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At my wits End (Feel like I've wasted $5000.00) and nothing works NEED HELP!


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Hello guys, so I have been struggling going on a year and a half to get my small build working correctly.

I live in Virginia Beach, VA. We do not have any high end audio shops around this area. There are a few small shops and I have not had great experiences with.

Truck:

2005 Cadillac Escalade EXT

Setup:

(2) Ampere Dream Series Component Sets ( (4) 6.5's Door Speakers & (4)Tweets)

http://amperecaraudio.com/aa-6-5c/

(1) Ampere AA-150.4 Amp (For 6.5's & Tweets)

http://amperecaraudio.com/aa-150-4/

(2) Rockford Fosgate T1D412's

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t1d412

1 Rockford Fostgate T1500-1bdCP Amp (For Subs)

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t1500-1bdcp

1 Prefab mid gate box tuned (42hz High I know)

Stock Head Unit

Pac Control

Stock Battery

The first shop:

installed the 2 RF Subs & 1 RF AMP and integrated it with my factory bose door speakers at the time.

The system sounded good but when I turned it all the way up it would throw the circuit breaker they installed constantly. I could never play the system at full volume without it turning off temporally until I reset the circuit breaker. They ran a .4awg for the power supply on this amp which is what is recommended. They could never get it to work and I noticed that whenever the stock voltage meter on the truck dropped to around 10-11v it would cute off. I'm not sure if they ever used a proper gain meter to check the levels as this shop went out business. I took my truck back and forth to this shop probably 5 times and they could never get to work right. They said they checked all connections and thought I needed a new alt.

I then bought a Mechman 370a and had that installed and this only compounded the issue so I removed it and put the stock alt back on.

I then had a somewhat "friend" of mine who worked at another audio shop install my 6.5's, tweets, and 4 channel amp. After the install I had constant wine/static noise at low volumes and I know he didn't use a distortion detector. He was suppose to check the previous install to try and figure out the issue as to why it would cut off however the wasn't able to.

He was suppose to come back and look the truck over again but never did and I basically paid him $500.00 for the install for nothing. I then pulled my door panels off to add more Raamat sound deadener and noticed he had ran 1 run of speaker wire and just spliced them to work for the 2 speakers in that door. Looked terrible and must have something to do with the distortion.

So basically I have decided I am tired of wasting my $ to get shit installs that do not work so I am going to try and fix it myself.

I have car knowledge however only audio knowledge from reading on this forum. The only thing I can think of is my RF mono amp for my subs is clipping or going into safe mode, gains too high??

Also from what I have listed is there anyway someone could link a wiring diagram that would work for what I have or possibly make one for me? I would be willing to pay. I just want my system right finally.

Now when I flip the circuit breaker nothing comes on at all. So who knows maybe all my shits blown.

Any help would be fantastic and greatly appreciated. I love car audio but I haven't even been able to enjoy it.

Thanks guys. Also I can take pics and post them if there are some specific ones that would help?

 

Current Setup:

Mechman 370a Alt 4 pin

DC Triple Alt Bracket

XS3400 Battery

4 Ampere 6.5 components 4 tweets

Ampere 150.4 way

Norcal SS Custom 3/5 Lowering Kit with 3inch Lower Control Arms

DG Roll Pan

LED License Plate Lights

 

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Hello guys, so I have been struggling going on a year and a half to get my small build working correctly.

I live in Virginia Beach, VA. We do not have any high end audio shops around this area. There are a few small shops and I have not had great experiences with.

Truck:

2005 Cadillac Escalade EXT

Setup:

(2) Ampere Dream Series Component Sets ( (4) 6.5's Door Speakers & (4)Tweets)

http://amperecaraudio.com/aa-6-5c/

(1) Ampere AA-150.4 Amp (For 6.5's & Tweets)

http://amperecaraudio.com/aa-150-4/

(2) Rockford Fosgate T1D412's

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t1d412

1 Rockford Fostgate T1500-1bdCP Amp (For Subs)

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t1500-1bdcp

1 Prefab mid gate box tuned (42hz High I know)

Stock Head Unit

Pac Control

Stock Battery

The first shop:

installed the 2 RF Subs & 1 RF AMP and integrated it with my factory bose door speakers at the time.

The system sounded good but when I turned it all the way up it would throw the circuit breaker they installed constantly. I could never play the system at full volume without it turning off temporally until I reset the circuit breaker. They ran a .4awg for the power supply on this amp which is what is recommended. They could never get it to work and I noticed that whenever the stock voltage meter on the truck dropped to around 10-11v it would cut off. I'm not sure if they ever used a proper gain meter to check the levels as this shop went out business. I took my truck back and forth to this shop probably 5 times and they could never get to work right. They said they checked all connections and thought I needed a new alt.

Yea, because you had stock electrical and were pulling WAY too much current once you turned up the volume.

I then bought a Mechman 370a and had that installed and this only compounded the issue so I removed it and put the stock alt back on.

It should have only helped unless it was installed incorrectly (some installations arent just plug and play)

I then had a somewhat "friend" of mine who worked at another audio shop install my 6.5's, tweets, and 4 channel amp. After the install I had constant wine/static noise at low volumes and I know he didn't use a distortion detector. He was suppose to check the previous install to try and figure out the issue as to why it would cut off however the wasn't able to.

Most likely because your voltage was complete shit. And for the static, it could have been a few things, most of the time I would try grounding the outer shield of the RCA's.

He was suppose to come back and look the truck over again but never did and I basically paid him $500.00 for the install for nothing. I then pulled my door panels off to add more Raamat sound deadener and noticed he had ran 1 run of speaker wire and just spliced them to work for the 2 speakers in that door. Looked terrible and must have something to do with the distortion.

So basically I have decided I am tired of wasting my $ to get shit installs that do not work so I am going to try and fix it myself.

I have car knowledge however only audio knowledge from reading on this forum. The only thing I can think of is my RF mono amp for my subs is clipping or going into safe mode, gains too high??

Protect mode, due to low voltage, again, your gains might be ok or might be bad, but regardless your electrical cant handle the power trying to be made, therefore your voltage gets low 10v and the amp shuts off until the alternator can get it back over the cutoff voltage.

Also from what I have listed is there anyway someone could link a wiring diagram that would work for what I have or possibly make one for me? I would be willing to pay. I just want my system right finally.

Now when I flip the circuit breaker nothing comes on at all. So who knows maybe all my shits blown.

Any help would be fantastic and greatly appreciated. I love car audio but I haven't even been able to enjoy it.

If you kept blowing the circuit breaker, it is most likely too small of a rated breaker, but when putting in a bigger one, you need to make sure the wire it is inline with can handle whatever bigger breaker you are installing. (If you install a 300a breaker, make sure the wire is rated to handle 300a)

Thanks guys. Also I can take pics and post them if there are some specific ones that would help?

29408240963_9908a51930_o.png
Best Score to Date : 160.5 dB Outlaw (47Hz)[4 XM 15's & 2 Taramps Bass 12k's]

BL :  http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/147800-chevyboy95s-4-15s-7krms-wall-1533-db-on-half-power/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/hitemwiththeflex/

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Have you tried Dynamic Car Audio & Stereo, or Sound Wave Customs? I've not heard anything bad about either, and Sound Wave guys were kind and everything the couple times I stopped in to buy couple things and had them fab some stuff up for my old explorer panels.

It sounds like you need to run some new speaker wiring, and I'd check your power run for cuts/splits/pinches, make sure every connection is tight. Grounds too. The issue with your 370 mechman and voltage fluctuation could be if they did big three and didn't run the new ground through the current sensor on the truck. and you may even just have a bad grounding point as well.

If you haven't gotten the issues fixed by February/March time frame (long time from now, I know), then hit me up and i'll help you out, we can meet up somewhere then. I'll be home and my leave period will be done with, so i'll have time to help. I've got all four SMD tools now, so we can hit up every aspect of your system, whether it's working or not.

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Hello guys, so I have been struggling going on a year and a half to get my small build working correctly.

I live in Virginia Beach, VA. We do not have any high end audio shops around this area. There are a few small shops and I have not had great experiences with.

Truck:

2005 Cadillac Escalade EXT

Setup:

(2) Ampere Dream Series Component Sets ( (4) 6.5's Door Speakers & (4)Tweets)

http://amperecaraudio.com/aa-6-5c/

(1) Ampere AA-150.4 Amp (For 6.5's & Tweets)

http://amperecaraudio.com/aa-150-4/

(2) Rockford Fosgate T1D412's

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t1d412

1 Rockford Fostgate T1500-1bdCP Amp (For Subs)

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t1500-1bdcp

1 Prefab mid gate box tuned (42hz High I know)

Stock Head Unit

Pac Control

Stock Battery

The first shop:

installed the 2 RF Subs & 1 RF AMP and integrated it with my factory bose door speakers at the time.

The system sounded good but when I turned it all the way up it would throw the circuit breaker they installed constantly. I could never play the system at full volume without it turning off temporally until I reset the circuit breaker. They ran a .4awg for the power supply on this amp which is what is recommended. They could never get it to work and I noticed that whenever the stock voltage meter on the truck dropped to around 10-11v it would cut off. I'm not sure if they ever used a proper gain meter to check the levels as this shop went out business. I took my truck back and forth to this shop probably 5 times and they could never get to work right. They said they checked all connections and thought I needed a new alt.

Yea, because you had stock electrical and were pulling WAY too much current once you turned up the volume.

I then bought a Mechman 370a and had that installed and this only compounded the issue so I removed it and put the stock alt back on.

It should have only helped unless it was installed incorrectly (some installations arent just plug and play)

I then had a somewhat "friend" of mine who worked at another audio shop install my 6.5's, tweets, and 4 channel amp. After the install I had constant wine/static noise at low volumes and I know he didn't use a distortion detector. He was suppose to check the previous install to try and figure out the issue as to why it would cut off however the wasn't able to.

Most likely because your voltage was complete shit. And for the static, it could have been a few things, most of the time I would try grounding the outer shield of the RCA's.

He was suppose to come back and look the truck over again but never did and I basically paid him $500.00 for the install for nothing. I then pulled my door panels off to add more Raamat sound deadener and noticed he had ran 1 run of speaker wire and just spliced them to work for the 2 speakers in that door. Looked terrible and must have something to do with the distortion.

So basically I have decided I am tired of wasting my $ to get shit installs that do not work so I am going to try and fix it myself.

I have car knowledge however only audio knowledge from reading on this forum. The only thing I can think of is my RF mono amp for my subs is clipping or going into safe mode, gains too high??

Protect mode, due to low voltage, again, your gains might be ok or might be bad, but regardless your electrical cant handle the power trying to be made, therefore your voltage gets low 10v and the amp shuts off until the alternator can get it back over the cutoff voltage.

Also from what I have listed is there anyway someone could link a wiring diagram that would work for what I have or possibly make one for me? I would be willing to pay. I just want my system right finally.

Now when I flip the circuit breaker nothing comes on at all. So who knows maybe all my shits blown.

Any help would be fantastic and greatly appreciated. I love car audio but I haven't even been able to enjoy it.

If you kept blowing the circuit breaker, it is most likely too small of a rated breaker, but when putting in a bigger one, you need to make sure the wire it is inline with can handle whatever bigger breaker you are installing. (If you install a 300a breaker, make sure the wire is rated to handle 300a)

Thanks guys. Also I can take pics and post them if there are some specific ones that would help?

Thanks man! I had a 300a INL Fuse before then they put the breaker in but not sure what its rated at though.

My truck has that weird alternator that fluctuates (Battery Current Sensor? I believe) …When I replaced my STOCK alt with the MECHMAN I think it didn't work because my truck has that weird alternator system that doesn't put out full voltage unless under heavy load or something. ToNasty knows about it. Maybe if I kept my stock alt for the trucks power and did the mechman for the audio it would work? I

What I currently have sitting in my apartment:

Mechman 370a alt

DC power triple alt bracket

Could I just buy another MECMAN 370a and run the triple alt setup on my current setup(even though its overkill)?

This way when I go to upgrade my subs/amp later my electrical will be there already.

Thanks!

 

Current Setup:

Mechman 370a Alt 4 pin

DC Triple Alt Bracket

XS3400 Battery

4 Ampere 6.5 components 4 tweets

Ampere 150.4 way

Norcal SS Custom 3/5 Lowering Kit with 3inch Lower Control Arms

DG Roll Pan

LED License Plate Lights

 

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Have you tried Dynamic Car Audio & Stereo, or Sound Wave Customs? I've not heard anything bad about either, and Sound Wave guys were kind and everything the couple times I stopped in to buy couple things and had them fab some stuff up for my old explorer panels.

It sounds like you need to run some new speaker wiring, and I'd check your power run for cuts/splits/pinches, make sure every connection is tight. Grounds too. The issue with your 370 mechman and voltage fluctuation could be if they did big three and didn't run the new ground through the current sensor on the truck. and you may even just have a bad grounding point as well.

If you haven't gotten the issues fixed by February/March time frame (long time from now, I know), then hit me up and i'll help you out, we can meet up somewhere then. I'll be home and my leave period will be done with, so i'll have time to help. I've got all four SMD tools now, so we can hit up every aspect of your system, whether it's working or not.

I have tried Sound Wave and the OWNER recommended me running a bunch of junk CAPS to fix the problem. I know in the right setup those can be beneficial but not for me.

The guy who did my second install use to work there and he did shit work. Those guys also charged me like $300.00 to install my mechman that I ended up pulling off myself. I got screwed I know.

ToNasty was telling me with the battery current sensor the Big 3 wasn't really beneficial to do on the stock alt/battery that it would be best to run an extra alt/battery and do it that way?

Yeah If I remember correctly they DID NOT run it through the battery current sensor.

 

Current Setup:

Mechman 370a Alt 4 pin

DC Triple Alt Bracket

XS3400 Battery

4 Ampere 6.5 components 4 tweets

Ampere 150.4 way

Norcal SS Custom 3/5 Lowering Kit with 3inch Lower Control Arms

DG Roll Pan

LED License Plate Lights

 

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It would be more beneficial to run the H.O. alt as a secondary electrical system when it comes to that sensor setup. If your voltage is still going crazy, then I'd make sure your stock grounds are going through that sensor.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with those guys. I guess since I only had them make some stuff for me, rather than install it themselves, I was a little biased in that area. My apologies. Good to know though.

If your current setup is laid out how you want it (amps, subs, and speakers are where you want them to be), then fixing your wiring/power issues should be really simple. It can be a hassle to run wire through doors, but don't be intimidated by it. Run new speaker wire to the speakers properly. Make sure the length for your 4ga power wire can handle the amount of current your amp can draw (I'm sure it can, unless it's some really cheap undersized 4ga). the circuit breaker should have a rating you can read on it, so it should meet the recommended size fuse of the amp.

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Yea, sounds like it would be beneficial for you to run a dual/triple set up so the aftermarket 2nd (and 3rd if triple) could be ran internally or externally regulated without being interfered with by the stock charging issue. Basically run the stock OEM alt to OEM electronics, and the extra alts to ONLY the amplifiers and rear bank of batteries.

29408240963_9908a51930_o.png
Best Score to Date : 160.5 dB Outlaw (47Hz)[4 XM 15's & 2 Taramps Bass 12k's]

BL :  http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/147800-chevyboy95s-4-15s-7krms-wall-1533-db-on-half-power/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/hitemwiththeflex/

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Thanks ChevyBoy95 & Reedal!!! You guys have helped tremendously!

Tomorrow I am dropping my truck off at to get lowered with Norcall's 3/5-6 Drop kit (New Upper/Lower Control arms, springs/shocks/ ect.) and alignment at a local shop that does good suspension work.

Then I'm going to order the second Mechman so I can run my stock OEM alt for trucks electrical and the other 2 along for my audio like you guys recommended.

I have a XSD3400 sitting in my apartment as well, I am assuming it would be helpful to install this at the same time under the hood? I know ToNasty told me I can get the second battery bracket like they run in the diesels and it basically fits nice under the hood. I also bought the Copper Battery terminals from Showtime.

 

Current Setup:

Mechman 370a Alt 4 pin

DC Triple Alt Bracket

XS3400 Battery

4 Ampere 6.5 components 4 tweets

Ampere 150.4 way

Norcal SS Custom 3/5 Lowering Kit with 3inch Lower Control Arms

DG Roll Pan

LED License Plate Lights

 

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With the amps you have, 1 H.O alt at 370a of a rating is more than enough to power what those amps need. You could get a T2500 and then you would start hitting the limit of what that alt could produce for current draw capabilities. To me it sounds like the gain was never set right, and everything was hooked up all stupid. As far as the power and ground wire. I only use 4awg when running 1500w if the length of the wire is less than 12 feet. Anything over that I jump up to 1/0.

On 11/20/2012 at 8:54 PM, AMI CUSTOMS said:

Turned mine up today at a light, guy next to me his steering wheel started moving and he looked over at me like I was a magician lol.

On 5/9/2012 at 8:45 PM, skittlesRgood said:

fuck the plating. look at what the main metal used is. you could buy unicorn blood plated terminals but if its just covering up dog shit, whats the point

On 4/10/2013 at 12:26 PM, mrd6 said:

I'll admit, half way through sanding that fiberglass in the rain and cold while I was all itchy I was definitely starting to question why i was doing this haha

  • Soon To Be
  • '04 Ford Escape
  • US Alternator 280A Hairpin
  • D4800 Under the Hood
  • (6) XP3000's in Rear
  • 1/0 SHCA & XS Power 4 runs to back
  • TORK2 kit from Tony @ CE Auto Supply
  • Pioneer DEH-80PRS
  • DD AW6.5 (2) per door
  • *Tweeter Unkown*
  • DD SS4a & C3d
  • (2) SCV4000 @ .5Ohm
  • (2) 15" Sundown Zv5
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if you can check for the 5khz crossover for the tweeter

should be before the tweeter but after the 6.5

check for any wires grounded out

i would try to get away from the stock hu

jvc arsenal / kenwood excelon

apline

some people like pioneer

http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/car/subwoofers_wiring.html?c=3

skar sk2500.1
0 gauge power and ground kunukonceptz
alpine HU
vxi65 components on BA gt-275
new build log -> http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/150642-project-d-kon-deathcards-build-log/#entry2148821
2 x-15 sundowns

singer alt, odyssey bat, and maxwell ultra caps

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