I can't figure this out.. getting desparate

I have an 05 MCS with the real basic ( not HK) radio/ CD

I've installed a JL Cleansweep with an IPOD plug and an Alpine PDX100.4 ( under the front passanger seat. ) New speakers too, but I'm sure they work fine.

All the original speaker wires were carefully cut, soldered & shrink wraped - no exrtra wires even. All the lights on the Cleansweep seem to indicate that its working - solid green. And the source input clicky seems to be working as it changes the led's color. Controller volume is about 1/2.

The alpine Amp has a solid blue ( OK ) light lit. The settings are set for 4 full range speakers. The input gain adjustment control is set at half way. THere is only one problem - no sound comes out of the speakers on either the head unit or IPOD input.

The speakers will made a poping noise when the ground wire came loose - so I think the amp is OK. I haven't tried to calibrate the cleansweep because I assume that I need sound first.

Incidentally, both the AMP and Cleansweep came from Craigslist. It is possible that one or both are defective, but I suspect the problem is something simple and dumb - that I did. I'd really appreciate any sugestions. Thanks!

 

I looked up the Cleansweep and it seems you should have run signal like this:

Head unit speaker wire to Cleansweep.
RCAs from Cleansweep to amplifier.
Speaker wire from amplifier to speakers (or to crossovers, then speakers).

That should take care of signal.

Does the Cleansweep need a remote turn on and power running to it?
Did you run remote turn on to your amplifier, and power from battery to amp, and ground from amp to metal on car?
Did you put a fuse between the car battery and the amp?

If you did all this, everything should work. I would try calibrating the Cleansweep at this point. It seems to me that signal is not getting to your speakers properly, but everything is powered (judging by the speaker pop when you lost ground).

 

Thanks for the checklist.
I did have some errors on the list, and fixed them. Then I took the amp out and a local installer bench tested it for free. He said that it is going into "protect mode", whatever that is.

So to make a long story even longer... I've found an amp repairer called Ampmender about an hour from where I live. He says he can look at it in about 2 weeks. I just hope the repair cost is reasonable... I'm such a cheapskate!