Car audio

[Krayzie]

Alright, I don't know if this is the right place to post, but I need help with my car audio system.

 

It worked a couple days ago then just stopped working and I can't figure out why. All the fuses are good and my amp is getting power but my sub isn't working and my car speakers sound a little staticy. Any ideas on how to fix it or what is wrong? Please help me.

[Timberwolf]

See if ALL the wires are connected ..maybe even look at the back of the sub right were the wires connect to the speaker ..Not the not inputs Static could be a bad ground

[Krayzie]

Well it had worked for like 3 weeks prior with only the amp over heating a couple of times because there was a blanket in the trunk covering the amp, but it just stopped working. I will check it after I get out of school tomorrow. I was thinking about just making a new groundand buying a new set of RCA cables but I don't know if either of those are the issue because it had worked just fine.

[SkyeDarkhawk]

If it was overheating, it's possible that some of the plastic sheathing on the wires melted near it, and now that crackle is the sign that the wires are frayed, loose, or coming in contact with metal near by, either another wire, or the body of the car. If this is the case, you should be able to just re-wrap the problem areas with electrical tape to fix it up, unless the internal wires have been damaged; then the best course of action is to splice a new section of wire into where the damage is by cutting at least 2 inches in either direction of the damaged spot, and putting in a piece of patch wire either secured by a crush coupler or wirenuts. Either one you will want to wrap with electrical tape after applying some conductive glue, gel, or paste to fight corrosion.

[Krayzie]

But even afterwards of it "overheating' it still worked. That's why I don't understand what could be wrong with it, it worked fine, and nothing seemed damaged and then one day it just stops working.

[SkyeDarkhawk]

Might just be some loose wires then, heating/cooling is expanding/contracting. Check your connections?

[Krayzie]

I probably need a better guage wire going to the sub. I put them back in and it worked, but they are turning a darker color instead of the copper looking color.,

[SkyeDarkhawk]

After doing some searching, people can't seem to reach an agreement on why it happens, what causes it, and if it effects performance of sound systems.

 

In any event, if you want to try to clean the wires, disconnect the wires from your sub/amp/whatever they're plugged into, and disconnect your negative battery cable (this pulls power from your car allowing you to work safely), and then just scrub the darkened wire with lemon juice and salt, like you would any copper pot/pan. After you've cleaned it with the lemon/salt, wipe it down with water and denatured alcohol to get it clean of any leftover lemon juice and salt.

 

Once you've got it clean, you might want to try to clean your contacts as well, using the same process. After all that, re-connect everything, then apply some dielectric grease to keep out dust, dirt, and other nasties, then wrap it all up with some sealers like electrical tape or see if someone can build a sealed box to put around the connections with gaskets/rubber seals around it.