Alright Audio Heads, I hope someone can help me out. I put a new head unit in my 2000 a few years ago. It is a Kenwood, cheap deck but it has the usb port and remote for iPod control so it works alright for what I use it for. Anyway, this is the problem; after the unit is on for a while it loses strength. I mean the volume drops out like it doesn't have enough power to push the speakers. I have to turn the unit down and let it "cool off" and even then after a point it doesn't really get better. Seems like it is overheating or something. It works fine in the beginning but if I play it to long it fades out. I used the regular din adapter for Chevy and it all plugged right in. I am not using an amp but have replace all 4 door speakers with some Infinity 3way 6 1/2"s. Anybody have any idea what may cause this? Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

I think you may have hit the nail on the head. It sounds to me like it's getting too hot and reducing power. It might just need to be cleaned. You could try removing it and blowing it off with a can of Dust-Off or compressed air.

 

I agree, it's overheating. Exactly what model infinity's do you have? If its a two ohm version of speaker you've likely finally begun to experience the onset of the failure of the internal amp in the HU. If they're not a two ohm set of speakers then you may very well have a short in one of the speaker wires.

Do you have any one of the speakers that are cutting out from time to time or that the sound of has changed in some way? If so try moving the fader so the opposite set of speakers is playing alone and see if it still does it. If it doesn't change the fader and balance so that only that odd speaker plays and see if it heats up and cuts out again. I would believe this would be a pretty sure way to determine what might be going on.

 

Thanks for the quick responses. I will definitely try to clean it out. It comes out of the dash pretty easy, so it shouldn't be a problem to blow off with the air compressor. I am not sure what model the speakers are. I want to say, for some reason, that they are 8ohm speakers but I am not sure. I will have to take the door panel off and check. None of the speakers are cutting out. All four of the door speakers are working fine. I will pull the door panels and check the connections. If one of the speakers is hooked up with reveres polarity(unintentionally) could that cause it to over heat? I was also wondering, if re-grounding the unit might help. If the ground is not solid, could it cause the HU to overheat?? I've been thinking about running a ground cable right to the frame, for future use for an amplifier anyway. Thoughts?

 

Reversed polarity speakers won't cause it to overheat. It will just make the sound muddy and off.

A bad ground could affect it, but I doubt it would cause the symptoms you're describing. I think Altoncustomtech is right in that it could well be a problem with a speaker shorting out, or too low impedance (2 ohm, for example).

 

Thanks. Once I get a chance I will check the speakers. Should be a model# on the back somewhere and I can check the specs online. I thought they were 3-way but when I was looking at them through the door, they look like they may only be 2-way speakers. I wouldn't mind replacing them, so I might get some new ones and start there. I haven't noticed any of them cutting out but I will check a little more thoroughly. I'm replacing the rear rotors, calipers and pads right now and am having trouble with the transfer case also. The audio issues may have to wait. Thanks for the info. You guys on this forum have helped me a tremendous amount with other issues I have had and I am very grateful for your sharing your knowledge.