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Hi my name is Movin On, and I've been working in the field of car audio and mobile electronics
for 8 over years. I've installed everything from navigation systems to full car stereo
systems, remote starters, alarms, and beyond. To learn more, visit our web site at www.movinon.com.
One of the most popular add-ons for a car stereo is a subwoofer/amp combo. Because of that
we have a lot of people coming in with problems and they want to see why their subwoofer is
not playing. If you have a sub/amp combo that is dead, one of the first things that you
should check is the fuse under the hood. Pop the hood, look near the battery, and there
should be a big power cable coming off of it. Usually red or blue or some easy to notice
color. Often times it is going to be covered with wire loom, which is usually black. Check
for the fuse, which is usually going to be six to twelve inches from the battery, and
see if the fuse is blown. You can usually tell if it is blown because the piece in the
middle is going to be split apart. If this fuse is blown, it means that there is a problem
back by the amplifier, or you might have just played it too loud and it overheated and drew
too much power. If your fuse is not blown, the next thing you are going to do is check
the amplifier itself. Usually there is a protection light on the amplifier that is going to go
on and put the amp into protection mode if there is something wrong with it. Usually
it is labeled on the side of the amp what color this light should be if the amp is in
protection mode. If there is a short at the amplifier, often times the fuses on the amplifier
itself will blow. This is not to be confused with the fuse that is underneath the hood
that powers the amplifier. The fuses that are on the amplifier protect the amp from
a shorted subwoofer. If you check these and they are blown you are going to want to check
your subwoofer next and make sure that it is not shorted out. Another good thing to
do is check your grounds. The ground is the black wire that comes off the amplifier and
gets screwed into the chassis of your car. If the ground is not good, you are going to
have a problem. You can usually check a ground with a multi-meter or just use a factory ground.
If you have another subwoofer that is available, you can simply plug it in to the amplifier
and see if it plays. If that subwoofer plays and the other one doesn't, then there is something
wrong with the subwoofer. Sometimes you can unscrew the subwoofer from the box, look inside,
and check for a bad connection. Sometimes the subwoofer is not blown or dead — it
is just that it is not connected properly.