The Car Stereo Amplifier Turns On and Off by itself
There are two types of car stereo amplifier, the factory amp, and the aftermarket amp. Generally speaking, the car stereo with a built-in amp one is more stable and compatible than the aftermarket one. Sometimes, the aftermarket amp maybe does not work well, like turning on and off by itself.
There are many reasons why the car stereo amplifier can be turned on and off automatically. It may go into "protected mode," an automatic shutdown feature designed to prevent further damage to the amplifier. It could also be a faulty wiring connection to the car radio with an Car Stereo amplifier that causes the machine to overheat. Or the Car Stereo Amplifier itself is broken and needs to be replaced.
Car Stereo Amplifier Protected Mode
Protected mode is a somewhat complex mechanism. Some car audio amps have LEDs that light up when protection mode is activated, others don't, and some even have multiple LEDs, each indicating a different type of fault. If the head unit amplifier is installed in a place where it is hard to see, you may not even know where the LEDs are. So you need to locate your car stereo amplifier before you do anything, do whatever is necessary to access it, and then check to see if it has a warning indicator.
If the car stereo amplifier goes into protected mode, there is a somewhat complicated diagnostic procedure to follow. The basic idea for diagnosing that an amplifier is in protected mode is that the amplifier may be improperly installed, it may be overheating, or there may be a problem with one or more of your speakers or subwoofers. For example, a grounding of the speaker may cause the car radio amp to enter protected mode, the amplifier will be turned off.
Amplifier Wiring Problem
If the car stereo amplifier is not in protected mode, or you can't tell if it has an LED indicator, you may have a wiring problem. Adding amp to factory radio is not easy sometimes. For example, if the power wire of the auto stereo amplifier is connected to the antenna wire of the heating unit instead of its remote amp wire, it may turn off when you change the input from the radio to the CD player or anything else.
Some old-school cars have been updated with modern head units and amplifiers. For example, some old cars came with both constant power and memory keep functions at the head unit, but there is a problem that the wire harness can not provide enough current to the car stereo.
In this case, you may notice that the head unit can be turned on and off but the Car Stereo Amplifier can't be turned off or on. The only way to fix this type of wiring problem is to replace the new wire of the right gauge on the battery or the fuse box and fit it with a properly sized fuse.
Car Stereo Amplifier Heat Problem
Whether the amplifier is on or running, it will get hot. That is also the reason why installing an amp in a narrow and poorly ventilated location can cause problems.
If an amplifier is not adequately ventilated, it will not dissipate well. This may cause it to go into the protected mode or stop working at all. This may be a temporary problem, in which case the amplifier will come back after it has cooled down, but overheating can also cause permanent damage.
If you find that the area where your amplifier is installed becomes overheated or the machine overheats, you may want to move it to another place. You may have caught the problem in time to avoid permanent damage, but there is no way to tell you that other than simply re-installing the amplifier to a better airflow area and waiting to see if it is permanently disabled.
When above failed, Replace the Amp
Whether the car stereo amplifier is in protected mode or not, there is always the possibility of damage. In this case, the only way to keep it from shutting itself down is to replace it. Of course, there are many causes of power amplifier failure, and failing to address these potential problems often results in the new amplifier failing or not working properly in the first place.