I have everything plugged in to my radio, sub, amp,etc. and my amp has power and is on, but my sub won't work.

Question

Any ideas?

Answer 1

A lot of different things can cause this, but here's some ideas for troubleshooting:

First, make sure your RCA cables are plugged into the jacks labeled "input" on the amplifier, not "output". If you're using a subwoofer output on the head unit, make sure the subwoofer is turned on. If you're using front or rear pre-outs, make sure your fader is adjusted correctly.

For any more troubleshooting, you'll need a digital multimeter.
Set the meter for AC volts, and test the speaker terminals on the amplifier for voltage while the amp is running and the subwoofer is hooked up. If you find voltage, you may have a defective or disconnected subwoofer. If there's no voltage, unhook the speaker wires from the terminals and test again. If there's voltage now, then a shorted speaker wire, blown subwoofer or a subwoofer with too low an impedance may be causing the problem.

If there's no voltage on the speaker terminals with the subwoofer disconnected, unplug the RCA's from the amplifier and test the center pin of an RCA plug for AC voltage. The voltage may be very small, but it should be present and it should vary with the music volume. If there's no voltage present, you have a problem with the RCA cables or the head unit. If there is voltage, then the problem is most likely in the amp.

Answer 2

Somethings amiss. Disconnect the subs and check the resistance of the coil for continuity with a multi-meter, it should read around the ohms of the specs of the sub. Also check for voltage on the output of the amp with the sub connected.

Answer 3

Make sure your wires are hooked up right,make sure the wires from the back of ur subs are hooked in good. But it probably is the RCA cables.you dont have them hooked up right.

Who hooked them up for you?