1st Gen Amplifier repair question

Greetings...

Anyone ever dissasemble the power Amp on a 1st gen?

I've seen a lot of people complaining that the left channel cuts out intermittantly, and

mine has been doing it since I got the bike. It's NOT a wiring or ground problem - AFTER the amp. I've isolated, at least MY problem to, at least the amp. (New speaker and ALL new wire hooked up directly.)

I've noticed that it's failure is consistent with tempurature change. On cool days, or cool nights - it cuts off and pretty much stays off, or if it's on, it's affected by bumps. During really hot days - it will pretty much stay on all day and NOT be affected by bumps in the road. Unless I park in the shade!

When it cuts out - I can frequently turn the radio off and on restoring it. Where it will usually then cut out (when I'm in the shade!)after a few seconds or minutes.

That tells me that it's probably a cracked solder on the left channel speaker output.

The intercom output is unaffected.

I've already cleaned and shimmed the blue interface connectors, cleaned all connectors, and tried a hard wired connection bypassing the wiring harness...

Before I tear it all out and dissasemble it to trace the line - I was wondering if this was a known problem, or if anyone else has already figured out a common failure point...

Your problens are almost identical to mine, I finally gave up and swapped out the whole unit to a Automotive Kenwood head unit.

If you want an amp to experiment with to eliminate the possibility of making yours unusable, I can send my old one down to you, if you want it. I just want it out of my way and youre welcome to it, if you can use it.

Brian:cool10:

Mine does the same, never know for sure what is setting it off, most warm days it works good, cooler not so good, let me know what you find if anything because ti good be in the chip not just solder joint:080402gudl_prv:

Maby just bad Speaker. ??

Try Cleaning All the Plugs, Involved in the entire System, with CRC 2-26 contact cleaner, and apply " dialectric Greese " to all the pins.

Also, carefully check the Pins that mate, when you Install the Panel on the left side. Its very easy to bend these pins, its happened to me a couple times.

Greetings...

Maby just bad Speaker. ??

 

 

 

Try Cleaning All the Plugs, Involved in the entire System, with CRC 2-26 contact cleaner, and apply " dialectric Greese " to all the pins.

 

Also, carefully check the Pins that mate, when you Install the Panel on the left side. Its very easy to bend these pins, its happened to me a couple times.

Been there - done that...

New L.A. Sound speakers - Which sound WONDERFUL BTW!! Even at 100 mph!! - when it works...

All wires and connections cleaned, dielectric greased - Military hardened, etc...

Shimmed the blue D shells up a couple .00th's thinking it might be an intermittant connection there...

Ground cleaned - beefed up...

Everything CRC-ed cleaned - brushed, brightened, sterilized! etc...

It AIN'T a wiring problem... It's definately the AMP - I've eliminated everything else...

The ONLY thing, I haven't been able to try is installing a known working amp - I keep getting outbid on Ebay!!! It ain't worth more than $50 to me. I even took this morning's ending auction on Bill's (in Pueblo) 86 parts bike amp/tuner up to $72 in a fit of glorious insanity ("Honey! I'm hocking your wedding ring!") and I was still outbid... Well, at least I can afford more beer now...

It's GOT to be a solder - If it were a chip or a diode or some other solid state component - it wouldn't fail the way it does - it just wouldn't work at all...(most of the time anyway...) Even a break in a board trace would probably kill at least 2 circuits and we'd be having other problems too. Cascade failures of other frying components. But it's JUST the left speaker channel and remains so over time.

The fact that it can be reset by turning off and on, at least temporarily - also suggests a burnt power coil, or transistor/capacitor load balance circuit - still - probably just a broken solder - because bumps AND heat affect it. But NOT FAST intermittantly -it doesn't stutter. It just cuts off, banking left or right will bring it back on (the unit flexes a bit?) - for a time, etc....

I know a wee bit about diagnosing, tracing and repairing circuits - One of my jobs in the AF... (1st in my class in tech school! Whatever that means! LOL - I think I may still have enough non-beer sodden brain cells to figure it out - or ruin it!). In which case, I too am going to upgrade to a more modern stereo - I've already replaced the CB with a new GMRS system, and the Tape deck is soon to be replaced with an MP3 Aux Jack-plug-in. More time than money...

So I'll definately try that - If I can get the cover off! -And I'll definately photo-document it.

My Honey-DO list is a bit long in the tooth - The Old GF is screaming about that water leak in the Swamp cooler, What? 100' is TOO much? It's efficiency Honey! Water on the roof - cools the roof!! - Jeez - she whines about being cold in the winter, hot in the summer. (muttering - my NEW GF only has the stock Yamaha Whine! and THAT I'm used to!) - Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em....

So - Maybe not this weekend, but soon - Stay tuned...

Gotta get me a bigger magnifying glass to see the darn thing first. Beer and tobacco have cried havoc on my eyes. I can sex a prairie dog at 500 yards - but anything within 3 feet of my face... - That's another story!

Hang on to it for now Friesman! It might be a really simple fix - and you might regret it! later - LOL. If I fry my own test unit here - I might be giving you a call!!

Open up the case, the problem Might just Stare you in the face.

Other option, is Put in a Real High Ball Bid in the last 10 seconds of an auction.

Lets face it, we all need some Music, after fixing the Swamp Cooler ( been there, done that ) !!!

I'm watching too, but it's my right speaker that does it!!

Dan