Man... blew my amplifier!!! Any suggestions on a solution? Complete audio-newbie

[mjfenix]

Hey guys what's up?

So to make a long story short, girlfriend and I mixed up the terminals while trying to jump my GST, and I believe I blew the amplifier.

The car has the following:

Headunit = JVC KW-NT3HDT.

Amplifier = Stock Amp

Bass = Bazooka A100 Tube (has a built in Amp)

I can see that the person who owned the car before me also had purchased the Wire Harness from Crutchfield (Amplifier integration adapter).

Being a complete audio noob, I started with the small stuff first:

1) Checked engine fuse
2) Checked big red cable coming off battery terminal's fuse
3) Checked head unit fuse
4) Took apart middle console / bezel and put in stock radio just in case it was the security code. Didn't work.
5) Put back in new Headunit again.
6) Double checked all connections on amp today.

--------------

I'm tired of messing with it, and I'm pretty sure that the amp is blown, so what is my next best move? I was pretty happy with the sound, it could have been better of course-- more bass would be nice, but it was pretty decent I suppose.

I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I think I'm going to need another amplifier to get back to good (and hopefully not another subwoofer... /smh)

Anybody have any suggestions on what I should do next? Or if I should just go ahead and purchase a 4 channel amplifier? What kind of amps should I be looking at?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

- Mike

 

[c2ypt1c]

Hey guys what's up?

not much

I'm tired of messing with it, and I'm pretty sure that the amp is blown

I'd run a power line directly from the battery (although the "big red cable" should be doing the same exact thing) to determine if the amp itself is blown. Sounds like a fuse blew...is there a fuse on the amp?

 

[mjfenix]

Unless the amp itself has a fuse on it, then I've checked all the other fuses.

The audio fuse in the engine, the fuse coming off the battery terminal on the red monster cable, and the headunit fuse. Am I missing one?

Oh you edited I see! mmmm not sure about a fuse on the stock amp. I'll check it out to see, i'll do some forum searching and try. If it doesn't a new amp would be the next step-- or even get the same stock amp that way I dont have to rewire a bunch of crap.

 

[c2ypt1c]

Unless the amp itself has a fuse on it, then I've checked all the other fuses.

Yeah check for a fuse on the amp, could very well be the case...

 

[91-GS]

If you have an aftermarket headunit and woofer got a built-in amp, why not bypass the factory amp all together?

 

[mjfenix]

Thats what I was thinking, but I think he runs the stock speakers with the amp, tweeters with the head unit (or reverse) and the bazooka bass tube with it's own proprietary amp. It does seem that there is an actual AMP Fuse inside under the glove box from what I'm reading, I'm gonna go check it tomorrow first thing. I'll report back ASAP!! NEED MAH MUSICS!!!!1ONE!!!!

 

[91-GS]

This might help.

 

[c2ypt1c]

and the bazooka bass tube with it's own proprietary amp.

HAHAHA I ran the same shit when I was like 15, way back when

 

[Breezio69]

There should be fuses in a possibility of four places that would directly affect the amp.

1) engine bay within 1 ft of the battery.

2) the amp itself, usually on the same side as the power/ground

3) if you are using an aftermarket head unit that has a fuse on the back side of it

4) fuse in kick panel for interior/stereo

If all of these fuses check out fine then check the amp wiring and ground

If the amp wiring and ground are fine it would more than likely be safe to say you toasted it... it happens...

Do you have any odd burned plastic smells from the amp? That's a huge indicator of blown stereo components... or in the case of a sub, the smell of melting epoxy. Either way, if you don't have strange smells and things don't turn on I'd point toward fuses and wiring more than things being blown.

Don't be scared to bend over and sniff your own bazooka

 

[ForsakenLash]

More than likely its either the Fuse on the amp its self or the Fuse in the kick panel. If the fuse on the amp is fine then more than likely you didnt blow the amp. The fuse is their to help prevent that from happening. Pretty much all you can do is check those 2 fuses. If they both check out ok heres what I would do.

Unhook the amp and take it over by the battery. Get a thick enough piece of wire and a ground wire and hook them into the amp then touch them to the battery terminals. If it turns on then their is an issue in the wiring if not then the components in the amp are screwed.

When I had my first amp in my first car like 8 years ago it just stopped working one day. Drove to work and it was just fine, went to go home and nothing. All fuses checked out and yet it wouldnt come on. So I did what I mentioned above and it wouldnt power on, but I noticed the burning smell. Went to an audio shop to have them tell me what was possibly wrong and they said that from it sitting in the heat of my car it had burned up the amp.

Im not saying this is what happened in your case, im just saying amps can burn up without blowing the fuse.

 

[mjfenix]

Thanks for all the help guys! I found the fuse inside the cabin on the driver's side labeled AMP-- it was shot. Put in a new one and BAM! SUCCESS! So, the Headunit & Speakers & Amp work. However, the bazooka tube isn't working, and doesn't have any power (green light doesn't turn on). I checked the fuse again, checked the ground... Doing some more research. Will let ya know. Thanks everybody.