Car Stereos: car audio, capacitors, electricity

Question
i hooked up 2 capacitors to my new amp,everything seemed fine.all the lights worked on top of them,today they stopped wkng and i fnd a short on top of one.are the caps ruined or jst the electronics on top?

Answer
Hi,

That depends on a number of things -- how bad the short was, how much electricity made it across, etc.

If the body of the cap itself has expanded or imploded at all, don't attempt using it again.

Alternatively, you can try replacing the electronics and giving it a try again, but based on the cost of testing/fixing, you might be better off just replacing the thing entirely.

Justin