Why Your Car Amp Won’t Turn On

Why Won’t My Car Amp Turn On?

A car amplifier won’t turn on if the wires are damaged, the amp is in protected mode or the ground and radio wires are connected incorrectly.

Damaged wires
Wires are connected incorrectly
The amp is in protected mode
Incorrect wiring connections
Less than 5V being is supplied to the remote wire

Are you experiencing issues with your car’s audio system? Many people have had this issue where the amplifiers in their car audio system stop working. It may even refuse to turn on.

If you are facing this issue, then read on to find out why the amplifiers in your car are causing problems.

If you find that the amplifier does not power ON, despite your best efforts, it could be due to the wires being damaged.
Amps require ground wires as well as radio power wires. If either of these wires is not connected correctly or is damaged, you can face this issue.
If the wires running to and from the amp are connected incorrectly, the amplifier will not work. You will have to rewire the entire set up to resolve this problem.
Sometimes you may find that the amp has entered the protected mode. This is a special mode present in these systems to protect the components.
What this mode means is that one of the components, especially the speakers or the subwoofers may be damaged.
You need to identify the damaged component and get it replaced to solve the problem.
Inspect the cables and sites running to and from your amps. Next, take a look at the wires connecting your speakers to the car audio system. Any damaged or faulty wires amongst these can let down your car’s amplifier.
Check for the circuit diagram of the connections. If any of the connections are made wrongly, then again your amplifier may not work correctly.

How to Repair Car Amplifier Not Turning On

The main cause of this issue could be due to the connecting wires. There are many wires connecting the amp to the audio system. Any kind of damage to any of these wires can prevent the amp from turning on.

If your car amplifier is not turning on, try the below-mentioned methods to figure out what is wrong and how to fix it. In most of the cases, it is indeed very easy and simple to fix this problem.

The first thing to do is to check the ground wires. Amplifiers are connected with ground wires to ensure connectivity. Check if these wires are connected correctly. Also, ensure that the wire does not have any damage.
Check whether any wire is hanging loose or without being connected to any part. Unconnected wires or loose wires can keep your car amplifier from turning on.
Another important wire connecting the amplifier to the audio system is the remote wire. Carefully check if this wire is connected correctly.
Also, ensure that a minimum supply of 5V is being provided to the remote wire. This is required to trigger the amp.
The power wire supplies power to the amplifier. When the car is switched off this wire should have a voltage of 12 V. When the car is turned on, this wire should have about 14V of power. Ensure that these voltage requirements are complied with.
If the voltage drops then you can easily identify where the issue lies. Replacing that wire or the component can solve this problem.
The final check that you can do is of the fuse. If there has been some issue with the voltage, the fuse could have blown out. The circuit will not work if the fuse is blown. Change the fuse and the problem will be solved.

Car Amp has Power but no Sound to Sub

If your car amplifier turns on correctly but the subwoofer system does not play any sound, this may be due to wires that have overheated, incorrect wiring or a blown fuse.

It can be irritating if your subwoofers do not work. The whole point of having a good quality car audio system is to enjoy the quality of sound.

The sound on your car subwoofer may not be working because of overheated wires or too much current and voltage being passed to the system.

There are three main causes for the subwoofers to not work properly. They could be due to overheating of the wires or over current being passed to the system. Another issue could also be too much voltage being passed through the components.

One of the common causes of the subwoofers not working could be due to incorrect wiring.
Check whether the wires are correctly connected. This includes the sites from the main power source to the subs as well as the amplifier to subwoofer connections.
Also, check if the fuse is blown in the system. If the fuse is blown then the subs may not work. Replace the fuse and the subwoofers will start working again.
Overheating can also cause many issues in your audio system. Check if the wires used have the capacity to carry the correct voltage.
If too much current passes through the wires to the subwoofer, then it may get damaged.
Check the power wire, ground wire as well as the radio wire for corrosion or defects. Any problems in these wires can cause your subwoofer to not function as expected. Replacing the faulty wires will make the subwoofers to start working correctly.

Why is my Car Amp not Getting Enough Power?

Are you experiencing issues with your car amplifier system where it is not getting sufficient power supply? Well, this is a common enough issue which a lot of people have faced before.

The simplest explanation for this is that the battery or the connecting wires have some sort of issue. Correcting this will help you to fix the problem.

Try the following steps to troubleshoot a car amp that’s not getting enough power:

Test the charging system in your car. In a lot of cases, it has been found that the charging system might have been faulty which has caused the amplifier to not work correctly. This is because faulty charging systems cannot deliver sufficient power to the amps.
Get your battery tested. The car audio system gets its power from the battery. If the battery is weak or drained out, the amp will not work. You can also test the battery by turning on the headlights or the signals. If the sounds are weak, you will know that the battery needs to be charged or replaced.
Check the voltage running through the wires. The wires connected to the amplifier may have incorrect voltage running through it. This can cause the amp to malfunction.
You can use a voltmeter to check the voltage. If you find that the voltage is higher or lower than normal, you can get the component repaired at a service center.
Also, it is imperative to check the alternator in your car. If the battery, as well as the charging system, does not have any issues, then the issue could be due to the alternator. Replacing the faulty alternator will make your amp work again.

Troubleshooting a Car Amp

If your car amplifier is giving you problems, worry not, as most of them are pretty easy to trace and solve. Even if you are a newbie who has no idea how the audio systems are connected in the car, you can follow the below-given methods to figure out what is wrong with the system.

The easiest way to identify the fault is to test. You will need to test every component and walk through a process of eliminating the possible faults until you can figure out the source of the issue.
Always start with the main unit. If the main unit fails to get switched on, then check the wiring. Multiple wires are connecting the main unit. Right from the power wire to the ground wire, go over every site carefully. If you notice any loose connections, tighten it.
If the main unit powers on correctly then the issue could be with the amplifiers. The amplifiers are usually difficult to locate as they could be present under the dashboard or the seat.
If the amp fails to start correctly then you will have to replace it to get your audio system working. You cannot test the speakers without the amplifier powering on.
The next step would be testing the speakers. Check for the connections and proper sound. If the speakers give out a static noise, then check the connection from the amp to the speaker.
Also, you will need to test the subwoofer system. If the subwoofer is not present you can skip this step. Otherwise, test the subwoofer to ensure that the sound signals are passing through correctly.

How to Fix a Blown Car Amp

Turn the car off for 30 minutes
Access the car battery
Remove the ground wire from the battery
Remove the housing from the amplifier
Check for loss wiring on the amplifier
Test all the wires running from the amplifier
Check for a blown fuse
Replace the fuse

If your amplifier is damaged, then there is not much you can do to fix it. If you are good at fixing these systems or have some prior experience you will be able to do it quite easily.

However, if you are a newbie to this you will have some difficulties. So, what can you do to fix the problem?

You can try out these simple steps and check if the issue gets resolved. If none of these steps work, you will have to take it to a service center to get it repaired or replaced.

Access the battery of the car. Make sure that the car has been switched off at least 30 minutes before this. This is to ensure that the battery has cooled down sufficiently.
Remove the ground wire from the battery.
Now, access the amplifier and slowly remove the housing.
Once you find the amplifier, check for any loose wires in it. Also, check if any of the wires are damaged.
Test all the wires running to and from the amplifier. Also, check the voltage of these wires. This will give you an idea of which wire has a fault. Replacing that wire will resolve the issue.
Check for the fuse in the amplifier. If the fuse is blown your amplifier won’t work. Remove the blown fuse and replace it with a similar one to get your amp started.
Make sure that the amperage of the new fuse matches the amperage of the old one. This is to ensure that the amplifier can handle the correct voltage and current.