GXLChris

So I had installed an aftermarket CD player in my 90 GXL as well as an amp and subs. How ever I installed the amp in a really crappy way, which had resulted in blown fuses several times. Now seeing as how i'm lazy (which im pretty sure is the source of my problems) I eventually put a 20 amp fuse in and that didnt blow. But something else did, and It's not my Deck either, I checked that. So now I need to know if anybody has any clue what my problem may be, and even more so, how I can fix it. Thanks!

NZConvertible

How is anyone supposed to figure out what's wrong from this description? If you want help, provide useful info.

GXLChris

Alright let me try to describe this better. I had the factory stereo when I first got the car a few months ago. I was unhappy with the way it sounded (It wasn't loud enough) so I decided to put a pioneer deck in myself. This worked out fine. I didn't have issues until I decided to install an amp and a pair of subwoofers. Now I am not an electrician by any means, and I had a limited amount of tools and knowledge at my disposal. So I wired the amps power supply directly into the deck's power supply as well as well as the amps ground into the decks grounding point. Within a week I blew the 10amp fuse after having my stereo cranked up from the slot labeled ROOM (I have no clue what ROOM stands for, im sorry if i sound like an idiot). I replaced the fuse, but it blew again a few days later, and this time, as I didn't have any 10 amp fuses around, I replaced it with a 15. Well I eventually blew a couple of those, and as I then ran out of those, I tried a 20 amp. Worked for about a week, and then My stereo stopped while cranked up once again. Got home and checked the fuse, and thats when I got worried, It wasn't blown. Checked all the other fuses in the fuse box as well, and nothing was amiss. Checked my deck, and it's inline fuse, and everything was fine there. I even wired the factory stereo back in to see if that worked, and it didn't. So does anyone have any ideas what my issue may be. Is there anything I should check, besides checking all the wires for shorts? I'm just looking for a little guidance here, If I get it working again, the amp is coming out until I have the time and help to set everything up in a fashion thats not damaging to my one and only love, my 7. Once again any help would be great.

NZConvertible

OMG. So many mistakes...

Your biggest mistake was not realising that you don't have the knowledge and equipment to do this job properly and safely. You should've either spent a lot more time learning how to do it wright or paid a professional to do it for you.

You should never wire an amp up to the car electrical system. A 200Wrms amp draws 16-17A and will blow nearly any fuse in the car you attach it to. You should only ever power an amp directly from the battery via it's own fuse located close to the battery.

You should never replace a blown fuse with a bigger one. What do you think the fuse is there for? If you overload the circuit and remove the safety of a correctly-sized fuse you risk an electrical fire. This is one of the most basic electrical rules. If a fuse keeps blowing there is obviously a problem that needs to be fixed. In this case the problem was a severely overloaded circuit.

As for the non-functioning stereo, the first thing to do is remove the entire amp installation and put it back as it was before you put it in. Then check that there's power to the wires that should have power. The head unit has both battery and switched power feeds from the car which can be confirmed with a test light or multimeter. Use a wiring diagram or the stereo info in the FAQ to identify them. If they're okay you can test the head unit by putting battery power directly to it's two power wires (red and yellow), and it should come to life. If it doesn't, something's most likely wrong with it.

Personally though I think you should take the wrong thing to a pro and pay them to sort it all out.