audio is in, batt is out cold[literally]

[magnethead794]

we put the subs in, and it rocks hard, plain and simple. but killed the batt. all this was on:

Lanzar Vibe 218 [single 15 amp fuse]
Lanzar vibe 418 [dual 15 amp fuses]
radiator fan [hotwired to be on with ign.]
dome light
ignition chime

we found out it was dead by wanting to check for alternator whine, but it barely cranked. of all those, would there be reason it went dead? it has the stock 90 amp alt, and it hasn't been driven in 3 days. we ran the system for about 45 minutes.

[hotwhip9]

did u run the subs with the car running? if you didn't that's why it went dead, drew all the power out of it. With more than one amp i strongly recommend running a capacitor, if you need to see one go to my webpage, i got one and you can see how all sterep stuff is set up. That will store the power so it doesnt put so much drain on the alternator. Make sure there is an inline fuse right after the battery as well. Fuse block isn't a bad idea either for added protection, that's how mine is. If it was running you should watch the battery gauge and give it a little gas every now and then to keep the alternator from going dead.

[magnethead794]

engine off

we have no room for a cap, we'll be lucky if we can fit the cd changer on the rack. the sub box is plain humongus..5 cubic feet after displacement!

[Jeff_in_Atl]

You really should find a place to put a cap. Even if you have to put it under the hood. I learned the hard way. Every time the sub would thump, the regulator would tell the alternator to put out current via the brushes. Well the brushes would arc to the commentator and put a burn spot on it like a welder would. It took it couple of months but it eventually put so many burn marks on the commentator that the alternator quit working and the battery died. I took apart the alternator and sanded the commentator and it worked fine for a couple of months. After a few more times of the battery dieing and having to sand the alternator I finally bought a 1 ferad capacitor and put it on the subs and it never did it again.

I have thought about adding a cap to the factory Bose sub in my car but I listen to so much talk radio now it just hasn't been a priority.

[hotwhip9]

got pics? you can find room for the cap, under either compartment inthe rear hatch area, you can find room, they aren't that big and its needed.

[Formulaboy95]

It is also possible to use the back seats for the caps

I run 3 amps, and no cap, but also use 2ga wire off of a 200amp circuit breaker. My sub amp has 2-60amp glass fuses, and the (2) 35x2 PG amps (underneath the box) both have 40 amp blade fuses. I am re-designing my system and pulled the 2-10" box, in favor for less weight. Guess I am getting old.... now I pulled the monster amp, and 10" subs, swapped them out for some JL6W0 6.5"subs. If your headlights are dimming, you will need a cap or two. You probably want to upgrade the factory ground cable, and the + cable from the battery to alternator, as this alone can make a huge difference. If you are looking for a excellent cap solution, look for xstatic batcaps, I have one, but have not had the need or time to install it.

[magnethead794]

well.............................................. .......

the only pics are on our page..exterior.

we charged the batt for another 30 minutes today at 3/4 volume...subs were using every mm of xcursion. we haven't moved the car. we finally figured out how to fit the 6x9's...we had to cut the cardboard grilles on the side panel. we ordered a new kenwood 335 hu and 669 changer. we ran the engine at idle most of the time, revving it to 3k every now and then. no alt whine, but turn on/off thump instead.