BradHoff

iTrader: (3)

so im running a jl audio 500watt 10w3v3 mated to a jx500.1 class b amp. i know these run hot and hell yes they do. On a hot day here in south florida i can play loud music for about 10-15 min before it turns itself off. is this normal to protect itself? and is it good or bad to let it turn itself off?

i got the class b for less distortion and it works great. but man if you touch that thing after its been on for 10 min its HOT

Shibumi1

make sure u have a good ground( double metal, remove any paint).. then if prob persists u can always go ol school an put a 4" fan or squirrel cage fan to move air across it..

GCOP

Sounds like it may be current starved a bit. What size wire are you feeeding it with?

GS4_Fiend

iTrader: (22)

If you wire gauges are below 4 it can cause it to run hot. if your gains are more than half it will run hot. lastly a defective amp, which does happen. GL

irishcharm

iTrader: (1)

also agree on checking the grounds first. and telling us what gauge wire you use for both power and grounds.

BradHoff

iTrader: (3)

i use 4 guage wire and this is my third system in the car using the same point as a ground. it is "double metal" by the frame of the truck and a nut. Can you elaborate on "gains"? I have the RCA converter a little more than half if that is the gain. Frequency is usually between 80-120

i have the bass boost cranked but nothing it shouldn't be able to handle, its 500 watts RMS.

irishcharm

iTrader: (1)

May be a defective amp or where you mounted it. everything else looks alright.

gain is more than halfway, may, cause it to run warm. depends on the heatsink, where its mounted, air flow, ect.

Shibumi1

upgrade ground from engine block to chassis as well as the one from the neg terminal to chassis.. also check the fuse an fuse holder if its been in the car as long as u said it may need to be replaced.. an extra note if u have a volt meter, see what the voltage is at the amp as well as at the batt.. an both sides of the fuse holder..

LEXRX04

sounds like your on a great start with the 4awg....but make sure is a true 4awg...not 6 or 8 awg in a 4awg casing.

Also upgrade your wiring from your battery to your alt. It does sound like your starving it a bit. Starving the amp will also cause it to get hot and protect itself. I agree get a volt meter...also check your wiring, feel it to see if it is getting hot. Also check to make sure you have the ohms matched up...a mis match of ohms from the sub and amp will also cause the same issue.

irishcharm

iTrader: (1)

Believe that amp runs at 4 ohms as does the sub. that looks pretty hard to miswire though.

BradHoff

iTrader: (3)

thanks for all the responses guys,

So i use to have 8 guage wire running 2 12inch subs rated at 300 watts (150 each). Now when i installed this system i used the same process with TRUE 4 guage wire from a reputable sound shop. I do have a volt meter and will check the ends when i get home from FSU.

The amp and sub are rated at 2 Ohm, im using the stock radio with an rca converter connected to the rear speakers.

Shibumi1

make sure they used pure COPPER 4awg.. not the aluminum 4awg or tinned copper or any other mix.. low end companies sell non copper wire bcuz the cost of copper has gone up... we now make it a regular practice to use super flexible welding cable (pure copper) as it performs better than a lot of avail products... may be worth a look..

inkredible

I had the same problem a few months ago with my 2 different amps.

1st check and make sure none of the wires are touching either, not even if you move the amp with your hands. (I had a remote wire touching my ground on one of them whenever I hit bumps on the road)

2nd verify the gain / bass boost isn't turned up too much (I had my gains set improperly on both amps, they would play fine for 30 min max before shutting off and being hot to the touch)

3rd since it is 4gauge wire (which is what I'm using also), make sure it is securely connected to the amp. 4 gauge is a bit fat and if it loosens, the amp starves for power and it will heat up.