another alternator question

[roman88]

hello guys,

 

Ive been having trouble with my charging system like im sure a few have had. i just replaced my alternator (still stock) and im still noticing my juice being drained. i changed the flasher and it helped but still having problems. This weekend im gonna focus on just cleaning all the grounds, fusible links and anything i can find. i used to have a 12" kicker sub with a 400 kicker amp. i took it off. i wanna use it again but i know the stock alt. is only 75 amps and i dont wanna burn another one out. So my question is...... can i use a simple capasitor to solve my problem when the bass hits and that way my electrical system doesnt take the hit? Will this actually solve the problem and if so what capasitor should i use? thank you guys in advance.

 

Thanks,

roman

[JAinsworth]

Clean the contacts on the ETACS located under the driver's seat It has been known to drain the battery also.

Jimmy

[Turbo Cary]

I am running an old Zeus Turbo II 12" sub (this thing is old but has a big magnet and works great) a half farad capacitor, and 400w amp. It works fairly well for the most part.

 

I have a Hyundai alternator which I think is 110 or 120 amps. If my headlights, fog lights, wipers and stereo are all on and I hit the brakes the bass cuts off. I haven't been able to figure that out. Tried adjusting the gain, head unit settings etc. Grounds are good as well.

 

I dunno if you have that issue but it seems we are running a similar setup except you have no capacitor.

[ucw458]

The alternator cannot react to fast changing loads like big subs. The power from those comes from the battery. Then the alt charges the battery at a steady rate. If you're gonna use a chassis ground for the amp then you should add another chassis ground to the battery. You should add an altenator ground wire as well.

[roman88]

Thank you guys for the replies. jimmy it does sound like the same problem. so your saying the capasitor didnt help? i do have my amp grounded to my chassis. i did notice that when i started using the sub is when i started killing alternators. So say after cleaning all the grounds and wiring connections and add the capasitor, the problem will still be there because the alternator cant keep up? Will a heavier duty battery fix the problem since jimmy said he is already using a bigger alt and the problem continues?

 

 

thanks

Roman

[Turbo Cary]

If you are referring to me my name is Cary. I have a battery with 1000 CCA but I think the problem with the sub cut out is the quick load on the system and the capacitor drops suddenly. The capacitor helped in terms of sound quality (quick bass hits, holding of bass) but that's not a fix for the sub cut out. If I upgraded to a higher capacitor I'm sure the problem would go away.

 

Jimmy was referring to the etacs system. I have yet to check my etacs and I'll see if that helps my issue.

[ucw458]

I ran a single 12 solo baric in my mazda truck with a 65 amp alt. At night with headlights on, air on full, inverter charging tool batteries and stereo blasting I had no issues. No caps on that system either. Dash lights would dim slightly on hard bass hits but never blew an alternator. What differs from my setup vs most is I ran 2 ga positive and negative from the battery that split into x2 4 ga wires for the amp and inverter.

[roman88]

Thanks cary. I'm don't have my system hooked up right now because I'm trying pull the least amount of current. I'm working on cleaning all the connections and everything that was mentioned before. Thanks guys for your input. It really helped alot.

[BandY]

I've been designing various systems since about 1987/88, and I've never ever used a capacitor. Not THAT type of capacitor, anyway. To me, they're a sales gimmick. If your system is wired correctly, regardless of watts (which mean nothing, when it comes to quality), you should not need such a thing as a capacitor. I still run a Fosgate Punch 150 that I purchased in 1989. That was, to me, five hundred dollars well spent. The only capacitors I use are ones to remove mids and lows from tweeters and mids, if you're not running a good crossover. Clean grounds, and SHORT ground cables. That's my two cents.

[ucw458]

I've been designing various systems since about 1987/88, and I've never ever used a capacitor. Not THAT type of capacitor, anyway. To me, they're a sales gimmick. If your system is wired correctly, regardless of watts (which mean nothing, when it comes to quality), you should not need such a thing as a capacitor. I still run a Fosgate Punch 150 that I purchased in 1989. That was, to me, five hundred dollars well spent. The only capacitors I use are ones to remove mids and lows from tweeters and mids, if you're not running a good crossover. Clean grounds, and SHORT ground cables. That's my two cents.

 

 

Caps do help a high wattage system. The alternator can't respond fast enough to power bass hits from large subs. The alternator is only good for steady loads. The battery is a chemical type and has a significant internal resistance or ESR. The ESR causes the battery to generate more heat and less voltage output with higher amperage loads. Lights dimming during bass hits are symptoms of high battery load because the battery can't quite keep up with the demand. That can cause distortion in the audio.

 

Caps by comparison have a drasticly lower ESR than a battery does. Caps can dump all their stored power much faster than a battery can. A caps helps smooth out power drops to the amp giving it a steadier power supply. Since the cap has such a low ESR it can recharge in a fraction of a second. All the cap does is act as a buffer between the amp and battery. Does every system need caps, no. But they do help.

[BandY]

Does every system need caps, no. But they do help.

 

That was my point. The biggest secret to wiring an impressive system is impedance. Amp(s) should be one or two ohm stable, and the drivers, especially subs, wired down to two ohms. Many people, even stereo shops that aren't too intelligent, throw in a huge amp, and then wire it incorrectly. Oh, look, your light are dimming from the bass, you need a capacitor. It's a huge money game, and because of this, nobody learns proper driver wiring.

Edited December 7, 2014 by BandY

[Turbo Cary]

Btw i figured out why my sub cut out. In my head unit the settings i had basically put the amp into safe mode. I turned the bass settings down and changed the output form in the unit now i have no issues.

[roman88]

So then it can be my wiring? i am running a 4 awg power and ground on a 400 watt kicker amp

[BandY]

The 4 gauge power supply cable is fine. The wiring i was referring to is the +/- wiring on each driver (speaker). The more drivers you have, the more options to configure it down to the lowest impedance your amp can handle. Wiring in series increases the resistance, and in parallel decreases it. Easy to Google it, and get a million examples.