dave, if i want to add glass and lights and custom enclosures n whatnot, i can do that later on down the line.

for now, i just want to get everything operational and running.

that said, BUMP for answers to dave/my questions so we can get this thing put away.

i hate cars, jda, trunk monkey...where are you guys!?

 

I keep my amps in the trunk. This is a preference thing, but I doubt a 300/2 will fit under the front seats anyway. I mount mine on the side so that I don't hinder any sound from getting into the trunk. If you have a box, then you can mount it on there.

Yes, cut the preamp OEM wires for the FRONT SIGNAL in the kickpanel where they are located. Leave the rest untouched. Run a 17-20 foot RCA cable from the front to the trunk (or wherever you decide to put the amp). Cut the heads off of the RCA near the kick panel and wire them directly to the OEM wires that you just cut. The center of the RCA is the positive and the outside ring is the negative. This signal will be balanced differential still and clean - just plug the RCAs into the amp and switch the input mode to "low."

 

^jda, thank you so much for that imformative post.

now that i've got ya here, few more questions...

are we going to need to switch up the subwoofer setup? right now we just have a LOC on it using the OEM sub harness.

and are you 100% sure i won't have a use for the matrix line driver? i only ask bc i have a buyer interested in it and i don't want to sell it if any part of you thinks i may need it.

lastly, can you elaborate a little more on the front components. how we drill the holes, etc? that was our major problem on sunday.

again, thank you! you've been a big help.

 

You don't NEED to do anything with the sub. Just leave it the way that it is. You CAN, however, drop the LOC and wire it directly with some RCAs with the 500/1 switched to "high" input mode. You also CAN, take the preamp signal for the sub too by using another RCA from kick to sub amp. None of these things are necessary, however. They probably will sound better, especially in the low end. A a minimum, I would just wire the sub signal in the trunk directly and skip the LOC.

TIP: Put your window up before you take the panel off.

Open the door and disconnect the outside (weather safe boot) of the molex connector with the gizillion wires. Just let it hang there. Press the clips and get the door side connector to get it loose and push it into the door - this is the side in the pic that I posted only pulled through the speaker hole. Take a bit of appropriate size and drill a hole for your wire. Run the wire through and snap the door side back into place. Run the wire up through the boot (the worst part) into the dash area. Then just plug the boot side connector back in. Wipe the grease off of everything.

The new wire will jack the fitting up just a bit of you used some stout gauge, but it will go back on. Just pay attention and work it out. I used some 12 or 14 and it was a bit snug, but made it.

The JL slash amps will take a balanced differential signal and it will accept them well below the voltage that our HU puts out. I think that they will accept .2v and we get around .8v or .9v. I never used a line driver when I used the JL amps and still do not. The only way that you will use it is if you get different amps.

 

^good to know. thank you for that post, as well.

hopefully this is enough info for dave and i to finish this thing up.

matrix line driver is......SOLD! hope i really don't need that thing haha!

 

quick question...the red power wire (4 guage) going to the JL 500/1 amp keeps coming loose.

the hold down screw seems to not hold it in place, is there anything i can solder onto the 4guage wire and then use the hold down screw to hold it down and keep it in place? seems like the copper wire from the 4guage is too thick or something for the screw to keep it firmly in place.

thoughts?

 

Just cut a little off all around the outside of the wire. Reduce it to a 8ga.-ish or something that will fit in there and not come out. Also, if you're making a sharp turn when you're inserting it and where the amp sits, it'll keep coming out slightly.

 

so just reduce the 4 to an 8 ga? is that safe?

also, what'dya mean about sharp turns?

 

Well..just an example but I mean I wouldn't reduce it "that" much. The amp specs say it accepts a 4ga. power/ground so it should fit. Maybe trim the jacket a little further back and when you have it firmly in there, wrap it with electrical tape?

 

That 500/1 should take 4G, no problem. Make sure that you back the hex screw out all the way, then firmly insert the wire all the way down. If you need to, cut the end off and re-strip for a nice bundle.

It will likely take more tools than you have to solder that gauge of wire - you can do the outside, or drip solder onto it, but that is about it. A regular old <100w soldering iron is no match.

Make sure that you are using the correct size hex key to tighten - they are metric, I think. You should be able to hold the amp up using the power cord... it can get that tight.

 

^ yeah good point. I usually just remove the screw all the way, then re-insert it in when the wire is in there.

 

i gotcha. thanks for the tips trunk.

yeah i made sure the screw was all the way out, i think that the wire is just too flattened so it can't maintain a nice grip. i'll cut a little more off and start fresh. should i twist the wires together like i would with speaker wire or just let them be?

the ground and remote wire are fine, it's always been the power wire that i've had an issue with. and the threads on the hold down screw are fine, i don't get it.

i'll try again after work today though.

 

I just twist them a little to make it more compact. Then screw that sucker down as tight as you can so it'll stay. Don't ask me why...but I put electrical tap around the power and ground just in case they do come out slightly. We wouldn't want that now

 

^where do you put the tape exactly?

also, with my power wire coming out often, would that mess anything up on the amp?

the ground and remote are good to go, always have been.

 

I put the wire in and tighten it as best I can. Then I wrap the wire as close I can to the amp terminal with electrical tape. It shouldn't be coming out. I was saying that if you're have a slight bend in the cord right before it goes into the amp, that might have some influence. Tension might be pulling it out. That or the hex is stripped a little and is just coming loose easily

 

So what's the news Aaron?? Hopefully good...

 

Not sure why your set screw would be backing out; especially if you are using the same type of wire for your ground and that screw is holding OK. Wonder what would happen if you exchanged the power and ground set screw?

As TM pointed out it could be strain on the power wire that's helping to pull it out. I'm not sure about the tape but I use these clamps to strain relief my cables:

http://happyterminals.com/index.php?...j7c56s4d2jne62

Another possible cause is you just aren't able to get enough pressure on the stranded cable with the set screw; maybe because of some difference in the access to the power cable vice the ground. If you haven't gotten the set screw to spread the wire strands out over the whole socket then vibration could be helping to more evenly distribute them over time and reducing the tension on the set screw. With stranded wire, ferrules work great to help make really reliable connections:

http://happyterminals.com/index.php?cPath=21_43_150

Hope you find a solution.

 

Is this what ended up causing the panic attack about the amp being fried? lol

Just wondering, I tried to give you a ring but didn't get an answer after you sent me that text.

 

I'm hoping the amp isn't fried. I'm going to meet up with him and try to trace the power with a test light. The only thing I'm afraid of is the power line may have come out and shorted against something. He says none of the fuses are blown, but I want to check them all first.

 

4g should be able to fit easily into the power and ground of that amp. This is one area I spend a little extra time to make sure it's perfect. The bare wire should be just long enough to make contact and you should be able to get the insulation in the hole as well. It will give you a little more safety should the wires get pulled on. I have a fuse for each component and one at the battery but all it takes is one arc to set the carpet on fire.

I always go back after a few days after installing new wiring and retighten every connection. 90% of the time the wire compresses and needs to be retightened. It's not that the allen is coming loose, the wire is compressing. You can always use a thin flat piece of metal between the set screw and wire to spread out the load if you continue having problems.

Personally, I like mounting under the seats over the trunk. Once they're under the seat they never get touched or moved again. In the trunk there's always the chance of something bumping the amp or wiring. More personal preference than anything but it's so nice to pop the trunk and have no wires back there except for the sub wires.... which reminds me I have 16ga going to the subs right now. Got to swap that out.

 

Why not just use a multi-meter between the power and ground at the amp and work your way back. I mean, it either has power or it doesn't. Depending on the type of fuse, it can look good and be blown.

 

get this if your power wire keeps loose

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...er-SPT522.html

4-8 gauge reducer.

what does the trunk look like? any pics?

 

Don't have a MM.
But, as you say, it either has power or it doesn't!

 

When he sent me a text last night I thought he should test for continuity, or in other words, check to see that the amp internals are still a closed circuit.

When are you guys meeting up? I can bring a multimeter if need be and see what we can figure out.

 

thanks for the tips. i'll check out those links.

sorry man, ran into some BS and forgot to call you back.

panic attack

that's exactly what i think happened with the amp. i think it's toast...but hopefully you'll prove me wrong on wednesday...

yeah i knew i should've went back and re-checked everythign like i do with anything else. idk why i didn't...

i hope that's the case...below are pictures to show everything. all the fuses look good. i even replaced the 2 glass fuses in the distribution box in the trunk and it didn't help. maybe it's the front fuse near the battery under the hood?



wednesday after work, so hopefully around 5:00ish...

here are pics...

distribution block in trunk



^the one on the left is where the power wire starts and ends in the back of the amp. THIS wire came loose on both ends, apparently. came loose at the dist block and at the amp...that's why i think i'm fucked.

grounded, good to go...



under the hood...this is the fuse i'm un-sure of, although it looks fine to me.







back of the amp...no fuses inside the JL amp...



remote, ground, power all secure...



in the end, i do believe the amp is toast because the live wire kept coming loose on BOTH ends (block and amp) and something got shorted along the way and fried. there was no fuse between that live wire and i think it killed it.

 

Yeah Aaron, unless that amp has internal fuses, I think she may be toast

If you and Dave want to take a trip up here we can grab something to eat, go over everything, and then take a peak at my thing (wiring diagrams).

That is, if you and Dave don't get her up and running.

If not, no biggy.

 

Hopefully the amp isn't toast. I'd come down but I work 2nd shift. Let me know how you make out, I have an Alpine MRP500 in mint condition I will let go of for cheap for you if you need it. PLUS ANOTHER CAPACITOR. LOL

Since you'll be in the area I would just have you meet me at my work in York over one of my breaks. But yeah man, def. let me know if I can help.

 

yeah...no fuses on the slash amps. idk why they don't...seems like a shitty design. i wonder if all JL amps are like this.

me n dave are meeting up tomorrow evening to confirm all this.

thanks aaron. i want to stay in the JL family...so if this one is spent, i'll just get a replacement and make sure this doesn't happen again.

 

Let me know how you make out...I'll be around tomorrow evening, so feel free to shoot me a text or call if ya need too.

 

The HD series don't have them and the XD I just had in my hand didn't appear to have one but I didn't look.

The fuses are for the wiring anyway and technically you should have a fuse at the distro block for each amp.

If you have the funds, you may want to try out an HD in place of the Slash. Amazing little amps that will fit under the seats.

 

^matt. i did have glass fuses at the dist block, what else was i supposed to do?

based on what i've reported, do you think the amp is fried?

if the live wire came loose FROM the block and then touched metal in the trunk and transferred energy to the amp...would that kill it?

what do you think?

 

I've done that before and it's never killed my amp. Granted those amps had fuses but no fuse was popped. I feel your pain though...I'm about to go out and try to work on mine again. See if I can figure out this damn noise

 

Good luck, JL does make an awesome amplifier.

 

It's doubtful. Just stick the leads of a multi meter in the power and ground terminals of the amp and see if you have power. If not, work your way back. If you do have power and ground and it's not coming on, test the turn-on wire with one terminal on ground and the other on the test wire. You will find the issue quickly.

The only thing I can see happening is blowing one of the fuses. I've seen them melt up in the metal portion that you can't see. You can always check them for resistance.

I gave TM my phone #, feel free to call or text me. I'm off work for the next week.

I honestly think your amp is ok but if it turns out to be the amp, I have a friend that's selling his XD600/6 cheap. I don't know if that would fit your needs or not though.

 

Have you seen my post on unconventional crossover points on DIYMA? Talk about a pain in the ass. Sometimes I just want to give up. I know you're in the tuning stage and I found this the other day, very helpful for setting crossover points:

http://www.buwaldahybrids.com/phpBB3...hp?f=20&t=3328

If it helps at all, I've found crossing the tweeters as high as possible helps a ton, probably by eliminating many reflections off the glass. I have mine highpassed at 8khz right now and it's the best it's ever sounded. Sorry for the OT.

 

^thanks for the help guys. i'll report back later today after dave and i figure this thing out.

 

Yeah I've been following that. Lots of good info in there. I just wish I could get mine to work properly

Good luck man! Hope it works out for ya

 

alright just wanted to give you guys an update.

dave came by and after some voltage testing, almost immediatley saw this (pictured below)





on the underbelly of the distribution block, one of the outlets looked like it had imploded/busted/what have you...

fuses were good...but something obviously happened somewhere along the line. anyway, we just transferred over the live wire for the amp to the working outlet on the block. so far so good...but i'll be picking up another (better) distro block asap.

at least the amp is ok...thanks dave!

 

That was a close one lol

 

It was goofy. There was power into the distro block, but it only came out one side. We swapped fuses and same thing. I had to test the path all the way through the block to see something was weird (power made it through the fuse, then stopped). We flipped it over and thats when I saw the burn mark in the plastic.
I knew it was something simple.