trancemission

I have a Yamaha RX V3000. This amp has been a workhorse for me for about 9 years now. Its starting to just shut off on me randomly.

Ive read that theres a safety mechanism that will trip it after 3 seconds of being on but thats not the case here. Just today it went the entire day without turning off. Then out of the blue, it shuts off.

I found a local authorized repair shop. Ill give them a call tomorrow. But I fear that Ill bring it in and it wont do it for them. So Im thinking Ill just wait till it gets worse.

I have a fan on it and that seems to be helping.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

stogie1020

Do you have a voltage regulator/Power conditioner upstream in the power line from it?

Does it only do it when you are watching/listening/playing certain shows/movies/music?

Really loud or even when on softly?


Also, has to be asked... Does your amp go to 11?

trancemission

I have it plugged into a monster power strip if thats what you're asking.

I said it does it randomly. So no matter what I have it set on it shuts off. Sometimes it will shut off 3 or 4 times a day. Sometimes never.

It doesnt give me an indication of volume from 1 -10. It does it in dB.

CanopyFlyer

Does the unit completely power off?

Or do the loudspeakers just cut out, but the display is still on?

What steps do you take to get it working again?

If the unit remains on, but no sound, then that is an indication of the amplifier section over heating, or detecting fault in the loudspeakers, or speaker wiring. Did you recently move any of the loudspeakers connected to the unit? When was the last time you took a can of air and cleaned out the heatsinks? Have you moved the unit recently? It may not be getting enough air.

If the unit completely powers off, then there may be a fault internally, or a bad circuit breaker inside the unit. The first thing I would try there, is to plug it into a completely different power strip. If that doesn't work, then plug the unit into a completely different house circuit breaker (probably won't do anything, but easy to try out with a long extension cord.) If all else fails, take it to a local Yamaha repair shop.

trancemission

Yeah Canopy, it completely powers off. It acts as if I just hit the power button.

Ill try plugging directly into the wall. Im leaning more towards a bad circuit internally.

Its a great amp. I think it would be worth fixing.....we'll see I guess.

2001AudiS4

There could be several things that could cause it to shut off (aside from bad circuits internally). Heat can definitely cause it to go into protect and shut off. Is it housed in a cabinet with not a lot of air flow? You mentioned that you put a fan on it and it helped. How hot is it to the touch when it shuts off.

CanopyFlyer already asked if you moved it at all. This is good question as a single strand of wire that crosses over so that your - and + are touching, you will short the circuit and it will shut off. This can also happen if a wire is stapled through, or a mouse can chew on a wire. If you turn the system on and everything is ok, try turning the volume WAY up and see if it goes into protect right away. Too much current could cause it to go into protect quickly on a short, where at regular volume it may take some time.

trancemission

Not really hot at all to be honest. its on the bottom shelf, but open in the front and back

I really think the fan is helping, I had it on from the moment I got home yesterday. Im not going to bring it in to a repair shop till it completely fails on me

trancemission

one more thing, dont post if you're not going to help.

2001AudiS4

I'm kinda confused. Everyone in here is trying to help you.

trancemission

I deleted his post.

Everyone else is helping and that I appreciate

2001AudiS4

Ah gotcha.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

Trancemission, have you noticed that it might do this while you're watching certain programs, or maybe even certain times of the day? Just trying to get a feel for any trending the receiver might do.

trancemission

yeah.....in fact its usually towards the end of the day, when its been on for a while.

as of yet, it hasnt just shut off after a few minutes of being on.

Im wondering now after what S4 asked if I have it properly ventilated

trancemission

hell, I dont know....its been fine all along till a few days ago.

if it is getting too hot I dont see why now it would start this.

Bearcat94

My guess: Something is overheating. Capacitors, Power Supply, Transformer, something like that.


Edit: the part that is overheating, just eventually reached a point where it couldn't take it any more - it's burned out.



If it's fused (I doubt that it is though, I think that'd apply to tubed amps), it might be a "partially blown" fuse.

trancemission

^^^ thats probably it bear...how do you even troubleshoot that?

I wish I were more electrical smart lol

Bearcat94

I have no idea. I would hope, though, that a good tech will know where to start. May even have a had a few through his shop with similar issues.

If something blew or shorted, you might spot it right off, but something like that, I think, would cause it to stop working altogether.

2001AudiS4

Have you had any other work done recently? I have had an issue similar where some other work being done resulted in someone accidently hitting a wire with a staple. It just grazed it but was enough create a small short.

The reason I questioned the ventilation is because you said a fan helped with the problem. Have you blown out the amp with some compressed air, or vacuumed it out? The internals could be covered in dust which will decrease its ability to properly ventilate.

trancemission

I pulled it out and blew some air down into it.....I think I may pull the cover off of it and get down in there and blow it out

CanopyFlyer

You stated that the unit is 9 years old, and if you've never cleaned it out, that is a LOT of dust. Not to mention that some dust is metallic and can cause a short.

Personally, I think there is something wrong inside the unit, but here is what you should do over the next couple of days... Yes days. Troubleshooting an intermittent problem is not something you do quickly.

1. Get a can of compressed "air". If you're brave, unplug the amp and let it sit for at least an hour, to make sure the capacitors discharge. The caps in the main power supply will sit you on your a$$, so don't be in a rush. Remove the cover and and use the entire can of air to blow it out. If you have a good vacuum, use that too.

2. After cleaning out the amp, look for a new home for it. Find a shelf with plenty of space, at least 4 inches from the top of the amp, and no other equipment below it. Hook it up, and listen to it normally. Amps make more heat the louder they are played, so have a party one night, and really give it a work out.

3. If after 3 or 4 days, and it works well, then relocate it to its old home. If after a few weeks the problem does NOT return, then I would say you licked it.

If it does return, then take it to a tech, and hope he can find what the problem is. Sometimes the troubleshooting takes so long that it is not economically feasible to fix, even though it probably is a 10 cent part that is the problem.

Dan

My old Yamaha 200 watt amp did the same thing. Turned out it was just a bad solder joint.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

I can echo what canopy said. A lot of dust will short out electrical components. Happened in a multimillion dollar electrical component on our aircraft platform a couple of years ago. My engineering fix was to vacuum out the old dust in the component, and no failures in two years.

Also, if you take the cover off, realize that there may be a sticker that will prevent warranty claims through Yamaha, but I suspect you're well-past your warranty period now anyway.

Also, when you have the cover off, look closely at solder joints, fuses, burnt-out capacitors (huge cylinders), and the light for burned out electrical components. Might make it easier to trouble shoot. Good luck.

trancemission

Thanks guys....I really appreciate all the advice.

Ill pop the cover off this weekend. Ill check out the solder joints as well.

I really hope its something as easy as it being dusty or a joint I could solder back up.


I got this amp through my insurance company. The house I lived in Colorado got struck by lightening. USAA sent me the top of the line Yamaha as a replacement. Like I said, its been rocking for better part of 9 years now.

I dont see any reason to purchase I new one. It does 5.1 digital which is all I need in my opinion. I have a nice set of Klipch (sp) on them and TV, XM....everything sounds amazing. I really hope I can fix it myself.

The shop say it'll probably take 2 to 3 weeks.....which didnt make much sense since he doesnt even have my amp.......yet

stogie1020

So..... NOW can we muck up the thread with Spinal Tap jokes?

Moog-Type-S

What's Spinal Tap?

trancemission

yeah, I get it....moving on

CanopyFlyer

LOL... My baby is just two channel and she's 18 years old to boot. However, I have no intention of ever replacing her.

YeuEmMaiMai

Amps will typically shut down due to thermal protection but it may be related to some other fault.

What model of amp do you have? you can google Yamaha Receiver Master reset and try that.

If you are going to clean your amp, unplug it, take it OUTSIDE and then blow it clean with a can of compressed air. Do not use a compressor as that air has oil residue in it and will cause problems..

Also, you can get some thermal paste and reapply it to the power transistors and other ICs that have it after you use 100% pure isopropyl alcohol to clean the old stuff off of the heatsink and power transisitors. do not use any alcohol that contains water as this is bad.. (Most isopropyl alcohol sold in stores is 70-90% pure)

I have a Yamaha HTR-5635 that I have been using since June 2003 that is still going strong and has little to no dust on the inside as I regularly clean the unit (wipe it down once a week)

EL_PIC

My new Deon CI 2112 AVR also cuts out but it seems only when in FM radio mode.
Not in HDTV mode.
Mine is in tight cabnets with doors removed for air flow.
It also has a computer type spike power strap.
Thinking I might drill 15 or so 1 inch holes for increased air flow on sides and top.
More ideas desired ...

See the install in the showoff thread ...
https://acurazine.com/forums/home-theater-electronics-45/home-theatre-showoff-thread-832391/

YeuEmMaiMai

^ how new is new? Using the FM radio should not generate significantly more heat, do you play it louder or drive more speakers (use zone settings)? if so, that could trigger the termal protection on the amplifier

EL_PIC

2 weeks new.
I know its weird ... FM only and not significant louder or any more speakers than the 3 above.
You would expect same w HDTV altough its a differ output.
Can it be that output port ??
I timed it at apx 15 minutes and 2 second cutoff.
Will try more investigation and inputs from the HT installer...

doopstr

If I were you I would swap it for a new one. It's probably defective.

trancemission

I think Im just going to get a new one.....
Its shutting off more often now....like I said I got many years out of it...

Think its just more trouble then its worth

EL_PIC

Thats what I figured but then all of a sudden the cutouts got real bad and then stopped. Now its over a month plus of no promblemo.

I had a real a real hard time w what the Sales Mgr and a Denon factory tech said ... "They said that can happen with a new high current model and give it a bit more time".
They said they would swapp it if cutouts continued.

Stil cant explain it but it no longer cutts out.
Thought I would share this info for those considering a HC type of unit.
Can any one explain this effect ??

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

My Yamaha rx-v4300 just started doing this. But it just shuts off as soon as I turn it on. It will not stay on. Pissed me off as it was a sudden thing. It was fine 1 day then 3 days later it started. Nothing connected to it & plugged directly into the wall socket in another room, & still the same. Blew air in it too. I guess it died. I have no luck with modern equipment. My DVD recorder died, my LCD TV died, my blu ray stopped playing disc's, & now this....

Yet I have a 23 year old tube TV & several amps from the mid 90's that work great.