My car amp gets really really hot and turns itself off every now and then

[psteng19]

It's a US Acoustics USA2050 50 X 2 watt... installed a couple of months ago, bridged (160 watts) to power my kenwood sub.

On short trips, it would be work fine (not enough time for it to get hot and turn off).
On extended trips, it would shut off after awhile, turn back on, then off again.

After a long trip, I went to my trunk (that's where it's located ) and touched it.
It was scorching hot, to the point where you could only touch it with your fingers for 1 second without burning your skin.

I was thinking the shutting down was a safety mechanism that prevents it from burning up.
Is this normal?

oh, and I couldn't find the remote turn-on lead so I hooked it up the the ACC lead, which turns on the amp when the key is turned (which is no problem since my stereo is on all the time when I'm driving anyway).

I'm pretty sure it's getting enough ventilation. It's right on the floor of the trunk, with nothing over it blocking airflow.

 

[Colt45]

strange..all my pos amps dont get much hotter than "warm".

 

[gogeeta13]

it may be possible that your amp has too much load on it from your subs..or may not like running in bridged mode..

how much load(ohms) are you putting on your amp?

if i were you, and the above doesnt have to do with your problem, i would add active cooling by way of a 120mm muffin fan to it...

 

[apoppin]

Is it still under warranty?

Are you always driving it near maximum level? Is the amp properly bridged into the correct resistance for the sub? Heavy enough gauge speaker wire? Proper gauge power cable directly from the battery to the amp?

EDIT: Yes, it is normal for an amp to shut down for thermal overheat. But you DO have a problem that needs remedying. Finally, it may be defective . . . check on your warranty.

 

[BillGates]

Take a couple of old case fans from your computer - they should be 12v and you can run some air over the heat sinks to help cool them off... They'll especially help out this summer when your trunk starts to bake everything in it.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: billgates380
Take a couple of old case fans from your computer - they should be 12v and you can run some air over the heat sinks to help cool them off... They'll especially help out this summer when your trunk starts to bake everything in it.

This is the last thing I would do. It is not normal for a good amp to overheat under "normal" conditions. Find and fix the problem or you will shorten it's life considerably.

However, if you are always running your amp at maximum output you may just need a more powerful one . . .

 

[psteng19]

Here is the amp.

I forgot the specs of the Kenwood sub, but something like 120 watts RMS, 200 watts peak.

Pretty sure it's running at 4 ohms. <-- I just did plug-n-play... wouldn't know how to run it at 2 ohms or anything.
Always running it at max level (2.2 volts).

Wiring came from an amp kit, 10 gauge from battery, 30 amp fuse.
Speaker wire, I pulled extra from home setup. Don't know the exact gauge, but it's pretty thick... I would guess 10-12 gauge.

Not a big deal.
I'm switching over to a MTX setup soon.

But this did raise a concern...

and I bought the amp from a person from FS/FT (refurbed) so I dunno about the warranty

 

[apoppin]

Not a big deal.
I'm switching over to a MTX setup soon.

But this did raise a concern...

Since this is a temporary amp out of warranty, I'd first examine all my wiring and then try the Mr. Gates' fan suggestion (and maybe back down on the volume just a bit).

 

[gogeeta13]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Not a big deal.
I'm switching over to a MTX setup soon.

But this did raise a concern...

Since this is a temporary amp out of warranty, I'd first examine all my wiring and then try the Mr. Gates' fan suggestion (and maybe back down on the volume just a bit).

hey! i suggested a fan first!

/cry!

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: gogeeta13
it may be possible that your amp has too much load on it from your subs..or may not like running in bridged mode..

how much load(ohms) are you putting on your amp?

if i were you, and the above doesnt have to do with your problem, i would add active cooling by way of a 120mm muffin fan to it...

hey! i suggested a fan first!

/cry!

Credit where credit's due. (sorry)

EDIT: Anyway, the fan may not help as out poster believes there is sufficient ventillation already . . . but it couldn't hurt and may postpone the amp's shutting down.