Amplifier Troubleshooting

If the amplifier is not working or going into protection, follow these steps to diagnose the problem.

Is the power light for the amp on?

• Check all fuses on the circuit. If the fuses are good, check the ground wire to ensure it hasn't come loose.
• If power and ground are proper, place a multimeter across the power and ground terminals from the amp to ensure you have at least 12V DC. If not, inspect the power and ground wire for breaks.
• If there are no breaks in the wire, remove the amp from the vehicle and test bench it. If you don't have a test bench, use scrap wire to connect the amp's power, ground, and remote directly to the vehicle's battery (Note 1). If the amp doesn't come on at this point, then it is faulty.

Is the amplifier going into protection?

• Turn off the amp and then remove the speaker wires. Turn the amp back on and then reinspect. 
  • If the amp no longer goes into protection: Test the speakers with a multimeter for ohms, and inspect the wires for shorts. Make sure the ohm load of the speaker(s) is not lower than the amp can handle. 

Example: if the amp states 2 ohms max, make sure the speaker(s) is not 1 ohm.

• If the amp still goes into protection: Turn off the amp and unplug the input connections (RCA or speaker-level). Turn on the amp and see if it's still going into protection (Note 2). If it still goes into protection, refer to step 1.

If the amplifier works yet has a hissing or static noise, follow these steps to diagnose the problem.

• Lower the amp gain to 0, then check again. If the noise goes away, the gain is set wrong (click here for setting gain). If the noise is still present, unplug the input connections and then reinspect (Note 2). 
  • If the noise goes away: A test source must be connected to the amp's RCA inputs. A mobile phone with a Type-C headphone adapter along with a 3.5mm to RCA adapter will work perfectly for this test, but anything with a clean RCA output will suffice. If the noise is not present, the radio or OE radio adapter must be inspected.
  • If the noise doesn't go away: The output of the amp must be checked with a test speaker. Any 4 ohm or 8 ohm speaker will suffice, even an OE speaker. Remove all speakers from the amp, then connect the test speaker to any amp channel.
    • If the noise goes away: The speaker wires, speakers, and any passive crossovers must be inspected.
    • If the noise doesn't go away: Remove the amplifier from the vehicle and test it on a test bench. If a test bench is not available, you can put scrap wire on the amp for power, ground, and remote, then connect it directly to the vehicle's battery (Note 1).
      • If the noise goes away: Redo the amp ground and then reinspect. 
      • If the noise doesn't go away: The amp is faulty and will need to be replaced or repaired.

Notes: 

1. Use caution when making connections directly to the battery to avoid shorting the wires out.
2. If the amp is using speaker level in and GTO for turn-on, you must connect power into the Remote In on the amp for this test.