Symptoms of bad ground on the Amp can be very frustrating. You start your car, turn up the radio and everything is fine.
But then you go to change the station or adjust the volume and all of a sudden there’s static or no sound at all coming out of your speakers. Like this, there are many issues that can suddenly pop up if you have a bad ground on Amp.
To solve this issue permanently, we have outlined the ways of diagnosing whether you actually have bad ground on the Amplifier or not, and the ways to fix the issue. Stay with us!
What are the Symptoms of Bad Ground on Amp?
As we’ve said, there are multiple symptoms that can show up due to bad grounding. Here are those-
Amp is Overheating without any Reason
If your amplifier is continuously overheating without any logical explanation, it might be because of bad ground. When the amp has a proper grounding, the excess heat won’t generate and will dissipate quickly, if generated due to stress.
However, you should look out for regular incidents. Amps can heat up for many reasons but the bad ground will cause it to heat up when idle as well. So, observe when it’s heating up without any stress put on it by the head unit.
Clipping Sound Coming from Amp
Bad grounding can also cause a clipping sound to come from the amps. This happens when your amplifier is running more voltage than it’s actually supposed to and this might result in overheating of the amp, too.
While we are calling it a ‘clipping sound’, you may hear any other type of sound from the Amp as well due to the same reason.
Amp Goes to Protect Mode
If your amp is going into protection mode, it might be due to bad ground. This generally happens when there’s some sort of electrical fault and the amplifier tries to save itself by shutting down.
In this case, you’ll see the protect mode indicator LED on the front of the Amp turn red and stay that way until you fix the issue.
This is a great feature that comes along with modern electrical accessories so that the machines can save themselves without any human intervention if they are facing any unfamiliar or unhealthy conditions.
Amp Turning on and Off Automatically
If your Amp is turning on and off automatically, it’s a clear sign of bad ground. This will usually happen when there’s some kind of fluctuation in the electrical system or if the grounding point is unstable.
Since ground connection saves the system from any electrical fluctuations, fluctuations on a machine that doesn’t have proper grounding will cause it to shut down or reboot automatically.
This can cause your car stereo systems to show similar symptoms as well.
Burning Smell Coming out of the Amp
If you are smelling a burning smell coming out of the Amp, it’s usually because there is some internal problem in your amp. This could be due to bad grounding or any other reason.
You’ll need to take out all components from the Amplifier and check them one by one before arriving at a conclusion. If everything else seems okay but can’t figure out what’s causing that burning issue or smells, it’s most probably the bad ground on the amp.
Amp Won’t Turn on
If your Amp isn’t turning on, there’s a high chance that you might be having bad grounding problem. Especially if the LED light is not coming up and all connections are tight.
In such cases, it would be advisable to check out for any loose connection or improper wiring; make sure everything seems fine before jumping to conclusions!
While this can be caused by incorrect or loose ground connection, power wire or any other internal component failure can also cause the Amplifier not to turn on.
Static Electricity on Amp Body
Static electricity is another indicator of bad grounding. If there’s a strong static shock on your amplifier, it might indicate that the ground connection isn’t proper and needs to be fixed immediately.
To check this, simply touch the shell of the amplifier and see if you can sense any electricity or shock. While that won’t cause you much of a problem as bad grounding caused shocks are not so strong in the car, that can cause the system to damage badly.
Distorted Noise from the Speakers
Bad grounding can cause distorted sound coming from the speakers. This can also be caused by a ground loop in your amp and speakers, which causes an incomplete circuit for power transfer to take place.
This results in an intermittent or faulty flow of electricity through one path instead of two different paths; hence causing distortion in sound output!
If you’re experiencing any such symptoms in the sound system, your best bet is to check out for bad grounding or loose connection in the amp.
Amp Output is Weak
If the Amp is putting out a weak signal, you should check the amp’s ground connection. This happens when there’s an insufficient ground current or voltage and can be fixed by ensuring a good ground.
How to Properly Ground Car Amplifier?
There are many ways people do this. But I’ll show you the best way to do this so that you get the best out of the grounding-
Find a Metal Surface Inside Your Car
This metal surface should ideally be the body of your car. If not, you can find a thick metal bar inside or below your glove compartment.
Scrape the Paint off
This is the most important part that people often skip and regret. You need to scrape the paint off this metal surface so that the bare metal is exposed.
Connect One End of the Ground Wire to Metal Surface
Once you have scraped off the paint and exposed the metal, connect one end of your ground wire to it using a connector and a strong nut so that it doesn’t move.
You can use a screw as well but that’s not recommended as screws tend to get loose after a few weeks, making the bad ground on amp symptoms appear again. So, don’t do that unless you are just doing that on a temporary basis.
What not to do when making a ground connection?
Never connect the ground cable to a painted surface. That won’t work as the paint will act as an insulator and won’t let electricity flow through.
Also, don’t connect it to any plastic or fiber parts inside your car as that won’t work either. Some people mistake fiberglass-made panels for metal panels sometimes. So, you need to be cautious about that if you are a beginner in these DIY works.
What Happens if I Don’t Fix Bad Amp Ground?
Amp ground ensures your amplifier is protected from electrical fluctuations and has a safe circuit.
If you don’t ground the Car amps properly or not connect the ground cable at all, that can cause some serious problems in the long run.
Apart from the Amp turning on and off automatically, you might also see sparks flying out of your amp or it might even start a fire! So make sure to ground your amplifier properly for safe and sound operation.
Plus, the internal components can get damaged permanently due to electrical surges which may cost you a lot in the end.
Should I ground my amp to the battery?
This depends on many circumstances, but I don’t recommend doing so. However, make sure none of the car audio system machinery is grounded with the battery as well. Otherwise, it may create a ground loop, which is bad for the car audio system.
Conclusion
Bad grounding on an amp is easy to identify, but fixing them can be a real pain in the neck if you don’t know how to ground car amps correctly!
The one important step people miss is scraping off the paint from the metal surfaces when connecting the ground cable.
Despite making the grounding right, if you feel like your car’s electrical wiring isn’t right, get it checked by an expert before things go out of hand and make sure that all electrical accessories in your car are properly grounded.
