Low Voltage
03-11-2005, 02:56 PM
#1
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 7
Hello,
I recently bought one of those Bazooka 8" subs to replace my dual infinity setup. Reason for this was to regain my trunkspace back and still have a little bit of thump in the trunk.
I installed everything today however I ran into a snag. My amp won't power on. I ran the 12V line off of the battery, through an 80amp fuse, through the firewall, along side the car hiding underneath the panels and into the trunk. I ran the remote line off the deck and ran the ground to a metal bracket on the trunk which I cleaned all the paint off with my dremel making it a nice clean contact. I even used electrolyte grease to make a real good connection.
I tested the voltage at the battery, 12.6V. I then tested the voltage through the fuse and it was pulling 9V for some reason. Then I tested the voltage at the amp and it was barely pulling 2V. Anyone have any clue as to why the voltage is so low in the backend? My gear consists of the following.
Amp: Rockford Fosgate 400S
Sub: Bazooka NOS bottle sub 500watts peak
HU: Alpine 9815
Wiring: BassWorx 1000watt amp wiring kit
The rest is all stock...oh and the car is a 2001 Ford Focus LX.
Any advice would be great. I was thinking that it could be the inline fuse holder but wasn't sure.
I recently bought one of those Bazooka 8" subs to replace my dual infinity setup. Reason for this was to regain my trunkspace back and still have a little bit of thump in the trunk.
I installed everything today however I ran into a snag. My amp won't power on. I ran the 12V line off of the battery, through an 80amp fuse, through the firewall, along side the car hiding underneath the panels and into the trunk. I ran the remote line off the deck and ran the ground to a metal bracket on the trunk which I cleaned all the paint off with my dremel making it a nice clean contact. I even used electrolyte grease to make a real good connection.
I tested the voltage at the battery, 12.6V. I then tested the voltage through the fuse and it was pulling 9V for some reason. Then I tested the voltage at the amp and it was barely pulling 2V. Anyone have any clue as to why the voltage is so low in the backend? My gear consists of the following.
Amp: Rockford Fosgate 400S
Sub: Bazooka NOS bottle sub 500watts peak
HU: Alpine 9815
Wiring: BassWorx 1000watt amp wiring kit
The rest is all stock...oh and the car is a 2001 Ford Focus LX.
Any advice would be great. I was thinking that it could be the inline fuse holder but wasn't sure.
03-11-2005, 05:59 PM
#5
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 7
Ok...I am gonna go out and buy a new fuse holder cuz this one well...its mising one of the alen key nuts. I will replace this one with a pheonix gold fuse holder/fuse and see if that solves the problem. Thanks the the advice guys
03-16-2005, 06:01 PM
#8
Yankee
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,599
You said you have been checking voltages… the voltmeter should tell you where the voltage drop starts.
To check the fuse I recommend using a digital multimeter (DMM) since it is an easy auto ranging tool, set the DMM to voltage and read across the fuse while powered up there should be a zero voltage reading (the fuse should consume no power).
In fact you need to figure out where the voltage drop starts and then you will have found the problem. Start from the + terminal and check every silly thing in line with that power wire till you find the source of the voltage drop.
Another technique for checking the fuse is to pull the fuse in question and use the DMM set to resistance. The resistance across the fuse should be very low (less than 1 ohm). Fuses are cheap, buy spares.
You have several problems, that’s why everyone suspects poor connections. You have a voltage drop to your fuse (9V) AND a voltage drop to your amp (2V). Your job young grasshopper is to identify the problem with the voltmeter. Weak connections are dangerous and consume power (as you know) they also can generate large amounts of heat and start fires.
To check the fuse I recommend using a digital multimeter (DMM) since it is an easy auto ranging tool, set the DMM to voltage and read across the fuse while powered up there should be a zero voltage reading (the fuse should consume no power).
In fact you need to figure out where the voltage drop starts and then you will have found the problem. Start from the + terminal and check every silly thing in line with that power wire till you find the source of the voltage drop.
Another technique for checking the fuse is to pull the fuse in question and use the DMM set to resistance. The resistance across the fuse should be very low (less than 1 ohm). Fuses are cheap, buy spares.
You have several problems, that’s why everyone suspects poor connections. You have a voltage drop to your fuse (9V) AND a voltage drop to your amp (2V). Your job young grasshopper is to identify the problem with the voltmeter. Weak connections are dangerous and consume power (as you know) they also can generate large amounts of heat and start fires.
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