Rep Power: 0

Ok, I didn't think I had that much crap in my car to burn up an alternator already but I guess I do.?

I have a 1600W amp, two 12" subs, a high powered head unit and two front speakers. I don't know what the RMS is rated on the amp cause it's not the best in the world but it works for now. Anyway, I am running a stock battery and had to get a rebuild alternator cause my other one burned up. I do have like 100k already on my 2002 civic ex sedan.

I've had my audio upgrades for about six months and no problems ever. All of a sudden my alternator died. What would cause this? I drive all day long because of my job so I start/stop my car at least a dozen times a day. Would that cause my alternator to just burn up or is my audio causing it? I am running a 4 guage from my stock battery to my amp.

I heard it was hard to find a bigger alternator for our cars. Is this true? Also, what it the best battery for the money I can replace my stock one with? Remember, one that will actually fit the small space! Even if I replace the battery with a better one, won't my alternator just fry again down the road? I mean, why would a bigger battery help? Sorry, just trying to learn the theory behind this one.

Thanks again!

 
Rep Power: 0

Who make the amp? Well i am going to asume its 1000watts rms. If i thats true then ya u are def going to kill the alternator. I guess it snows where u live? if yes then that heater use mad power. Get atleast 1 farad cap. NO it is not hard to find the alternator for are cars. Any alternator shop will rebuild it for you. There is a guy on ebay that sells. search for it.

 
Rep Power: 334

how does a 1 fared cap help the electrical system?


i think your best bet is to invest into a bigger and better alternator. if the battery if completely dead, then invest into another battery, perferably one that is ideal for your music needs (optima yellow top). then look into an alternator.

 
Rep Power: 328

1000 rms isnt going to kill an alternator, i've been running 1500 rms for 2 years with no issues.

A cap will strain the alternator even more, it's one more component that draws power.

I'm betting it died simply from basic wear and tear.

 
Rep Power: 328

Cap won't do **** for you. Start by replacing the alternator since your's is dead. (If the funds are there, get a name brand aftermarket alternator of a higher amperage). If they aren't there, replce with OEM (sorry, warranty probably is gone). Your stock battery will be fine unless it drains bad. In that case, it's shot, and needs replacing. You don't have to get a small battery (group 51 honda battery). A standard sized (group 74) battery will fit just fine. I like Optima's personally. A Yellow top (make sure it's the one for cranking, the case will be dark grey) would suit you fine. Alternatives to optima would be fine too, such as a Die Hard, Exide (34C I think), BatCap800, etc. Anything with a higher cold cranking rating and higher amperage rating will make the system stronger, obviously. Next, I'd do the third of the big 3. Redo the grounding system with larger gauge wire. Then there's a fourth thing you can do once all of that is done. It's an old process, and kind of like a supplemental to the big 3. I'll post the process in a second (it's from GM). The cap is personal preference. It's not going to strengthen or weaken the electrical. It'll provide power for surges, and possibly fix dimming (the surge). It's not a definate cure for dimming by any means, but that's the only thinng it will help at all.



For the supplemental to the big 3:

This is an old GM Technical Service Bulletin, but it should help anyone wanting to verify that their amp has a good ground:

METHOD OF VERIFYING ' GOOD ELECTRICAL SYSTEM GROUND ' #87-8-139 - (04/07/1987)
VEHICLES AFFECTED: ALL MODELS

When diagnosing electronic systems for incorrect operation, it is often necessary to verify that ground circuits are good. This article is intended to clarify what is meant by the term "good ground" and the preferred tools and methods for verifying it.

A "good ground" is a ground circuit that has a resistance of zero OHMS.

Ground circuit resistance can be measured in OHMS using a digital volt OHM meter (DVOM). When using a DVOM, it must be set on the 200 OHM scale to obtain an accurate measure of the circuit resistance. Many meters have both a 200 OHM scale and a 200 K scale. The 200 K scale will not measure zero OHMS accurately. If you are not sure how the meter is to be set for the 200 OHM scale, refer to the meter operating instructions for proper settings. If the meter is an autoranging or self-scaling meter, read the meter carefully to be sure which scale it is setting itself to.

Before measuring resistance in any circuit, the resistance of the meter should be measured by touching the leads together. A meter with a good battery and leads in good condition will read less than .2 OHMS usually zero. If the leads measure anything more, an accurate measure of the circuit resistance may not be possible.

Always remember - resistance cannot be measured accurately on a "live" circuit, All current flow through a circuit must be stopped by disconnecting its power source before measuring resistance.

Ground circuit resistance can also be checked by measuring the voltage drop across the circuit with a DVOM set on, the 2 volt scale. The voltage drop will be zero across a "good ground" circuit.

Remember, fully understand a meter's functions before using it!

To add to this, a good ground for car audio applications will have a return resistance reading of 1/2 ohm or less. I have yet to have a return reading of 0 ohms. If a ground return reading cannot be made to get below 1/2 ohm by means of the "BIG 3", then it is adviseable to ground direct to the battery. Electricity is an algebra equation, what you do to one side you must do to the other. Pay as much attention to the ground wire as you do the power wire.

The BIG 3 is a great place to start for a good ground, however it is the assumed proper method of grounding. What we are talking about here is the older and wiser 4th brother to the BIG 3 (the BIG 4).

So a proper ground wire will be as follows.

- clean of residue and paint.

- secure.

- have a resistance return of 1/2 ohm or less.

- be of adequate guage to carry the return as compared to the power wire.

To simplify the measuring of the return, use your meter as described. Disconnect the - battery terminal and disconnect the ground wire from you amp. If your dmm probes are not long enough, you will need to create a jumper extension out of some primary wire or whatever wire you have handy. Measure this wire for any resistance reading and subtract it from the total.



Many installers are not aware of this nor practice this method. It takes time is the fact of the matter. A poor ground connection or high resistance reading may seem trivial under no load, but once you are pounding your nice new amp and it is drawing large amounts of current, this little reading has become a monster reading that has caused many an amp to fail for no apparent reason. It may be noticeable as a extremely hot running amplifier in a short time period, poor output levels or diminishing levels and of course a blown power supply or output section in the amplifier.

A good ground isn't about the metal in return to the battery, rather the resistance going through it. New cars have lots of metals, spot welds, glued together unibody panels and isolated chassis parts. The return through these is where resistance reading(s) come into question and this is what needs to be seen, is if the Big 3 doesn't work, you might want to try the Big 4 before going further into the process of buying things.

Hope that helped some.

 
Rep Power: 0

So i am suppose to get 1/2ohm reading if i measure across my ground???? well its raining over here. I really want to try with big 3 done and without big 3 done. i will post the result.

 
Rep Power: 0

I tend to agree to be honest. I know plenty of people who have nice systems, and a lot more power than mine who never have issues with alternators or batteries. I think I just was unfortunate that it went bad. I do have 100k on my car and start and stop all day long, every day. Heck, every car I ever owned I had to replace an alternator. They simply go bad, just like anything else.

Anyway guys, if you read my original post, I already replaced my alternator with another rebuild, same rating. So, since that is new I just might purchase a new, better battery and see how things go. (Again, I still have my original stock battery) If my alternator dies again within six months to a year then I know I have too much draw somewhere. I guess time will tell.

BTW, does anyone have the model number to the yellow battery? Can I get it at like PepBoys or someplace? I need the model number of the one that actually fits our cars without any mods! I may just have PepBoys or whoever install it since I need to turn my battery in anyway.

Later

 
Rep Power: 0

I dunno what will fix the problem but i know just buying a battery wont. I tried that myself, got a 1000 amp battery, and my stereo, the ac, the headlights, anything kill my car. Im guessing they didnt come with a very powerful charging system so i assume that the alternator/power capacitor is the way to go. The battery will probably be a good addition to those but it wont do it alone............

 
Rep Power: 328

The standard group 74 size fits fine (which I said in my original post). The only thing they have to do is take your battery out, leave off the plastic battery cover. It hooks up just like the OEM one, but it's bigger. No need to order the smaller, "Honda specific" group 51 size. Any auto parts store should carry it.