Phoenix Gold Phorum

guys,
i am at a loss here and need some advice!
just installed 1/0 ga power wire and the main fuse under the hood keeps blowing.
i have an audio control matrix feeding a Ti 1000.2 and a Ti 600.2 (for the time being)

the power wire is fused within 18" of battery and runs to a distribution block.
from there 4ga runs to the amps.
the 600 is fused with 60a
the 1000.2 is fused with 80a

the first fuse to blow was a 150a stinger, then a 200a stinger???

any ideas????

does it blow right away or when you turn it up?

the fuse blows right away,
as soon as the neg battery terminal is connected.
the vehicle is not even turned on...

disconnect the amps and see if it still blows. if it does check your grommet then the rest of the wire. if it does not connect amps 1 at a time to figure out with one it is.

so first off the next time you pop a fuse, do NOT stick a 50A bigger fuse, or ANY bigger fuse in to see what happens with out finding the problem. Fuses do not just pop.

Thanks. I will go through those steps tomorrow.

If you have a meter, measure for continuity to ground on the amp side of the fuse holder "before" replacing the fuse. This way you can diagnose without blowing any more fuses.

shawn k wrote:If you have a meter, measure for continuity to ground on the amp side of the fuse holder "before" replacing the fuse. This way you can diagnose without blowing any more fuses.

i have an analog meter but do not know how to use it. go ahead and make fun of me, it's ok

on my way to youtube for a tutorial!!!!

12voltjunky wrote:

shawn k wrote:If you have a meter, measure for continuity to ground on the amp side of the fuse holder "before" replacing the fuse. This way you can diagnose without blowing any more fuses.

i have an analog meter but do not know how to use it. go ahead and make fun of me, it's ok

on my way to youtube for a tutorial!!!!

No worries bro! Continuity basically means there's a "connection" and where current "can" flow between two points. With your analog meter you can simply use the resistance (ohms) setting. Measure the resistance from the fuse holder (amp side with now fuse inline) to ground. If you find "0" ohms (or anything close to it) it means you have a short ie. "continuity" to ground somewhere along the power line path.

shawn k wrote:

12voltjunky wrote:

shawn k wrote:If you have a meter, measure for continuity to ground on the amp side of the fuse holder "before" replacing the fuse. This way you can diagnose without blowing any more fuses.

i have an analog meter but do not know how to use it. go ahead and make fun of me, it's ok

on my way to youtube for a tutorial!!!!

No worries bro! Continuity basically means there's a "connection" and where current "can" flow between two points. With your analog meter you can simply use the resistance (ohms) setting. Measure the resistance from the fuse holder (amp side with now fuse inline) to ground. If you find "0" ohms (or anything close to it) it means you have a short ie. "continuity" to ground somewhere along the power line path.

I think Shawn meant to say, "amp side with no fuse in line".

ok. i used my multimeter and confirmed that my power wire was grounded somewhere along the way...
then i found the bad spot!!!
the wire came in contact with my exhaust manifold and melted the insulation away from the wire.
it was in a spot that i could not easily see.

i feel like a total dumba$$ but atleast i know now what is going on.

Thanks for all the input!

Soooo, should i cut out the bad section of power wire and use a 1/0 coupler to re-attach my cable?
comments? (other than telling me how stoopid i am) lol

You can fix it as you mentioned. Of course we all like as few connections and disruptions along our wires as possible. You don't want to replace the length, but it is really the best way to do it.

I don't think I need to say it, but make sure your wire is tightly secured and at a safe distance from hot stuff. You can heat shield it too if there is not a better routing option.

Don't feel bad. There is not a one of us out here that has not cut or melted something that we did not mean to.

thanks, oldschoolfan.
i like to rock it old school too!

yeah, i picked up some split loom tubing today (not much of a shield though)
and am also going to zip tie the wire this time for a more proper installation.

i previously had 4ga routed the exact same path, but because it was so much smaller than the 1/0,
i suppose it was not as close to the heat??

How much distance are we talking here? Wire to exhaust, that is.

oldschoolfan wrote: I think Shawn meant to say, "amp side with no fuse in line".

Yes...thanks

lol

yeah.. don't feel bad bro.... it happens. The best we can do is learn from our own mistakes.

I agree that a new run of 0 guage would be best, but if you're tight on $ and you want to couple two pieces together I would use a true 0ga coupler that electricians would use (no crimping). A splice that's terminated at each end with a screw and is insulated with some heavy duty heat shrink with an adhesive lining. Again, this is a budget-minded fix.

Glad you're on track though

oldschoolfan wrote:How much distance are we talking here? Wire to exhaust, that is.

not sure i follow your question.
the section that is bad is very close to the firewall.

the overall length for me to replace would be a full 17' or 18', whatever comes in the AKIT1.
(it's in a 97 expedition)

how close to the manifold.

You can also shield the wire near the hot spots with a short strand of rubber exhaust hose. Slit it down vertically and apply over your power wire.

you can always tech-flex it if you want to cover up any sections of the wire.

I had a 'professional installer' run the 4ga in my SRT4 right on top of the turbo charger. I made it halfway home and lost the amps and smelled burnt insulation. Got back to the house and saw what they had done. They offered to run a new wire for me but I was headed out of town and had no time. I spliced in a new section and retouted it. Stayed like that for over a year with no issues.
BIG reason I am doing the next install myself!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

SoundJunkie wrote:I had a 'professional installer' run the 4ga in my SRT4 right on top of the turbo charger.

Sorry to get off topic, but Neon SRT-4 or Caliber?

12voltjunky wrote:

oldschoolfan wrote:How much distance are we talking here? Wire to exhaust, that is.

not sure i follow your question.
the section that is bad is very close to the firewall.

the overall length for me to replace would be a full 17' or 18', whatever comes in the AKIT1.
(it's in a 97 expedition)

Sorry for my vagueness. I was trying to ask how close the wire is to the heat source that caused it to melt. Without additional thermal protection I would like to suggest that your wire be at least three inches from any exhaust. There is no science to three inches, just personal experience.

Thanks. I can get my wire 3 inches away from the heat using cable ties.