# Installed amp and now car won't start



## hificruzer226 (Mar 27, 2013)

make sure you have the positive terminal tight where you grabbed your 12v constant line.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Sounds like that during running power to the amp, the starter got disconnected. Look again at the big, thick red wire that should be running from the positive battery terminal direct to the starter.


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## hificruzer226 (Mar 27, 2013)

ChevyGuy said:


> Sounds like that during running power to the amp, the starter got disconnected. Look again at the big, thick red wire that should be running from the positive battery terminal direct to the starter.


He said he gets 1 click which means its connected just not getting enough juicy juice


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## Phatc05 (Dec 30, 2015)

By constant do you mean remote wire? Or the power cable directly off of the battery? I even disconnected the power cable to see if it would turn. No go. I push started the car no problem. I am wording if I shorted the clutch switch or something


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

hificruzer226 said:


> He said he gets 1 click which means its connected just not getting enough juicy juice


Different wires have different jobs. A fairly thin wire pulls in the solenoid for the "click". But it's that big, fat, thick wire that that supplies the "juicy juice". Since he just installed an amp, my guess is that he somehow disconnected that big wire from the battery.

Although, I suppose it's possible that the battery is weak - having been drained from all the testing and the doors being open. I'm not sure how the Cruze behaves with a weak battery. Normal cars will chatter as the solenoid pulls in and the heavy drain causes the voltage to drop so low it drops out - but with the solenoid dropped out, there's enough voltage to pull it back in. But the Cruze might give up at that point and you only get a single click.


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## Phatc05 (Dec 30, 2015)

ChevyGuy said:


> hificruzer226 said:
> 
> 
> > He said he gets 1 click which means its connected just not getting enough juicy juice
> ...


I tried jump starting the car as well. I connected the power cable directly to the + if he battery. No splicing there.


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## _MerF_ (Mar 24, 2015)

Do your power windows and door locks all work? I didn't re-connect that huge harness next to the clutch properly at first and pretty much everything runs thru that harness...so nothing worked at first.

As me how I figured out. Oh, because right when we had all the windows down and running the cables a huge Florida thunderstorm slammed us and with that harness disconnected I couldn't do squat except try to protect my brand new car with less than 1,000 miles on it with garbage bags over the open windows....sigh.


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## Phatc05 (Dec 30, 2015)

_MerF_ said:


> Do your power windows and door locks all work? I didn't re-connect that huge harness next to the clutch properly at first and pretty much everything runs thru that harness...so nothing worked at first.
> 
> As me how I figured out. Oh, because right when we had all the windows down and running the cables a huge Florida thunderstorm slammed us and with that harness disconnected I couldn't do squat except try to protect my brand new car with less than 1,000 miles on it with garbage bags over the open windows....sigh.


Yeah everything works. I tapped the speakers into the amp and they all work through the amp as well. I'm thinking that something happened as a coincidence but when you tap into wires it seems like I might have screwed something up...


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Phatc05 said:


> I'm thinking that something happened as a coincidence


If that's the case, odds are it will come back. At first, occasionally, and then more frequently until you replace the starter.

With the old cars, you just had to make repeated tries switching it from "run" to "start" until it decided to go. With the Cruze and it's computer-controlled start, you'll have to turn the car off before making another second attempt. Either that or bang on the starter while the computer tries to get it to crank.


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## anthonysmith93 (Jul 15, 2015)

Not trying to get off topic or anything....but why has anyone messed with the big harness thing on the battery to install an amp? Unless removing the battery completely I don't see why the harness needs to be messed with...I hooked my amp up and all I did was disconnect the negative post and pop the plastic cover up from the positive side and connect the amp power wire to the 80 amp fused connection on top...reconnected the negative and car started right up no issues. 

Not saying anyone here is incompetent or anything, and maybe I did it the wrong way...but I haven't had so much as a single issue from doing it that way.


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## _MerF_ (Mar 24, 2015)

I did the same as you.


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## Phatc05 (Dec 30, 2015)

I tapped into the big harness for the existing speakers only. My power goes directly from the battery.


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## _MerF_ (Mar 24, 2015)

Phatc05 said:


> I tapped into the big harness for the existing speakers only. My power goes directly from the battery.


Wait..I was talking about your splicing into the speakers. I would double check that the harness and its weird handle thing are properly aligned and nothing popped out from there while you were working.


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## loganste123 (Dec 31, 2013)

Something isn't connected, make sure battery terminals are tight and also make sure the alternator charging line is connected also.


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