got F&F 12" sub package, busted up my alatanotr and battery cuz i never got a cap., got a new alt. and battery, alt. is 100 amps, will my car be safe from running out the power again with that altenator if i get a half farad cap for it...basically im just worried about making my car die again cuz the altanator cant handle the system(which isnt even that powerful) and then killing the battery to, so do u think ill be safe with that 100amp alt. new battery, and a cap? i got a chevy lumina 1995
teflondog
Posted on
didn't you already post this up before? i already answered your first post. well here goes again. a cap will not solve electrical problems! "busted up my alternator and battery cuz i never got a cap." a lot of pros in car audio would laugh at the thought. i'll tell you straight up what killed your alternator and battery. first of all, you probably haven't upgraded your stock 8 gauge battery and alternator cables, which restricted the amount of current running from your alternator. since your battery wasn't getting enough current, it ended up getting discharged and used up its reserve. since your battery was not holding a decent charge, your alternator was pushed too hard in order to compensate for the dead cell. that resulted in a fried alternator. you ruined a perfectly good system when all you had to do was upgrade these cables. even if you have a 200 amp alternator, if you still have those stock 8 gauge cables, the battery is only able to receive about 60 amps. bottom line: caps don't solve sh*t. take it from a pro who's been installing car audio for ten years.
help
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yeah ok thanx, i just posted here to in case some ppl miss it in the other place, and i just wanted multiple opinions
help
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so do u think since i have a 100amp alt. if i get the upgraded gauge cables, that will be best? or do u suggest that and a cap? and what kind of cables should i get?any suggestions? thanx
teflondog
Posted on
a 100 amp alt eliminates the need for a cap because it can provide enough power for your amplifier and still have about 50 amps leftover. the best thing you could do for your car is upgrade all the battery and alt cables (including the grounds) to 4 gauge wire. i have a honda accord, which only has a stock 80 amp alternator and i'm able to run two amplifiers that are 600 watts rms each. i don't have a cap and the only upgrade i did was changing to 4 gauge wire. i have no problems at all so you definitely shouldn't.
teflondog
Posted on
by the way, a capacitor is only used to stiffen voltage rails. what it does is store energy and when the alternator can't provide enough power, the amplifier relies on the cap as backup during big bass notes. in your case, your alternator will supply constant energy and will never run out, which means that no backup is needed for the amplifier. you can still get a cap for looks though. a lot of people seem to be impressed when they see one.
HELP
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i think i will do that soon, get 4 gauge kit or w/e, do u ahve any suggestions on any certain brand or package or anything? and is this stuff easy to install? My dad knows a lot about cars but not about audio components and stuff. If i get the new 4 gauge wires, will i be changing any of the wires going from my battery terminal thing to the back of the car where my amp and subs are? my battery set up is messed up its under the wind shield washer fluid tank so the battery has a metal thing sticking up where the cable going to the back of the car is.
teflondog
Posted on
changing battery and alternator cables is more of an automotive thing, not car audio; so your dad should be able to do it with no problem. as for the brand, i personally like stinger cables but any cables with good rubber/plastic insulation are ok. most of the time you pay for brand names even though there are cheaper products that work just as well. i also recommend using 4 gauge wire going to your amp. you might as well use 4 gauge for all the major electrical components.
HELP
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can i get all the needed cables in one kit?
teflondog
Posted on
you don't need a kit if you're going to upgrade everything to 4 gauge. audio stores should sell it by the foot. just get as much 4 gauge as you need.
