Audio Systems: Amplifier fading in and out, stiffening capacitors, power spikes

Question
I hava my Soundstream SA245 in an 87 Accord for almost a year and it worked just fine.  I am running two 8" MTX blue thunders in a bandpass box.  Now I have the setup inside of a 92 Prizm(Toyota).  Head unit: CDC-X437 Aiwa(Sony).  My amp keeps fading in an out while listening to music.  It thought it was RCA's, Head unit (Aiwa is the new one), and grounding connection ( ground is connected to a screw at center just inside the trunk (just below license plate) and none of this corrected the problem.  I have had this amp since summer 2000.  I used to have an Audio profile electronic crossover in-line with the amp and then had to junk it because one of the outputs died.  The amp still worked after that.  I tried setting base levels lower on head unit and turning base level down on amp, and this didn't help.  I rechecked the crossover on the sub output of the amp and I always use the recommended fuses.  Is my amp dying, do I need to have it repaired, or is there something else I am missing?

Answer
Jay,
Make sure that you have the proper size power and ground wires. A good judge to what size wires to use is to use wires at least the same size as the connector that hold the wires into the amp. When connecting the ground wire, use a wire as short as possible and connect it to the vehicle frame if possible (be sure to use good star washers to give a good connection). If your amp is mounted in the trunk of your vehicle, you may also need one or two stiffening capacitors to help with power spikes when playing your stereo at higher output levels.

TOM,
T&D ELECTRONICS
tdeser@zoominternet.net