well, i know this should be in stereo section but im sure to get a few quick replies in here. i have a jl amp mounted to a board that is mounted to the back seat of my car in the trunk. problem is, i recently added a rockford fosgate ps2 sub that is heating up the amp and the amp is shutting off fast due to no air/ventilation in trunk. so, what can i do to help keep the amp cool in there??? i thought about adding spacers between the amp and the board its mounted to to help it cool off and so its not sitting on carpet which the guy did to help match the interior but now its helping it to overheat, doh. mods feel free to move if you need to, i just wanted some quick replies as it seems knowone much reads the audio section.

 

i really wish i had you a pic of my set up lol, anyways when i bridged my 1400 watt amp it over heated after bangin for like 5 minutes. i bought a fan from wall mart that cost 12 bux it mounts into a cars cigarette lighter well i cut the cord and wired it to the ground on the amp and the remote wire on the amp now the 2 fans turn on when the amp comes on now the amp never over heats.


good luck,

 

make sure your subs are wired right positive to positive and neg to neg, also make sure your at the right ohm loadage for the amp and speaker or else it will overheat and tear the amp up.

 

since you have your amp mounted to a board, could the amp ventilation possible be covered up?? Plz take a pic and post it

 

1. i considered a pc fan, it would work, i just would'nt want anything to hit it as it would be in the trunk. what type of fan did you buy???
2. i checked with a mutlimeter, everything checked out and is properly wired
3. the amp vents are open, i will post up a pic in a day or 2 when i get a chance so you can see it. the board is carpeted thus heating it up faster like a blanket, kinda

 

another idea. Get some compressed air (like for a PC) and blow the amp out. There may be some dust thats not allowing the fan to properly cool it. I always try the cheap stuff, hoping its not actually the expensive things

 

Well if the amp is overheat....ITS CUZ U ARE BANGING TUNES TOO HARD...

lol



JK man.

Seriously tho u got a coupla options that you already know,

1) turn the amp down cuz its jus pulling too much current
2) Use Travis idea for the fan (I like this Travis, Using the remote ON wire for fan was pretty slick)
3) Add the spacers like u suggested so it can breathe a lil easier
4) Buy a more powerful Amp so it wont use as much current and overheat
5) You could try moving the amp or mounting it under rear deck. That metal to metal contact should help with heat transfer.

 

Definitely try to blow some compressed air though it. The accumulation of dust increases the thermal resistance of the heat sinks. If that simple fix doesn't work, use a fan. Forced air cooling is much more efficient that relying on free air convection to move the air. The most effective way to do it would be to build a sheet metal shroud to channel the air.

Or you could buy an amp that is rated to be used with the impedance of your sub. Different designs have different efficiencies. Class D is what you want for high power. I'm willing to bet you are using a Class B push-pull amp right now.

 

These fans work great for cooling amps. The site I provided is just for picture purposes. Any local Stinger dealer should have these in stock.

http://www.beachaudio.com/Sgj76-p-25...tm_content=atr

 

ironically enough i was looking at the stinger amp fans on break at work. looks like a good option. i saw that they make a fan that will kick in when amp warms up. where is the best place to mount one of those???

 

I'm not sure what the case of the amp looks like but the one I had had two end plates, and a large aluminum cast piece for the body. If you could angle it though one of the ends, and make some vent holes in the other end, you'd be set.

 

As someone who has installed hundreds of JL Audio amps over the years I can tell you several possible reasons that you're having an issue with the amp. (what model amp btw?)

1. You have the heat sinks covered so the amp can't dissipate the heat that is a product of amplification. (that's what amp efficiency means, a class d amp that is say 80% efficient produces 80% electrical power-watts and 20% heat) It sounds from your description that you have the amp mounted almost vertically, which is the preferred mounting angle per JL. So unless the amp is really covered you should be fine there. All you need is a few inches of space for the heat to dissipate.

2. You are running an impedance load that the amp isn't rated for. Again, it would help if you mentioned the amp model and also the impedance of the two subs you have...and how they are wired. (series, parallel, series/parallel, etc) Most JL amps have a low ohm light to distinguish between shorts/ohm related problems and overheating.

3. You have the gain turned up to a point at which the amp is clipping. This is really a function of number 2, but is often a mistake by novice audiophiles. The gain control is NOT a volume ****! Here is a great tutorial on JL's website for setting the gain on their amps: http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=143

With my experience installing and tuning JL products I can tell you that if you are experiencing an overheating issue with one of their amps that you are most likely doing something wrong. JL's amps are very rarely DOA and usually fail due to improper tuning and abuse. If you have the correct equipment matched up (rms ratings), the correct wire gauge (quality wire) running to the amp and the big 3, and have tuned the system properly then you will have an excellent sound system for years of use. Most people abuse or improperly tune their systems causing early equipment failure. I can't complain though...that simple fact keeps the stereo shops in business.

 

what he said.

Google your headunit, find what the Preout voltage is, set it according to the numbers on the amp or use a multimeter.

 

Probably are running an ohm load that is too low relative to what the amp is rated for. Get a multimeter, check it.

 

nah, its just old and is mounted in an area thats got no ventalation. thanks guys, ill let you know what i find out!!!

 

If you didn't change the mounting location of the amp then what does it matter that it's old? If it was fine before you added the other sub then there was/is obviously adequate space to cool the amp. The amp doesn't need ventilation, JL amps don't have fans so you don't have to worry about airflow. It just has to be mounted upright and nothing laid on top of it to prevent heat dissipation.

Again, what model amp and what ohm subs do you have? You asked for help and then don't seem to want it anymore...what gives?