Okay, here's my problem. I have wired in my trunk an mtx amp and two mtx 8" subs. The amp is wired directly from the battery. The inputs for the amp come from tapping into the +/- of the rear door speakers on both sides. The sound is great. The problem is that when I lock or unlock the doors the sounds goes dead and will not come back until I either, unplug the input from the amp and plug it back in, or turn the power to the vehicle off and on again. Just turning off the stereo doesn't seem to do the trick. I also have a remote start/alarm system wired directly to the battery, but I don't see how that could make a difference. The only reason I mention it is that the door locks go through the alarm system and the starter goes to the accessories, so that is the only connection I can see between the radio and the door locks. Does anyone know what might be causing the problem. Oh...yes, I have rewired and checked my wiring. All positives are to positive and negatives to negative. I have tried reversing all these things but it made no difference and I wanted the best quality from the subs so I put it back the way it is supposed to be. Any help would be appreciated.

2002 wrx sedan
Stock stereo unit

 

where's your amp getting it's remote power from?

 

it doesn't have the remote feed hooked up. It has a built in sensor that can tell when there is a signal from the inputs and it automatically has power. Can't remember at the moment what that is called.

 

does the amp actually turn off, or does the audio input just stop? i would suggest using a remote wire to turn the amp on and off. you can run it from your 12 volt source for the cigarette lighter or off of the radio/acc. line. don't run it off a fuse though. that's asking for damage. also, why is the alarm connected to your battery directly? it should just be connected to the 12volt wire that's used for the autostart/alarm.

 

The alarm/starter combo is one unit, and that is what is run directly to the battery-needs a constant source. As for the other part, no, it doesn't kill the power to the amp, but the subs stop all sound as do all the speakers in the car. After I reset the amp, by not killing the power, but by pulling and the reconnecting the inputs, all is well again. In fact, the second I pull the inputs, the car speakers come back to life. Then when I reconnect the inputs, the subs come back to life. I could connect the remote for the amp, but since it works without it, would difference would it make?

Maybe I should just rewire the entire system, amp power, and inputs, to the factory sub harness under the passenger seat. I wonder if that would make a difference. It's just a pain, with the way it works now, because if I remote start, which I do a lot with the recent weather, I have to turn the car off and on again before I leave or drive without tunes, which I just can't do. Tried it once, made me a little mental, had to stop on the side of road and fix it.

 

Sounds like you may have grabbed the speaker positive wire and a door lock wire as a negative speaker wire and when ever you hit the door locks you short out the input of the amp "Wigging" it out. Check your wires.

 

I just had the same thing happen in wrex & trouble shoot it for a while & found a wet plug the door locks were sending 12volts to the stereo check your plug in the kick panels if there wet that your problem

 

I double checked the wires against the listed color diagrams in the book I bought from Subaru as well as a couple of diagrams I downloaded from the net and according to them I definately have the speaker positive and negative and not the door lock negative. Good thought, but one I already had. As for the wet plug, also a good thought, but highly unlikely since this has been a problem I have been having for over six months. I have unpluged and repluged every plug on the doors several times through my attempts to find the problem and I can't see one of the staying wet for that long. It would have eventually had to dry. Plus I live in Alberta and with the -40 degrees celcius we've recently had it is unlikely anything in the doors were WET, so much as frozen solid. But good thoughts none the less. The more I think about it the more I think it must have something to do with the starter/alarm combo. I think I will unplug the unit and and see if the problem still occurs.

 

it seems odd that the installation directions would tell you to hook up the starter/alarm directly to the battery. wehn we do the installs, we use the wires that are under the dash for acc. and constant power. that's probably a side issue. anyway, i would def. check the install on the starter/alarm. i feel so sorry for you having to deal with that cold weather. that has to suck.

 

the cold weather does suck, thankfully, now, the -40 is over and it's back to -10 to +6 degrees celcius. Much easier to handle. Anyways, I'll get around to yanking the alarm unit on one of the warmer days, but it's still a pretty cold on the hand to be doing that kind of work. Thanks for all the advice though. It definately helped put some knew thoughts about the problem in my head.