Could this be why my amp cuts on and off and goes into protect? I didn't pay it any attention before because the filament or whatever is in the center wasn't broken.

Is it broken now? It looks like it might be on the right side, but it's hard to tell from the picture. If the fuse is still in tact, then your problem lies elsewhere. I would however take some steel wool or a metal brush and clean off the connection points a bit just to be safe. Also, if the fuse is broken, the amp shouldn't come on at all..

EDIT: your problem sounds like a grounding issue. Check your grounds and make sure none of them are loose, and make sure they are on bare metal.. IE: No paint between the connection and the metal.

So maybe a shorted output transistor in the amp is to blame for the burns?

I only found this because I was removing the amp to send in to Arc Audio for repairs and then saw the fuse and was hoping it was just the fuse all along. But I suspect the amp is the culprit and still needs repairs.

That, or spot welding from a ground coming loose and then catching again repetitively. Read my edit from my first post.

What about the bolt that held the fuse at that point? If it was loose, the fuse could have moved around while driving, causing power to cut in and out to the amp, also causing those little spot weld marks on the fuse.

Uh that's a very good point... it wasn't completely tight when I went to unscrew it. I thought I had it tight when I last removed it.

Uh that's a very good point... it wasn't completely tight when I went to unscrew it. I thought I had it tight when I last removed it.

We MAY have found the problem then.. try putting everything back, and tightening down that fuse really good to make sure it doesn't move or come loose, and see how it does. If the problem still occurs, check your grounds like I said before. If all that is good, then we'll try some more troubleshooting. we'll try to work out everything we can before having to send that amp off for nothing.. been there done that.. it sucks having to wait a month and a half to get back a perfectly fine amp and then finding out all that was wrong was a loose bolt on your ground connection.

This is quite embarrasing. That was what the problem was. It was loose...

This is quite embarrasing. That was what the problem was. It was loose...

glad it was an easy fix!

This is quite embarrasing. That was what the problem was. It was loose...

glad it was an easy fix!

X2! Don't be embarassed.. Be happy that you were wise enough to ask us the question before sending that amp off! Glad I could help..

This is quite embarrasing. That was what the problem was. It was loose...

Naw its not embarrassing cause its happened to everybody before, that is why we say check all your connections first.

I checked everything but the fuse. I don't know why that slipped my mind to look at it. Everything is as solid of a connection as it can be. Thanks for the help everyone! Really appreciate it.

Thanks especially to you, Shag. Your insight on it being loose was an immense help

I checked everything but the fuse. I don't know why that slipped my mind to look at it. Everything is as solid of a connection as it can be. Thanks for the help everyone! Really appreciate it.

Thanks especially to you, Shag. Your insight on it being loose was an immense help

I've had it happen, but mine was from a cheap washer.