# problem with alpine amp, need help



## ahardb0dy (Nov 9, 2003)

Hello, I've been having a problem with my system lately, for some unknown reason the front speakers will cut out for a few seconds than come back on, I'm using a sony pre-amp only head unit which runs to an alpine amp for the front speakers (amp is a 4 ch bridged at 150 x2) and I'm using a PPI amp (200x2) to the rear subs. First I thought it was a head unit problem but I switched the rca cables in the trunk from one amp to the other and the front speakers still cut out so that eliminates the head unit and cables, so if their is a problem with my apline amp any idea what it may be? Anyone have a similiar problem with an Alpine amp? model # is 3354, it's about 10 years old but has always worked excellent. Just some more info, amps are fed from 4 gauge cable direct from batt, than split thru a maxi-fuse distribution block within 2' of both amps, grounds are in trunk although at this time they are not grounded in the same location. Rca cables are cheap crap, just replaced rca plugs on the rear cables with monster cable ends ( due to bad connection and one speaker cutting out) I also don't think it's a heat problem because I would think if it was the amp would stay shutdown until it cools but as I said the speakers only go out for a few seconds. Anyother ideas??


Thanks


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## ahardb0dy (Nov 9, 2003)

Just a correction, alpine amp model is 3554


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## Russia (Jul 24, 2003)

Hmm thats weird...my guesses would be either that the amp just met its age, or hmm I cant even think of anything else...thats my only guess...haha


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## samo (Apr 30, 2002)

Could be a short to ground on one or both of the speaker leads, especially if it's more prominent when you hit a bump. Try banging on the doors with the car parked, or pop the panels off and check the wiring. While you're in there, tape up any bare connections.

Less likely, but still very possible, is a blown speaker, perhaps with a short at a certain point in the voicecoil. If your wiring looks great, try swapping the speakers out for a while and see if that fixes the problem.

Basically, you're down to eliminating variables. Most likely is a problem with the speakers or the wiring.


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## ahardb0dy (Nov 9, 2003)

The front speakers ( the one's that go out) were replaced by me, their a set of pioneer 3 ways, but the grounding out thing may make sense because when I hooked the speakers up to the alpine amp I ran 2 pairs of speaker wire from behind the radio to the amp in the trunk, than I connected the new speaker wires to the factory speaker wires that were allready running into the doors. Here's the thing, My whole radio was losing power for a few days and I ended up rewiring it directly to the fuse panel, during the investigation of the radio cutting out I had unplugged the 2 sets of rca cables from the radio, when I wiggled the factory radio harness I kept hearing a popping noise in one of the front speakers! Now the speakers were not hooked up being the rca's going to the front amp were unplugged so I started to think that maybe somewhere in the factory harness there was a short between the factory speaker wires and one of the 12V wires. That's why I ran the wires to the fuse panel, problem solved. But I guess I shouldn't have been lazy and I should have just ran the speaker wires from the amp directly into the doors and totally eliminated any problems with the factory harness. Maybe a project for this weekend. What do you think of the popping noise in the speaker?? Sorry so long


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## samo (Apr 30, 2002)

Speaker popping would definately be related to a short with a + wire. At the very least, I'd get into the door panels and check that wiring out. Running all new wire certainly wouldn't hurt if you have any kind of question as to the integrity of the factory wiring. Like I said, you're really down to eliminating variables. Start with the most likely, the wiring, then check the speakers, then the amp, and on and on. If you've got an extra amp laying around, try throwing it on there and see if it cuts out.


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## ahardb0dy (Nov 9, 2003)

Ok, update, today I rewired the front speakers, I ran the speaker wires the proper way from the amp directly to each door speaker, took a ride to the store and same thing happened, front speakers cut out for a few seconds, so I guess it wasn't the way I had the wires hooked up. I ordered the part where the RCA cables plug into the alpine amp the other day so after I replace that I'll see what happens, ( was having a problem with the rca's losing contact with the rca jacks in the amp so I opened it up and soldered in my own rca cables bypassing the rca plugs in the amp) never had aproblem with that before but it needed to be fixed the right way anyway, stay tuned...


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