Truck stereo, need help!

[Dodge Cowboy]

I have a 2000 Dodge Dakota, with a Pioneer radio. Once I turn it up so loud, it kicks on and off when the bass hits. We've checked the wiring behind the radio but it didn't help. It's done this before, but we just pushed the fuse back in and it stopped. We tried that this time and it didn't work. The light on the radio dims whn it does it. Any ideas on how to fix it?

 

[Harvey]

It sounds like the power amplifier current limit circuit is protecting it from becoming and SED (Smoke Emitting Device).

If that's what's happening, to get the loudness you want, you have three options:

1. Buy more powerful amplifiers.

2. Buy more efficient speakers that will provide more acoustic ouput per watt.

3. Spend some time and money with a good audiologist. Continued exposure to too much sound pressure can permanently damage your hearing. Highly distorted sounds, either from clipping the amplifiers or overdriving the speakers, can be more harmful than clean ones.

If you've spent any extended time listening to very loud music, consider the third option first.

 

[Dodge Cowboy]

It barely turns up without shutting off. I posted this for help fixing it not to be told I'm deaf. My truck roars that's why I like to have a working radio

 

[fralexandr]

what speakers, amplifier, and cables are you using?
Is the audio stock, unmodified?

Harvey's post doesn't seem offensive at all. You didn't say anything about what volume other than "Once I turn it up so loud" which can be interpreted to mean either 1) really loud, or 2) to a certain (unspecified) loudness.

 

[Harvey]

It barely turns up without shutting off. I posted this for help fixing it not to be told I'm deaf. My truck roars that's why I like to have a working radio

Sorry about that. I was serious because I design studio audio electronics so I'm often around people who play their audio above safe levels, and the way you described it sounded like you were playing it at very high levels. If your truck "roars," you still may be playing it louder than you think, just to get the sound over the background noise, but if not, here are three possiblities:

1. You didn't tell us the power rating (RMS, not peak) of your bass amp(s). If it's underpowered for your speakers, you could still be driving it into a self-protection mode.

2. The protection circuitry, itself, could be false triggering. This could happen if a component is failing under load or if there's a cold solder joint on the circuit board.

3. Something in the power supply/regulation circuitry is failing.

A qualified tech would have to bench test it under load to determine whether it's either of the latter two.

Good luck.

 

[Dodge Cowboy]

I never said it was offensive. But honestly I have no idea of the power rating or anything. I'm just tired of messing with the damn thing. It was all in it already when I got the truck 3 months ago. I'm not really into working on this stuff. My cousin said he thinks it could be a short in a wire somewhere. But once again he's not a proffesional at radios either

 

[Harvey]

If it's happening on heavy bass notes, you could have a bad component, solder joint or connector on the circuit board or the speaker, or the wire, itself, could be bad in a way that makes it intermittant under vibration.

As I've noted, there are several possible causes of your problem. If you're not into diagnosing the problem, you should take it to a tech. You pay them because they're good at what they do for the same reasons they probably don't do what you do as well as you do.

 

[Dodge Cowboy]

Any idea on the price range?

 

[Harvey]

Any idea on the price range?

Sorry, but I don't think anyone could diagnose the problem without physically seeing it and being able to test it, and I have no idea what good techs charge in your area.

You'd have to phone some of your local techs for quotes. Ask your friends and/or check online for references. Most to all of them will ask for some minimum service charge just to look at it. Most reputable techs will apply that money to the overall repair charge if you then have them do the work. Even if you decide to go to another tech, you'll get a professional diagnosis that will help whoever ends up working on it.