Have you ever had your car amp blowing fuses every time you turn up the volume? If so, then this blog post is for you!
This article will give insight into what could be wrong with your system and how to fix it. It’ll also show some easy ways to diagnose any potential problems before installing a new amplifier.
Why Does My Car Amp Keep Blowing Fuses at High Volume?
Amp fuses can blow due to an increase in gain, bad ground, incorrect wiring, internal malfunction, and many more. If the amplifier is too powerful for the wiring in your car, that can also cause the fuse to blow out often.
Let’s take a look at all the reasons that may cause the fuse to blow out more often than usual-
Too Much Gain
Increasing the gain all the way up in your amplifier can cause the system to draw more power than usual, resulting in the fuse blowing out.
This happens often with amateur users as they sometimes consider this a volume control knob. Since increasing gain does increase the sound in the system, people tend to do it without realizing the consequences.
If you are experiencing a car amplifier fuse blowing out issue only when you turn the volume up, double-check the knob you are using to raise the volume. You are probably using the gain control knob.
The gain controller in the amp is for fine-tuning the sound quality, not for increasing or decreasing the sound.
Bad Ground
A bad ground connection may also be your problem! If the ground connection is faulty or not working as expected, any power surge will cause the system to be overburdened. And the first consequence of such power fluctuations without proper grounding is a blown fuse.
To fix this, you’ll need to ensure that the system is properly grounded and the ground connection is made in a bare metal surface, not a painted or rusty one as they may cause the ground cable not to connect with the actual surface.
Internal Malfunction
It is also possible that your car amp’s fuse blows because of an internal malfunction. If the internal components are not working as expected, overheating may be generated and lead to blown fuses — such issue should be addressed by an expert hands-on repairman/technician.
Too Much Power Draw Due to Incorrect Wiring
Incorrect wiring can also be a reason why your amp fuse keeps blowing out. Incorrect wiring can include wiring that is too small for the amp, mismatched wiring, or wiring that is not properly connected.
If you are confident in your electrical skills, you can try to rewire the system yourself. If not, take it to a professional and have them look at it. They will be able to tell you what the problem is and how to fix it.
Using Wrong Fuse For the Amp
Using a fuse with the wrong amperage rating may also be what you need to look at. If your amp requires you to use a 40 amp fuse and you are using a 20 or 30 one, that would cause problems.
The system will draw more power than the fuse’s capacity and it will blow out eventually. So, make sure you use the correct amperage for your amp.
Shorted Wires
An issue with the wiring of your car amp may also be what causes it to blow out its fuse. This happens when there is a short in the system and this results in overloading of power which eventually leads to blowing the fuses that protect your amplifier from getting damaged.
If you suspect that the neutral and power wires are getting connected somewhere in the system, you should start diagnosing it immediately. This type of issue can have devastating effects on your system, including the whole car audio system blow up.
Unknown Reason
Apart from the reasons we have talked about above, there are many other unknown reasons that may cause the fuses to blow up from time to time. However, those should be one-off even every once in a while and not cause frequent fuse blow up.
In case you experience occasional blow-ups, there is nothing to worry about unless you have done anything wrong in the system. A simple power surge or a drop of water somewhere in an open wire connection can cause the fuse to blow up. You should only worry about this when it’s having a pattern or it’s happening regularly.
Blown Fuses and Your Car Amp: Fixing The Problem
Fixing this problem is not hard at all! You can easily buy a new fuse and replace it yourself, no issues there.
However, if the fuse keeps blowing out, I recommend doing a proper diagnosis of the issue following the above steps to find the problem in your system. This will save you from spending additional money on different component replacements down the line.
Amp Blown Fuse Symptoms
If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, it is likely that your amp’s fuse has blown out:
No sound from the speakers
The most common and obvious result of a blown fuse is no sound coming from the speakers of your system. So, if there is no sound from the car audio system, the first thing to check is all the fuses relating to the car audio systems, i.e. the amp, subwoofer, head unit, and speakers.
The car audio system is not turning on
If you’re trying to turn on your car audio system and it is not responding, there may be an issue with the power supply. Check all fuses in the battery line from the fusebox! If anything looks suspicious, try disconnecting each of them one by one to find out which one actually blew up.
If the fuses under the hood are all okay, you should check the fuses inside the vehicle as well, which are specifically related to the different car audio system accessories.
There is a humming or buzzing noise coming from the system
If you notice a humming or buzzing noise coming from the speakers and other components of your car audio system, then there is probably an issue with the power supply.
This happens when a fuse is partially blown up and still producing a bit of electricity through it.
The sound quality is poor
If the sound quality is poor, it’s possible that your amplifier fuse has blown up.
The amp needs a good power supply to create high-quality sounds and produce loudness. If there isn’t enough current or voltage supplied to the amps, then this will result in lower sound quality after some time of usage. That will cause you to hear the buzzing noise, humming sound, or even distorted sounds.
The amp is overheating
If your amplifier starts to overheat after some time of usage without any issues before it, then there is probably something wrong with the internal wiring in the car audio system. This can be caused by a blown fuse too! Check all wires and components for possible damages.
Burning Smell From Car Amp
If you start to smell a burning smell, it’s likely that the amplifier is overheating. This may be due to a blown fuse or some other issue in the system. Turn off your car immediately and do not use the audio system until you have found and fixed the problem!
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many possible reasons why your car’s amp keeps blowing up fuses. If you’re not sure what is causing it, follow the steps above to diagnose your car audio system!
If you are experiencing occasional blow-ups, there is nothing to worry about unless you have done anything wrong in the system. A simple power surge or a drop of water somewhere in an open wire can cause a fuse to blow.
If you have experienced multiple blows in the same line, it is recommended that you check all components of your car audio system for any damages or loose connections. This will help prevent additional damage from being done and save you money on future replacements!
As always, feel free to leave comments below if there’s anything you would like to add or if you have any questions!