possible problem with new HO alt.

[kamarozrule]

i recently purchased a HO alt on ebay... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2445725975
it has a rating of 75a@800rpms and 180a@1800rpm. im running a bazooka el 1500 to a mtx thunderform with 350w@4ohms. ive noticed at idle playin a certain song (bow wow-lets get down) the voltmeter starts bouncin and dippin low like the stock alt did. i tested other songs and it moves alil not even that noticable, my q is should i get a cap or was the alt mayb installed wrong??? im usin a 4awg power cable, the stock 8awg cable is still there cuz the mech. couldnt remove it. can u guys help? thankz

[Ian]

get a cap, .5 fared at least, but 1.0 if you can afford it. alt wont do a whole lot for the system unless you are driving all the time. it will charge the battery faster, but not fast enough for bass hits. a nice battery helps also (Optima Red or Yellow Top).

[FireFighter]

with that amp you should be fine with the stock one, i am running a 840 watt audiobahn amp on my stock alt just fine. dont waste your money on a cap they are useless. and a red top wont help a system at all the yellow to will though because its deep cycle.

[Ian]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by FireFighter:
with that amp you should be fine with the stock one, i am running a 840 watt audiobahn amp on my stock alt just fine. dont waste your money on a cap they are useless. and a red top wont help a system at all the yellow to will though because its deep cycle.<hr></blockquote>

he said his power supply is not fine. caps definately work. yes, sorry, you are right about the yellow top.

[96firebird311]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by FireFighter:
and a red top wont help a system at all the yellow to will though because its deep cycle.<hr></blockquote>Oh really?

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Ian:
you are right about the yellow top. <hr></blockquote>Oh really?

Please explain the advantages of the yellow top vs. the red.

[megabass]

Quick question first--Is your amp 1500w? And if so, why are you pushing a 350 watt sub? I would think that's a bit much. But oh well, as long as your mtx is handling it okay.

Now, you obviously have a charging problem at idle when the amp is pulling a lot of current. There are several things you can do. The question is which to do first.

Personally, I believe in caps. I don't care what anyone says about them being a waste or whatever, I am sold on them and will always have one in my system. I toasted 3 alternators before I had a cap and I haven't lost a single alt since the cap. And I am still using the stock alt on the carmao. Caps are cheap. Like Ian said, it wouldn't hurt one thing to drop a .5 or 1.0 farad cap in your setup. Could be the easiest and most affordable solution.

Second is a better battery. I run a yellow top Optima (as my only battery). I know the red tops Optimas are also good for running stereos and for starting cars, but they are not deep cycle batteries. I like to run my stereo with the car off. I can run my system (900w to two 10L7s) for up to 2 hours and the car will start no problem and the battery will fully recharge. I have even left the dome light on for extended periods and ran this batter to zilcho and one jump-start and the battery is like new. That is not possible with a stock battery and I don't think a red top would quite do what the yellow top does. JMO. In my experience, once a stock batter has drained, it is pretty much worthless--especially if you have a stereo. To reiterate, my preference is the yellow top, but the red top would also be a nice choice as an upgrade. I just like the deep cycle bit.

Third is upgrade the wiring from the alt to the battery. I know you said your mechanic couldn't do it easily, but it can be done and might be worth it.

:D

[96firebird311]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by megabass:
I know the red tops Optimas are also good for running stereos and for starting cars, but they are not deep cycle batteries. I like to run my stereo with the car off. I can run my system (900w to two 10L7s) for up to 2 hours and the car will start no problem and the battery will fully recharge. I have even left the dome light on for extended periods and ran this batter to zilcho and one jump-start and the battery is like new. That is not possible with a stock battery and I don't think a red top would quite do what the yellow top does. JMO. In my experience, once a stock batter has drained, it is pretty much worthless--especially if you have a stereo. To reiterate, my preference is the yellow top, but the red top would also be a nice choice as an upgrade. I just like the deep cycle bit.<hr></blockquote>This is correct. Megabass has explained what a deep cycle battery is for. Deep cycle means just that. It can withstand "deep cycles". Drained to zip and fully recover. So guys, why won't a red top help again? [img]graemlins/stickpoke.gif[/img]

[kamarozrule]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by megabass:
Quick question first--Is your amp 1500w? And if so, why are you pushing a 350 watt sub? I would think that's a bit much. But oh well, as long as your mtx is handling it okay.

Third is upgrade the wiring from the alt to the battery. I know you said your mechanic couldn't do it easily, but it can be done and might be worth it.

:D <hr></blockquote>

i have a 500rms mono block (bazooka el1500) and im replacing the mtx, i upgraded the wiring goin from the alt to batt to 4 guage. Im deciding weather or not to put in a cap or batt.

[Ian]

Deep cycle will help when he is using the system w/o the car running. If the system is on and the car is on, the red will help also.

[mcG]

yo kamarozrule, little off topic, but i ordered the same alt. from the same guy on ebay. i ordered last wednesday, never got any emails or responces. i called friday and they said it was already shipped out. how long did it take for you to get yours?

[kamarozrule]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by mcG:
yo kamarozrule, little off topic, but i ordered the same alt. from the same guy on ebay. i ordered last wednesday, never got any emails or responces. i called friday and they said it was already shipped out. how long did it take for you to get yours?<hr></blockquote>

i think it was a little less than a week, i also didnt get ne replies from them. did u buy the 4g cable of them? i hope u didnt its a rip. i bought my cable at a audio shop, get 5ft (only need 4 but just in case) and the spade terminals. came out to like 15bux

[DevinLooney]

Hey man I think I can help out a little. Under the hood you need to upgrade 2 more wires. This should take care of your problem. It's good that you upgraded the alt to bat wire but you also need to upgrade the grounds. There is a wire that goes from the neg batt terminal to the chassis as a ground and a wire that goes from the engine block to the chassis. Upgrade these 2 wires with 4 guage and that should definitely help. Also I would recommend putting a fuse on the alt to bat wire. Also if that alt truely pushes 180 amps your are constricting the current by using 4 gauge. 4 gauge wire is only meant to hold up to 125 amps of current. It should still work you're just creating an unneeded bottle-neck in that wire and if it's not fused you are most likely going to burn up your alt, battery or both. I Highly suggest moving up to 1 or 0 gauge wire. These things should solve your problem. If you do want a little more benefit go with the yellow top that the guys listed earlier. Don't buy a cap. It's worthless. Oh and there is nothing wrong with leaving the stock wires there. It will do nothing but help the situation. Just add to them.

Hope this helped a little [img]smile.gif[/img]

Devin

[ January 16, 2004: Message edited by: DevinLooney ]</p>

[kamarozrule]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by DevinLooney:
Hey man I think I can help out a little. Under the hood you need to upgrade 2 more wires. This should take care of your problem. It's good that you upgraded the alt to bat wire but you also need to upgrade the grounds. There is a wire that goes from the neg batt terminal to the chassis as a ground and a wire that goes from the engine block to the chassis. Upgrade these 2 wires with 4 guage and that should definitely help. Also I would recommend putting a fuse on the alt to bat wire. Also if that alt truely pushes 180 amps your are constricting the current by using 4 gauge. 4 gauge wire is only meant to hold up to 125 amps of current. It should still work you're just creating an unneeded bottle-neck in that wire and if it's not fused you are most likely going to burn up your alt, battery or both. I Highly suggest moving up to 1 or 0 gauge wire. These things should solve your problem. If you do want a little more benefit go with the yellow top that the guys listed earlier. Don't buy a cap. It's worthless. Oh and there is nothing wrong with leaving the stock wires there. It will do nothing but help the situation. Just add to them.

Hope this helped a little [img]smile.gif[/img]

Devin

[ January 16, 2004: Message edited by: DevinLooney ]<hr></blockquote>

thankz alot devin, should i use 4g on the ground cables, and ill upgrade the alt to batt to 0 gauge. ao ill use the 4 gauge cable from the batt to alt for the new grounds. sound like a good plan?

[DevinLooney]

Your Grounds should always match your power wire or even be bigger. You never want the ground to be smaller than the power wire. If you can't afford 0 gauge you can run 2 4 gauge wires in place of it. Also I recommend using welding cable or something similar to that. It's the same as car audio wire except it doesn't have the fancy colors and is 1/3 the price. You can find it on ebay or several other places online. Be sure to get some loom to wrap it in if you do go that route. The only downside to welding cable is the insulation is thinner so it's not as protective against oils, and fuels. Let me know if you have any more questions [img]smile.gif[/img]

Devin

[CAMAROWIDBASS]

i ran some 0 gauge from the alt to the battery, and from the ( - ) on the battery to a solid place on the chasis also using 0 gauge and it helped out quite a bit.