Audio Systems: Car Audio Nightmare, self drilling screw, rockford punch

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I recently purchased a 2000 Chevrolet Blazer and two 12 inch rockford punch subs (HE) and an infinity(611a) amp. During installation after everything had been properly installed and we were finishing up the remote wire to the cd deck, we could not get a constant power source to power the amp. While moving the ground around it would spark and the amp lights "clip" and "protect" would turn on and we could hear the subs turn on slightly for a second but then cut out. We re-wired the remote wire thinking that it  may be cut some how, and re checked all our amp connections but could still not get teh amp to maintain power. Been scratching my head for the last day and dont feel the need to pay someone to install it when the installation is 95% complete. Thanks.

ANSWER: Your ground is very important, and you need bare metal to ground properly. A seat bolt just will not do. Find a factory ground spot, or make a new one. Grind or scrape the paint away, and use a self drilling screw into the vehicle cab. Be careful of fuel tanks, lines, electrical harnesses, etc...

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QUESTION: Would that be the reason for not maintaing proper amp power?  The first ground location was a drilled hole near that hatch entrance to the frame. That did not do. The second ground source was to a bolt that controlled a flap for moving the seats all the way down. The second source worked better than the first one, which makes me wonder if the ground is not the problem. Are you educated wellw ith Infinity amps? Do the order or number of lights that light up  upon first connection to the remote wire have anything to do with it? I find it hard to believe it is the ground due to the fisrt source whicc had the paint scraped off etc and didnt get as well of a response as the second source. Ill check back shortly. Thanks again

Answer
If you are not convinced that the ground is the problem, use plain old jumper cables and hook your existing battery right to the amp terminals. With the car running, you should have 13.8 vdc at the amp. Ignore the lamps on the amp, as they will send you on wild goose chases. If this does not fix the problem, bench test the amp at a radio repair shop.

Kelly