Normal engine operating voltage at idle/amp cuts out randomly

[jrdnhsnbrg]

I have an alpine MRX-M100 amp, power acoustik 5 farad capacitor, 6 gauge wiring all running an American Bass XFL-12 sub. It's been really hot up here the last week, as in 90s for air temps and heat indices of 100+. So when my amp just cut out today after listening to it louder than I should be I figured it was the thermal protection kicking in. It cooled down about tonight, down to around 70 so I went for a cruise and still had the amp cutting in and out at higher volumes. My capacitor read 13.2V idling with the headlights on, no AC running. When I had my buddy step on the gas and hold it around 2500 rpm the voltage stayed at 13.2V. Is it possible I have a bigger electrical issue like a voltage regulator? Or is my amp just having issues? I have never had a problem before.

 

[MooJohn]

Our cars have a more "active" charging system than most. The engine computer actually plays a role in the charging circuit so it's likely to hold steady voltage over a wider rpm range than you'd see in most cars. I've read that we might have trouble going with a high-output alternator and that's a shame seeing the choices of massive alternators that will physically bolt onto this car for a not a lot of cash.

Which model of that sub do you have -- dual 4 ohm or dual 2 ohm voice coils? Your amp is rated for a 1 ohm load, and if you've got dual 2 the presented resistance can dip below 1 ohm during the speaker's travel. Depending on how cautions the amp's protection circuit is that can trigger it.

 

[jrdnhsnbrg]

Dual 4 ohm coils wired at 2 ohms, the certificate from alpine says it will do 1100W RMS at 2ohms and 14.4V. I've never had any issues with the amp cutting out like this before and I've had it for almost a year now in 2 different cars.