Why does my amp keep cutting out?

Question

i have a kicker ZR240 amp [old skool amplifier] and when i play in the car it cuts out and everything else in the car shuts of and when i have it on a low volume the lights and everything else dims. the amp is only 240 watts and takes 60 amps of current to make it play. anyways i use this amp to power speakers not subs, do you think i may need a capicitor? help!

Answer 1

Yep. A capacitor, and maybe a check on your alternator capacity and condition.

Answer 2

There's either something wrong with the amp or there's a shorted wire or passive crossover somewhere.  Try disconnecting the left speakers (completely, not just one + or - wire), check its operation, then reconnect the channel and disconnect the other channel, and do the same.  If it only affects the amp with one of the two output channels connected, that will narrow it down a bit.  Also, measure resistance with an ohmmeter between the speaker wires and the chassis of the car (while the speaker wires are disconnected from the amp, of course).  They should be "open" circuits, and not pass current through the chassis at all.

Also, make sure the wire to the battery or fuse/distribution block is thick enough.  If it's too thin, the amp tries to compensate for the voltage drop by pulling more current, which obviously can only go so far before the amp shuts off or blows a fuse.