What In The............

12-30-2004, 10:21 AM

Lately my subs have been cutting out when the bass hits , but the amp doesnt shut off , it seems like speakers loose juice or somthing. Seeing my lights dim I went out and got a cap, and installed it thinking maybe this is the reason for the cutting out......nope still does it. Anyone have an idea of what it could be? Also i tried to hook it up in anoither car with the same subs and it worked perfectly. Thanks for the imput....

12-30-2004, 10:41 AM

you took the amp and subs to another car and it worked there........or just the subs? how many amps do you have in your car, like one for subs and for your interior speakers or just for the subs? if both amp and sub u swapped check your power cable to your battery, the amp will still show its on if the power cable aint hooked up aslong as the remote wire and ground are hooked up.......if just your sub check the wiring first, then the channels on your amp may be going........

12-30-2004, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bigd6983@Dec 30 2004, 10:41 AM
you took the amp and subs to another car and it worked there........or just the subs? how many amps do you have in your car, like one for subs and for your interior speakers or just for the subs? if both amp and sub u swapped check your power cable to your battery, the amp will still show its on if the power cable aint hooked up aslong as the remote wire and ground are hooked up.......if just your sub check the wiring first, then the channels on your amp may be going........

I hooked the amp and the subs and they worked perfect no cutting out. Also I rewired the main subs amp with 4 guage power cables all the wiring is good. I have two amps one for the subs and one for the general interior speakers. Could it be because there bridged ?

eag182 · 12-30-2004, 03:26 PM

Getting a $100 1 farad capicator should fix that.

Youngblood77 · 12-30-2004, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by isellalerodrop@Dec 30 2004, 10:21 AM
Seeing my lights dim I went out and got a cap, and installed it thinking maybe this is the reason for the cutting out......nope still does it.

As it says in his initial post, he tried that already, and it didn't work.

Seeing as how a cap's function is to temporarily store power, and that didn't work, I'd say that you need to have your alternator tested. It may be putting out enough amps to run the car properly, but not enough to cover the demand. If your car doesn't have alot of miles on it, and you're demanding alot of power from your electrical system, I suggest you look into replacing the origional alternator with a higher amperage output replacement. It's very easy to pull your alternator out, and any AutoZone can test it right in front of you @ no charge.

Hope this helps man. :thumbsup:

jabartram · 12-30-2004, 05:24 PM

Check your grounds also, and you have to initially charge the cap, mine had a charge plate that came with it. what size ground wires are you running?

12-30-2004, 05:46 PM

Im not sure the ground size but it came in the 4 gauge wiring harness. Heres a dumb question were can I get an alternator that will power the way i need it to. Also does it need to be strictle for an alero or can any type work?

Youngblood77 · 12-30-2004, 05:51 PM

Well, you need one that's specific to your engine, but beyond that, your options open up. Aftermarket companies make alternators up to 160 or so amps for our car, but the REAL question is: How much power do you need? In addition, you could also go with a nice powder-coated one to match your under-hood color scheme, if you're into that sort of thing. :thumbsup:

12-30-2004, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Youngblood77@Dec 30 2004, 05:51 PM
Well, you need one that's specific to your engine, but beyond that, your options open up. Aftermarket companies make alternators up to 160 or so amps for our car, but the REAL question is: How much power do you need? In addition, you could also go with a nice powder-coated one to match your under-hood color scheme, if you're into that sort of thing. :thumbsup:

Definitly, so a 160 is what i may need. So can i get that from any over the counter auto place like I could for the one in my car, also were can i get a powder coated on?

jabartram · 12-30-2004, 06:37 PM

I'm running 3 amps with my stock alternator with no problems?

slowandlow · 12-30-2004, 06:55 PM

2 amps here 1400 wats total output@rms actuley drawing 1200wats rms i have kill ed 2 batteries so far. i think it is a ground problem check your battery for a good fraim ground. i had that problem in a old car everytime the battery lost its ground the music sucked and lights dimed like crazy.

mikegett · 12-30-2004, 10:35 PM

Good advice to ensure your ground is correct. That includes the ground from the altenator. I have had one work loose on me before. It ruined a battery in the process. Having a store check your altenator is also a good thing. Just be sure to do your home work on it and watch the clerk. Not all of them know how to test the electrical sytem properly. Your system should always be tested with the battery hooked up and disconnected. A bad battery or ground cable can make it appear as though your altenator is malfunctioning.

alerored04 · 01-16-2005, 05:36 PM

Quote:

2 amps here 1400 wats total output@rms actuley drawing 1200wats rms i have kill ed 2 batteries so far. i think it is a ground problem check your battery for a good fraim ground. i had that problem in a old car everytime the battery lost its ground the music sucked and lights dimed like crazy.

Same here, ive got 1000 rms, the lights were dimming a little bit but then i went and bought an optima red top and put it in line with the system in the trunk, basically using the battery as a cap. It works excellent. Check the ground, or if your amps are fancy they might cut out when pushing too much power. I have 2 alpine MRD 500's the digital ones, when they feel that they are pushing too much like when the gain is pushed way up they turn themselves off.

01-17-2005, 11:48 AM

Accualy its funny I figured out the problem yesterday. my head unit uses a axilary box for all the hook ups for like amps , camra, and such . the problem was that the seat was crusing the rca wires (nice one premire sound)so once i fixed that the music doesnt cut out any more.

mikegett · 01-17-2005, 08:53 PM

Good job on diagnosing the problem. The cool thing about forums is that we all learn from it. If it can happen to you, then it can happen to someone else as well. :thumbsup:

01-21-2005, 01:40 AM

so the box is under the seat? and the wires ran underneat the seat mount? or something like that? wow, i woulda pointed a finger on a cable carrying sound.......learn something new all the time

01-21-2005, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bigd6983@Jan 21 2005, 01:40 AM
so the box is under the seat? and the wires ran underneat the seat mount? or something like that? wow, i woulda pointed a finger on a cable carrying sound.......learn something new all the time

Noooo, I have the alpine ivad 300 wich uses a aux box for the rca wires for the amps, gaming system ,navigation and such. So the rca wires run from the truck to under the seat to the box and thats were the rca were getting crimped or what.