I know it's loose because if I wiggle it the amp turns off. how can I properly adjust this without injurying myself or ruining frying my amp. do I really have to remove the fuse or since it's only the ground can I just untighten the screw on the cap and then slide the wire back in and tighten it back on the ground? thanks.
Even with power disconnected, the capacitor is still charged and a short may damage it and/or other components. Here's the safe and proper procedure: 1) Disconnect the negative battery terminal (to protect the vehicle electrical system). 2) Remove the main amp fuse. 3) Connect a 1Kohm, 2 watt resistor across the capacitor terminals to discharge it. 4) Verify with a 12V test light or multimeter that the capacitor is discharged. 5) Repair the connection. 6) Insert the resistor in the circuit in place of the main fuse and reconnect battery negative (to recharge the capacitor). 7) When the capacitor is fully charged, remove the resistor and replace it with the main fuse.
Whenever doing any work on anything electrical, you should always unhook your battery (or in this case just remove the fuse) to avoid accidentally frying yourself / your electrical system in your vehicle. I'm not saying that you can't just loosen the screw, stick the wire in, and then tighten it, but that wouldn't be the proper thing. Whatever you decide, good luck! :-)
The reason for removing the inline fuse is to be sure you don't ground out the power cable causing the 4th of July to occur inside your vehicle. Take the extra minute to disconnect the power from the battery (remove the fuse) and tighten up your ground cable the right way.
you should be fine just re tightening the ground without disconnecting power. Disconnecting the ground wont harm your amp or capacitor. Just be careful especially if your using metal tools not to touch any power. I once dropped an allen wrench between the 2 terminals on the top of a cap and the thing lit up, melting the entire top in a single second.
If its the ground wire that is loose you can just tighten it. It is the positive wires that you have to worry about because you cant have to watch so you don't short it out.
