Ok, I took the advice got a DMM and checked the power wire by the dist. block, the needle didn't move an inch. I touched the remote wire from the amp to the power wire and no sparks or anything. Does this mean the amp is blown, is it possible to fix it? Or should I throw it in the trash? thansk again guys.
Refresh your problem/story? What did you measure? Did you check the voltage by the battery posts with engine off and on? What were those readings? Are you saying you got no voltage at the d block? There should be 12.5v - 13.8v with the car radio on on the remote wires. Anything can be fixed, you just need to weigh the cost of repair vs new amp.
Well I checked the voltage by the block, and nothing. the car was off with the electronics all on. i even checked it by the battery and nothing. Just to be sure I will repeat this process, but exactly where do I want the DMM set? I tried every setting. I even cleaned the connection from the battery to the wire, to make sure there was a connection and all the crud was off. I sanded the rust/metal where the ground goes, to make sure the connections were good.
This was my previous post: Ok, i have an orion hccca 250 hooked up to two infinity perfects. everything was working fine and then everything just shut off. this wasn't after a few mins of working. the systems had been working for a few weeks. the amp doesn't seem to be fried or anything. i didn't notice any smoke and nothing on the board looks burnt. i checked the remote wire and the ground wire several times. no, fuses are blown and the power cable has a solid connection. what else can i check or do to see if i can get this thing working again? there has to be something else. thanks for the help.
Ok, so set it to DCV for the power wire and remote wire, and the reading should be 12.5v-13.8v for both. I will go over this once more to double check and get back to you. thanks for your time isaac. also if i need to get a new amp, is there much difference in running 1ohm load vs 4ohm? I know 1ohm will produce more heat, but any othe difference?
It's always best to get max power at 4ohms vs 1ohm. Not only will the amp run cooler, but you also get more headroom and SQ. It'll cost you a lot more though.
Ok, I did the test again. i didn't get any readings. so whats the next step in this process? thanks for your time Isaac, it seems i can never get a system to work right.
Try this to see if your DMM is set correctly. Measure your battery. You should get a reading. If not, you've either set the dial to incorrect mode or the probes are in the wrong holes. You should have black and red. There should also be 3 or 4 holes with different symbols. Check your owner's manual for which holes to use with the probes. Once that's settled, redo the test. If you still don't get any voltage at the D block, then there is no power there. Meaning, either the fuse is blown or the power wire is loose. Just repeat the above test procedures.
You will hardly be able to tell SQ difference by ear between 4ohm mode and 1 ohm mode.
Well I can tell you my DMM has only two slots, + and -, and they are color coded so i didnt get that backwards. On the distribution block, i would imagine i put the positive probe to the wire, but what do I do with the - ? thanks.