noticed this one night while i was cruising along and descided to turn the music up abit (to 20 on a alpine deck, just over half way)
and in the corner of my eye i could see my guage with a light dimming as the bass hit,
thought that cant be right, then looked down at the road just infront of the car and sure enough the headlights were dimming
now i was cruising at about 80k's and my cars manual so im not sure what the revs were at maybe 2,000
but yeah found it alittle strange
im running 0ga wire to a distrobution block with then splits to three 4ga wires to power the 4ch and 2 small monoblocks
any ideas?

thanks rob

oh and 4ga ground wires from each amp and a extra 0ga ground wire from battery to chassy
also got new terminals as i stripped a thread on the negative

whats your alt charging at?

noticed this one night while i was cruising along and descided to turn the music up abit (to 20 on a alpine deck, just over half way)
and in the corner of my eye i could see my guage with a light dimming as the bass hit,
thought that cant be right, then looked down at the road just infront of the car and sure enough the headlights were dimming
now i was cruising at about 80k's and my cars manual so im not sure what the revs were at maybe 2,000
but yeah found it alittle strange
im running 0ga wire to a distrobution block with then splits to three 4ga wires to power the 4ch and 2 small monoblocks
any ideas?

thanks rob

Looks like it may be time to upgrade the "3" in your cars electrical system, aka the strap to ground, the wire b/w the alt and battery and ofcourse get a higher powered alt.

You could always get a cap i spoz..remembering roughly 1001wrms per farad. Wil remove the dimming of lights but just puts more strain on your electrical system and doesnt in reality fix the problem per se, just a patch.

i had the same problem. I upgraded the battery and presto... problem gone :)

Im running 2 2ga cable from battery to amps, and only 2 x 2ga cables from - terminal to body of car. thats it :)

Looks like it may be time to upgrade the "3" in your cars electrical system, aka the strap to ground, the wire b/w the alt and battery and ofcourse get a higher powered alt.

You could always get a cap i spoz..remembering roughly 1001wrms per farad. Wil remove the dimming of lights but just puts more strain on your electrical system and doesnt in reality fix the problem per se, just a patch.

Yeah dont get a cap...
Just make sure the grounds are good, and add one if need be. Check charging of your alternator. Magna alternator would be what 90A roughly? should put out more then you need to power some small amps...

Looks like it may be time to upgrade the "3" in your cars electrical system, aka the strap to ground, the wire b/w the alt and battery and ofcourse get a higher powered alt.

You could always get a cap i spoz..remembering roughly 1001wrms per farad. Wil remove the dimming of lights but just puts more strain on your electrical system and doesnt in reality fix the problem per se, just a patch.

I find caps a fire hazard and unncessary. Just upgrade battery to a blue top.

;1079613']whats your alt charging at?

no idea, check this using a multimeter yeah?
never used one before so i have no idea what to do
but my auto sparky mate did check the battery a few months ago and it seemed fine


Looks like it may be time to upgrade the "3" in your cars electrical system, aka the strap to ground, the wire b/w the alt and battery and ofcourse get a higher powered alt.

You could always get a cap i spoz..remembering roughly 1001wrms per farad. Wil remove the dimming of lights but just puts more strain on your electrical system and doesnt in reality fix the problem per se, just a patch.

not interested in a fire causing rice cap :P
when its time for a new battery i might be a optima yellow top or something
may look into getting a higher amp alternator and upgrading the wire

no idea, check this using a multimeter yeah?
never used one before so i have no idea what to do
but my auto sparky mate did check the battery a few months ago and it seemed fine



not interested in a fire causing rice cap :P
when its time for a new battery i might be a optima yellow top or something
may look into getting a higher amp alternator and upgrading the wire

just put a voltmeter across the terminals should red about 14.8V while running.
My mate went from (in his lancer) the standard 370CCA battery to a yellowtop 700CCA battery = dimming gone.

The factory alt earth should be fine, just chech and/or sand back the contact points

ok i'll check it out tomorrow/sunday
also i got a goldstar or supergold cant remember the brand name but there decent batteries
oh and its a 600cca, its about 3 1/2 years old too

Before you check those things.

Take the cell caps off your battery, check the amount of water inside. I could almost bet my left testicle that your levels are low. Plus with the battery being at 3.5years old - its more than likely on its way out.

Dimming lights while at idle is normal for a big stereo, dimming lights while driving are a bit strange.

If the battery tests ok (water is full, 12.8V) then check the alternator charge. As Tuffy said, about 14.8V*

* this should be a stable 14.something volts. Give the car a rev in neutral, if the voltage goes say 13.5V-15.3 and fluctuates, thats your alternator reg crapping itself.

Optima yellow tops: around $320 (and they are brilliant)

New alternator: Around $600+ not many people can upgrade them, I'd go the battery. There are custom alternators in the states (110amp at idle, 250amp by 2000rpm) however they are around $500USD, plus shipping, plus custom brackets, twin 4AWG wiring, etc....so around $1200AUD.

Before you check those things.

Take the cell caps off your battery, check the amount of water inside. I could almost bet my left testicle that your levels are low. Plus with the battery being at 3.5years old - its more than likely on its way out.

Dimming lights while at idle is normal for a big stereo, dimming lights while driving are a bit strange.

If the battery tests ok (water is full, 12.8V) then check the alternator charge. As Tuffy said, about 14.8V*

* this should be a stable 14.something volts. Give the car a rev in neutral, if the voltage goes say 13.5V-15.3 and fluctuates, thats your alternator reg crapping itself.

Optima yellow tops: around $320 (and they are brilliant)

New alternator: Around $600+ not many people can upgrade them, I'd go the battery. There are custom alternators in the states (110amp at idle, 250amp by 2000rpm) however they are around $500USD, plus shipping, plus custom brackets, twin 4AWG wiring, etc....so around $1200AUD.

do you really wanna make that bet? :P
cause the battery i have is a maintanence free one
batteries a supercharge gold MF50

I'd still make that bet :P

Whats the battery voltage test?

A properly charged battery will sit at 12.5-12.6V. Yellow tops ha, go a blue top. The second set of terminals come in handy for those jump start moments. Your car won't normally get to 14.4V while driving once you factor in other electrical strains - including the battery itself.

The battery is 3.5 years old. Time to get a new battery. :D

how much are the blue tops?
when this battery is on its last legs i'll suss one out
not far now i think

D34 and D34M are a very similar price ( within $20 generally ).

how much are the blue tops?
when this battery is on its last legs i'll suss one out
not far now i think

Expect mid to high $300s.....

I got a blue top also. Awesome battery. Can have stereo cranking for at least an hour and car still starts withouth a problem. And yes, those extra terminals make jump starts handy. but who needs it ;)

just abit of a bumpage
but im looking at getting a optima bluetop D34M in the next week or so
these should fit in the battery tray fine yeah?

i think i got 2 guage running 1400 watt amp n the rest of the stuff
i used to have dimming headlights, but new battery fixed it

I got a 2farad Soundstream capacitor - a cap isnt a hazard IF YOU KNOW HOW TO PUT IT ON... make sure to discharge and charge it properly, and once on you dont have to touch it, also ads to the look, but most imp gives your NICE CLEAR BASS and stops lights dimiming, i had 2 15's in my boot, and 6x9 powered with amp, all up was around 1800wrms, when i turned it up the car would actually idle rough... about 1 week into it and my coil gave up, mechanic and auto eletrictian told me its from the system draining out too much the coil was struggling, so i just bought the cap (got rid of one sub) and now its so nice and clear no more diming, and it did dim with the one sub - now it doesnt at all, i rekon a cap is a good investment.

just abit of a bumpage
but im looking at getting a optima bluetop D34M in the next week or so
these should fit in the battery tray fine yeah?

I know a yellow top fits perfectly.

Check the dimensions for yellow and blue top, im certain they're the same size.

I got a 2farad Soundstream capacitor - a cap isnt a hazard IF YOU KNOW HOW TO PUT IT ON... make sure to discharge and charge it properly, and once on you dont have to touch it, also ads to the look, but most imp gives your NICE CLEAR BASS and stops lights dimiming, i had 2 15's in my boot, and 6x9 powered with amp, all up was around 1800wrms, when i turned it up the car would actually idle rough... about 1 week into it and my coil gave up, mechanic and auto eletrictian told me its from the system draining out too much the coil was struggling, so i just bought the cap (got rid of one sub) and now its so nice and clear no more diming, and it did dim with the one sub - now it doesnt at all, i rekon a cap is a good investment.

Its not that a CAP is a hazard, as for the most part they are made idiot proof now.

Its that its useless. Its a showpiece, if you can atleast say 'yeah just for show' then fine, awesome.

However please dont tell people its a 'good investment' as its not, its a waste of money. An Optima is a good investment, a Capacitor is not.

oh FFS people i am NOT getting a cap not matter how shiney they look
optima yellow or blue top is what im looking at, blue top mainly tho ;)

Caps are not a bad thing IF they are installed correctly and you buy a good brand. Remember that a cap in this scenario is only a battery that is closer to the amp therefore providing a current dump at that point instead of the battery.

If your battery is more than a few years old get it CURRENT LOAD tested. This will quickly show it's true condition.

Rod

lol @ caps being a good investment. They are a band aid solution. Get an optima yellowtop. Mate of mine in his lancer used to have the headlights dim with the sub (single 12") install nice new POWERFUL battery - All dimming gone. And best thing is it'll last him 6years +

As ambetone suggested, get your battery load tested too.

;1118757']lol @ caps being a good investment. They are a band aid solution. Get an optima yellowtop. Mate of mine in his lancer used to have the headlights dim with the sub (single 12") install nice new POWERFUL battery - All dimming gone. And best thing is it'll last him 6years +

As ambetone suggested, get your battery load tested too.

I put a D34 yellowtop in my car... turns out my amps draw more amperage than the alternator dishes out :P

Can absolutely hammer the system for ages and it never drops below 12V

well i bit the bullet and brought me a cap off ebay
heres a pic of the one i got:























http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa139/Mr_Roberto_Photos/1199456.jpg
lol not really
have asked my mate to get me a price on both yellow and blue tops

How come you all have such an issue with caps? They are no different to putting a second battery in the boot closer to the amp. 25 years as a car audio fitter and I've never had an issue with them.

Most of the problems I see are owners being to cheap to buy good batteries, good cables or pay someone who actually knows what they are doing to install these systems. THAT is the biggest problem. I could tell some stories about home installs gone wrong that would curl your toes.

Rod

Mate there is a fair bit of difference between a cap and a second battery, doesn't really matter how far the battery is away in a car, only wire size will change. ;)

Mate there is a fair bit of difference between a cap and a second battery

Like this one!http://www.stingerelectronics.com/productDetails.aspx?delineate=47&CategoryID=-1&ParentID=-1
Why do the people that make all this great car Audio stuff (that we trust) for the rest
of our car stereo's Be So WRONG!!! Or is it a conspiracy created by Dr evil to take over the world.

http://www.stingerelectronics.com/search.aspx?delineateQuery=capacitor

What sort of warranty/guarantee do you get on those yellowtop batteries?

whats a rough cost on a yellowtop?

18month replacement warranty ( had to use that )

$350ish

How come you all have such an issue with caps? They are no different to putting a second battery in the boot closer to the amp. 25 years as a car audio fitter and I've never had an issue with them.

Most of the problems I see are owners being to cheap to buy good batteries, good cables or pay someone who actually knows what they are doing to install these systems. THAT is the biggest problem. I could tell some stories about home installs gone wrong that would curl your toes.

Rod

My issue with Caps is the myth that they actually do what is on the packet.

There's a massive difference between adding a second battery and a cap. Wont go into it now, too tired and its been covered before. There's a nice write up floating around the interwebs, about 20 A4 pages of theory and practice as to why caps are a load of crap.

For the money, I'd either a) upgrade the battery or b) upgrade to 0AWG.

Charisma is on the money aswell. www.fhrxstudios.com.au has Optima Yellow tops for $350.

ok got acouple of prices, bluetop is cheaper then the yellowtop
but was told the blue top is for marines, should still be ok yeah?

Yeah you won't have any problem - I have run both Yellow and Blue tops.

Only real difference is the extra set of terminals and the colour of the top. Capacity and resistance are going to be very similar.

which ones the better one out of the two? its about a 3 buck different between the 2

bluetop paid for and should get it tomorrow arvo :D

Good work, I'm sure you will enjoy the lack of dimming headlights.

Adding a basic earthing strap will help as well. A bit of left over 4ga from the neg terminal to the chassis will do the trick.

already done mate, but its 0ga ;)
bring on the sound comp next weekend lol