another issue... :(
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: Dayton, OH
another issue... :( ok, so when i was driving around town a few weeks ago, i noticed my bat gauge moving around alot whenever my sub played a hard note. when i shut my car off and turned the key to pre-ignition, i noticed my bat gauge in the red, right around 8. when im driving its about 13, so its running off the alternator. all this happened after my amp power cable caused a ground out one night and im guessing it drained some of my battery. it never drops below 8, but never goes up either. the car starts just fine, maybe hesitates every now and then, but the bat gauge jumps around. it never did this before the battery got drained, but now it does. the battery is brand new, i just got it this summer. would charging the battery fix it, or could my alternator be going bad? oh yea, i have a v6, so if that makes a difference, as im sure a v8 has a better alternator.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
when the car is off it is always at 8 some reason
my camaro and older firebird did that, and i had new batteries and a new alternator on my firebird
Off is always at 8
on is always at 13 or 14
But with my last setup it would drop from 14 to 8 no stop
the gauge was just bobbing up and down with the beat, looked cool as hell...
Thanks JL audio....
But its no biggie, and i touch my 4 gauge power to my 4 gauge ground to test if it works sometimes...
But if you have a battery charger it wont hurt
but the alternator will charge it up..
Maybe add some water if your battery will let ya, and then charge it up or let it idle for 10 minutes after you add water and it should help
my camaro and older firebird did that, and i had new batteries and a new alternator on my firebird
Off is always at 8
on is always at 13 or 14
But with my last setup it would drop from 14 to 8 no stop
the gauge was just bobbing up and down with the beat, looked cool as hell...
Thanks JL audio....
But its no biggie, and i touch my 4 gauge power to my 4 gauge ground to test if it works sometimes...
But if you have a battery charger it wont hurt
but the alternator will charge it up..
Maybe add some water if your battery will let ya, and then charge it up or let it idle for 10 minutes after you add water and it should help
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: Dayton, OH
idk, maybe i just never noticed before. but when i first put it in it seemed to be alot higher then 8 before i started it. it doesnt bother my that the amp is drawing that much power, unless it was dimming lights and causing other problems. and its only a 400w amp. so when i go bigger this summer, im gonna need a alternator upgrade, right? and my battery is a no maintenance battery, so i dont think i can add water
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
No necessarily...
If the alternator is charging the battery just fine, then a better alternator wont do anything
BUT you will probably need a capacitor, it will hold power and helpp your light from dimming when it hits hard
Now the amp drains more power when it hits hard, but none when the bass lines are off
the capacitor holds a charge and gets power when the bass line is not hittin
but when it hits hard it will drain the same amount of power from the battery because it has some power in the capacitor
Crappy explanation, but hope you understand
If the alternator is charging the battery just fine, then a better alternator wont do anything
BUT you will probably need a capacitor, it will hold power and helpp your light from dimming when it hits hard
Now the amp drains more power when it hits hard, but none when the bass lines are off
the capacitor holds a charge and gets power when the bass line is not hittin
but when it hits hard it will drain the same amount of power from the battery because it has some power in the capacitor
Crappy explanation, but hope you understand
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: Dayton, OH
yea, i think i got it. capacitor acts like an energy sink for the amp when it draws power beyond the battery's limit? ive read up on them before, but if im running too powerful of an amp, the capacitor will be constantly drained, and i'll end up needing a better battery anyway. deep cycle batteries arent cheap lol... atleast the good ones
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
Thats why you get a bigger capacitor...
Bigger is better, and they arent that much..
But see if you even need one first, most people running 1500 watts or less dont need one
I never have, and most people i know that have em have shitty cars with crappy stock alternators and crappy batteries
Example.... CRX with 1500w amp, stock everything, and has to have capacitor
Bigger is better, and they arent that much..
But see if you even need one first, most people running 1500 watts or less dont need one
I never have, and most people i know that have em have shitty cars with crappy stock alternators and crappy batteries
Example.... CRX with 1500w amp, stock everything, and has to have capacitor
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
TECH Addict
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,591
Likes: 1
From: Massachusetts
Right. You need to make sure your wires are tight and corrosion free. If it still happens, you need a high amperage alternator and a wiring upgrade to 2 gauge or better (better would be 0 gauge, and any more than that would be overkill).
TECH Resident
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 863
Likes: 0
From: Showing Italians the power of LS1
X2 If you are running a lot of power (1000W RMS or more) fix your problem with a high output alternator, good cables, and a decent battery (Optima yellow top). Sure, it's not cheap- but it's the right way to fix the problem instead of using a cap as a band-aid fix.
Take a multimeter and tell us the voltage at the battery with:
the key off
key on, engine off
key on, engine running, everything unnecessary off
key on, engine running, headlights, fog lights, rear defroster, fan on high (basically everything that draws a steady amount of power, not the stereo)
the key off
key on, engine off
key on, engine running, everything unnecessary off
key on, engine running, headlights, fog lights, rear defroster, fan on high (basically everything that draws a steady amount of power, not the stereo)
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: Dayton, OH
actually lol, i have a stripped battery bolt/hole and the bolt keeps coming loose, so that was causing a bad connection. i fixed it and it seems to be a lot more steady now. but thanx for the info anyway, cause im planning on running around 1200w soon.