davestar

so i finally got off my lazy ass and started my install. the final setup will be CDT HD-62s for fronts, an eD10k sub, and an Aura 4150 (100x4) amp. i'll be leaving the stock amp in place to power my rear door speakers that i'll fade out unless i have rear passengers. the 6x9s will be pulled so the cabin and trunk share airspace.

today i ran all my cables and spliced into the preamp signals. i grounded the amp at one of the two clip things in the middle of the trunk. when i powered up everything, the amp's protection LED lit for a few seconds and then nothing happened. i hooked up a smaller amp with the same setup, which worked, but there was some screeching and popping. a different ground point achieved the same results. i ohmed out the various cables, troubleshot a few things, but can't find a cause except possible bad grounding. it makes sense, i think. the larger amp couldn't draw enough current due to the shoddy ground, but the small amp had enough to operate....

anyone care to offer his/her thoughts? if it sounds like a ground problem, where should i try? (i've read the fuel pump is a good place, but where is that exactly?) thanks

musicbox

where ever you ground, you have to be touching metal, not paint...So depending on where you want your ground you will need to get in there with sandpaper or a wire brush, something to get the paint off around a bolt..

davestar

yeah, i didn't mention it in my original post, but i scraped off paint in and around the two grounding points that i tried... so i can rule out that as a factor. my thought was that the metal sections of the two points that i tried were only spot welded to the main chassis of the car, so a bad ground was inevitable.