Electrical\Upgrade Question(s)
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Electrical\Upgrade Question(s)
I've currently added an amp, 2 10" subs and a carPC to my 2006 Mazda 3.
Whenever i have my headlights on they dim slightly when my subs hit hard. I was told on mp3car.com that it was my alternator? If this is true, i did a quick look under my hood to find it and couldn't.
I also looked at the negative and positive wires coming from my battery (the negative that goes to the chassis and looked for the positive going to the alternator). The negative was right there and attached by the wheel well and i couldn't see where the positive went.
My questions are:
- Is the alternator hard to get to?
- Is the alternator hard to swap out for a better one that'll withstand such a load i have of electronics? (my amp is a 600.1 Phoenix Gold mono amp, my subs are 10" 800w peak RMS and my carpc's PSU is 160w dc-dc).
Any other suggestions appreciated.
Whenever i have my headlights on they dim slightly when my subs hit hard. I was told on mp3car.com that it was my alternator? If this is true, i did a quick look under my hood to find it and couldn't.
I also looked at the negative and positive wires coming from my battery (the negative that goes to the chassis and looked for the positive going to the alternator). The negative was right there and attached by the wheel well and i couldn't see where the positive went.
My questions are:
- Is the alternator hard to get to?
- Is the alternator hard to swap out for a better one that'll withstand such a load i have of electronics? (my amp is a 600.1 Phoenix Gold mono amp, my subs are 10" 800w peak RMS and my carpc's PSU is 160w dc-dc).
Any other suggestions appreciated.
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Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Newark, NY
You can get a clamp on meter from someone like Fluke that will give you peak and RMS readings - the best way is with an oscilloscope set up. Concerning current draw, you can run the system off of the battery or seperate power supply (if you have a huge one of those laying around) with the engine off, that'll give you the total vehicle load (or stereo).
I hope you don't need 800 watts for your sub, if you do you may need a more efficient box... or maybe you're in a soundoff competition.
Concerning the dimming lights, get a capacitor for the system. The rule of thumb is a farad for every 1000 watts, place it near the amplifer.
Anyhow, the alternator is on the right side of the car, at the bottom of the engine. How to get it out I think is from underneath, not sure what room there is around ir concerning upgraded. I haven't looked into what you need connected for the car electronics, it is a 'smart' alternator that changes it's output depending on engine load and other conditions. It's on the serpintine belt - follow that and you'll find it.
I hope you don't need 800 watts for your sub, if you do you may need a more efficient box... or maybe you're in a soundoff competition.
Concerning the dimming lights, get a capacitor for the system. The rule of thumb is a farad for every 1000 watts, place it near the amplifer.
Anyhow, the alternator is on the right side of the car, at the bottom of the engine. How to get it out I think is from underneath, not sure what room there is around ir concerning upgraded. I haven't looked into what you need connected for the car electronics, it is a 'smart' alternator that changes it's output depending on engine load and other conditions. It's on the serpintine belt - follow that and you'll find it.
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