it reads!

[CrazyKenKid 64]

also if the amp is TO HOT to touch there MIGHT be some internal damage to worry about.

also how is the amp grounded? like did they grind off the paint to bare metal and mount the ground cable?

Edited October 21, 2009 by CrazyKenKid

[CrazyKenKid 64]

you siad

"electric smell" seemed a bit more prevelant"

the last time i smelled this kind a smell my buddy hooked up his amp wrong and fired like nearly all the mosfets on his amp lol. but also when the amp is hot you have an output still right?

[DUlrich1227 0]

thanks for the replys, called the shop they are going to swap it out, new one should be in tommorrow and they said they would just swapt the installed one ( they will take it out and reinstall they did not do the original install)... .. but i am going to check the voltage also ..

[CrazyKenKid 64]

for sure check the voltage and make sure jsut to take a quick look at the ground and where and how they grounded it!

Edited October 21, 2009 by CrazyKenKid

[DUlrich1227 0]

car off 12.62, car idle 14.xx radio off will have the shop where i picked up the amp check the grounds...

[CrazyKenKid 64]

car off 12.62, car idle 14.xx radio off will have the shop where i picked up the amp check the grounds...

o no i mean you jsut visualy check the ground. follow the wire to where ever they have it grounded to. like jsut make sure it is a good connection you know. make sure they grinded the pain off. unless of course they hid the ground wire and you don't wnat to screw with it you know!

[jcarter1885 995]

Not talking down on shops, but just becasue they hooked it up doesnt mean they did it wrong (I know it sounds weird, but believe me alot of us have been burned by car audio professionals or car audio shops). So take a look for you own good and it wont hurt, I would check my grounds on amp, my connections on amp (make sure positive and ground are in right spot), I would even take my subs out and check the wiring just to be safe.

If you need any help on how to do so, there are plenty of helpful people like myself or CrazyKenKid and others who will give you a hand or walk-thru. Good luck and post some results after they switch amp out.

[DUlrich1227 0]

Not talking down on shops, but just becasue they hooked it up doesnt mean they did it wrong (I know it sounds weird, but believe me alot of us have been burned by car audio professionals or car audio shops). So take a look for you own good and it wont hurt, I would check my grounds on amp, my connections on amp (make sure positive and ground are in right spot), I would even take my subs out and check the wiring just to be safe.

If you need any help on how to do so, there are plenty of helpful people like myself or CrazyKenKid and others who will give you a hand or walk-thru. Good luck and post some results after they switch amp out.

screw up in shipping amp will be in tommorrow.. ill post after the drive home... :-)

[CrazyKenKid 64]

nice!! tomorrow is the big day!! lol!!

and post a pic of it! install pics are always the best!!

[DUlrich1227 0]

Headed out to a show tonight, so really wont be able to dig into the install probably on sat and not sure if i should start a new post on this... i do have an odd faint buzz, which does NOT get louder when i hit the gas or what ever... and it seems like its there when the amp is off as well... i dont think i heard it prior to the install... so it could be an odd ground issue... my frist question is... I have a 2.0 CAP in there... they ran the power back to the cap.. and than grounded off the cap to under the car cant tell where yet... I assume this is normal?

[CrazyKenKid 64]

umm the odd noice MIGHT be from the CAP...wiat why do you have a cap for a 2channel amp at 4ohm? are you planning on running like 500rms at 1ohm later on down the road?

also does your cap have a display on it?

umm so they can 12+ power wire to the cap then grounded the CAP on the vehicles chassis right? and yes this is common for a shop to do. as for me and you to do i think it is right. but i have never ran a cap before i jsut run an extra battery which i run a pos and neg wire from front to back and i do a separate ground off of the battery to the chasssis to help out with the BIG 3

[DUlrich1227 0]

yes i have a FI-Q 12' in a box waiting on a soundstream 1000.1 mono block to come in... yes the cap has a display,, runs between 12.xxxx and 14.xxx

[CrazyKenKid 64]

nice..umm i don't know that amp to well what are the specs? 1000RMS at 1ohm or 2ohm or is that 1000 a watt rating also is this your amp or at least how it looks?

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/ele/1410733376.html

[DUlrich1227 0]

nice..umm i don't know that amp to well what are the specs? 1000RMS at 1ohm or 2ohm or is that 1000 a watt rating also is this your amp or at least how it looks?

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/ele/1410733376.html

2ohm

http://www.soundstream.com/AudioProducts/Amplifiers/reference.htm

[CrazyKenKid 64]

nice amp!! i think you might run into a voltage issue with that cap, but then again you don't know till you try and get it all setup right!

[DUlrich1227 0]

i was checking the ground coming out of the cap.. its grounded to the "body" is this ok??... its ground to the floor of the back if that makes sense.... guess u can think of it like a truck bed.. ?? its grounded to the floor... looks like the grinded off the paint so i am going to assume its good..

narrowed the buzz to the right speaker.. just took off the door panel and digging in..

new amp should be in on monday.. screw up in shipping apparently... went out ground instead of air..

Edited October 24, 2009 by DUlrich1227

[CrazyKenKid 64]

yep sounds like the ground is fine. as for the speaker what happened to it? blown?

and that sucks on the shipping mix up!

but for sure let us know what happens!

[DUlrich1227 0]

nah i dont think its blown... cause if i crank em up it sounds good until the amp over heats.. lol,.... i think its in the lines somewhere... i am a little upsst at the shop though and probably wont go back.. I was under the assumption they would just run new wire through out... NOPE they took the short cuts and just splice into some of the old speaker wire for the dash tweeters.. and then they used different gauge coming directly out of the amp than to some thinner wire to the speaker... not a happy camper about this.... I hear the buzz with out even turning amp/HU on.... which tells me its in the line... i would just re-run my self but am a little hesitant on the dash tweeters and getting em out and than trying to run the cable...

[CrazyKenKid 64]

hey man the best way to do anything is to do it yourself! i know hard work sucks but you tried taking it the short cut way and taking it to a shop and look where that left you....but then agian we learn by doing right! experience is the best teacher. and before you do anything if you don't know ASK!

there are no dumb question jsut dumb answers (i know i have supplied a bunch of those in my time )

anyways go for it re-run all the wiring jsut to be safe! i would actual it is what i did! and be sure to use like 16 or 14 gauge wire on your speakers! KNU has some double twisted stuff that i used and i love it! it keeps the wires neat!

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?category=Karma SS Speaker Kable

(take a peek)

also what did you mean by dash tweeters and getting em out and than trying to run cable?

you are a little scared to PULL out your tweeters and runing wire? why? jsut disconnect your battery negitive terminal and don't worry about it! you will be safe! or are you worried about putting it all back together? if you are just take pics of the uninstall and LABEL all the screws. it helps out a lot! and once you do it enough you can do it without even thinking about it! i knwo my first time taking apart my trim in my car i was like damn this isn't never going to go back together and i will have lke 10 extra screws lol turns out it went back together and i had one extra screws! so i held onto it and the next time i took my stuff apart i found a hole and put it in there! it was that easy!

trust me nothing is scarier then the first time, but once you get over it and do you are good to go! (just like in life! and if you compare everything i siad to sex it all makes sense) lol

enjoy your day, lighten up, take chances, and if you get stuck just ask for help!

and let us know how it turns out!

[DUlrich1227 0]

realized i have not posted back in a while... I got the amp swapped out no cutting out and stays cool.. BUT i seem to have another issue and i am really unsure if its just me, the amp or even how to test it.. I was driving home from the gym the other day and had the music up loud say (18 / 19 ) on the dial for comparison sake.. "normal listening is about 9 - 12.... I swaer on my way home.. it dropped the power and i had to turn it up to 22 - 24 ish to be "loud" and now normail driving is @ 15ish.. is this possible, is there a way to test wattage out the amp.. or is just me and im going deaf.. ??