# do amps kill ur batt/alternator



## TOWN CAR92

i have 2 amps hooked up without a powercap.....now when i start my car....the batt dies out...i am not sure if jus the batt is bad or the alternator went with it..... will running amps kill the alternator also??


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## OakCliffRider

itll kill your alternator because its killing your battery and the alt is trying to hard to recharge it, but it'll only really kill it if you just sit there with your stereo alot.


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## Stealth

what size amps, what car, what alternator (if you know), and do you listen to your system turned up high frequently?


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## ibanender

> _Originally posted by Stealth_@Oct 18 2004, 02:56 PM
> *what size amps, what car, what alternator (if you know), and do you listen to your system turned up high frequently?
> [snapback]2307932[/snapback]​*


Regardless of how big of amps you have, if you are listening to it without the car running, its going to draw alot of power, and it will kill your battery. Eventually, it will kill it to where it wont recharge. Your alternator strains greatly when you try to charge a dead battery with it as well. So yes, you can kill both by listening without having it running. 

Now, if your car starts and the battery isn't charging back to where you can start it again, then your alternator needs checked out. Having a bad alternator can cause the battery to go bad as well.


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## BIG DIRTY

Well what it comes down to is your overall current draw. The easy way is to check the fuses on the side of the amp, or check the owners manual to find the total output draw, you will have to add the two amps that you have together, I have two amps, one draws 100 amps, and the other draws 80 amps, so that would mean that I would have a max draw of 180 amps on my electrical system. If you alternator is only producing 90 amps, or basic system probably about 140, then you are requiring another 40 amps of draw when you use your system to its full extent. If your alternator is putting out 90, then you are gonna drain your battery very quickly. As your stereo is running, well if your draw is more then your alternator output, it is (1) gonna eventually kill your alternator, and (2) is gonna drain your battery. Your battery is never getting a full charge because your alternator is trying to keep up with your system. Hope that helped


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## Stealth

> _Originally posted by ibanender_@Oct 18 2004, 04:26 PM
> *Regardless of how big of amps you have, if you are listening to it without the car running, its going to draw alot of power, and it will kill your battery.  Eventually, it will kill it to where it wont recharge.  Your alternator strains greatly when you try to charge a dead battery with it as well.  So yes, you can kill both by listening without having it running.
> 
> Now, if your car starts and the battery isn't charging back to where you can start it again, then your alternator needs checked out.  Having a bad alternator can cause the battery to go bad as well.
> [snapback]2308632[/snapback]​*


what you said above is common sense, and i can condense it to one line:

if you run your system with the car not running, your battery will die.

but i'm assuming he's a little more intelligent than that, which is why i asked the questions in my previous post.......
anyway, two things to remember:

1) a 240 amp alternator does _*not*_ put 240 amps out at idle... the very high amperage alternators usually put out very low amps at idle

2) a system isn't drawing max amount of amps when it's playing low. usually an amp that "draws 90 amps" is when it's going full blast, not on low volumes.


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## BIG DIRTY

Okay so who do you know that plays there stereo at low volumes. Most high output Alts will produce about 65% of there overall rating at Idle, and as you speed up your power will go up, but what I was talking about, is even if you are driving, and you are drawing more amperage then your Alternator is producing, then it will take the power from your battery. My concept has nothing to do with parking and listening to your stereo, it is if your draw is more, even if you are driving, it still is gonna kill your battery.


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## Stealth

> _Originally posted by dirtywhiteboy66_@Oct 19 2004, 05:44 PM
> *Okay so who do you know that plays there stereo at low volumes.  Most high output Alts will produce about 65% of there overall rating at Idle, and as you speed up your power will go up, but what I was talking about, is even if you are driving, and you are drawing more amperage then your Alternator is producing, then it will take the power from your battery.  My concept has nothing to do with parking and listening to your stereo, it is if your draw is more, even if you are driving, it still is gonna kill your battery.
> [snapback]2312723[/snapback]​*


i wasn't questioning your concept... i was just adding to it. i agree with you, just didn't want the guy to get the wrong ideas.

who do i know that plays their stereo at low volumes? me. i don't listen to it at full blast at 24/7, because that's............stupid and inconsiderate. i don't like pissing people off with extremely loud music, and i don't like damaging my hearing by listening to it at full blast all the time.
an amp that draws "90 amps" doesn't draw 90 amps whether it's full blast or at half its potential... the amount it draws differs according to volume.


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## ibanender

Common sense ISN'T always common. I never discount how little a person knows about a subject in the beginning. Anywho, I also do not listen to mine loud for similar reasons as been listed. My amp is rated for 60 amps of draw, yet it draws 108 amps on a burp.... guess you can't go by fusing can ya! It's drawing between 20-30 amps at the loudest level I listen to, plus the other 2 amps good for 25 amps of draw or so total at loudest listening level. So, I'm at 55 amps, PLUS the HU, processors, radar detector, lights, etc. I have a 60 amp alternator, why is my car fine? Playing music, you dont have a CONSTANT full draw, thats why I'm not killing the alternator. I have 2 batteries, those take the sudden hard load off the alternator.


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## Stealth

right. but if the amps constantly drew 55 amps, plus your headunit, lights, engine, radar detector, etc. that's another good 40 amps there... so if your system was constantly drawing 95 amps, then no, your alternator wouldn't be able to keep up, whether you have 1 battery or 10. but since you _don't_ always listen to it loud, they're _not_ constantly drawing 55 amps..... therefore you agree with me :biggrin:

what are we arguing about?


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## BIG DIRTY

Not trying to bag, just wondering what amps are you using that are rated at 60 amps, drawing 20-30 amps max draw, but take a 108 amp draw on Burp, cause those are some incredible amps, again just wondering


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## sleeper

just get a capacitor, change your alt. and get a new battery...


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## JUICEDEXPL

agree with mialac, + dont forget to upgrade all of your factory grounds, and wiring from your alternator to your battery


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## BIG DIRTY

Okay you just started something with the CAP


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## Stealth

lol yeah 

let's stay out of cap discussions


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## Solo_Soundz03

If your on a tight budget try the alternator pulleys it will kick your alternator output up at lower engine rpms, thus charging back your battery quicker.For about $30.00 heres link:
http://www.hoalternators.com/otherpart.htm


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## TOWN CAR92

it looks like the wire that runs from the alternator to the battery is fried........would running to many watts/amps off of the factory battery cause this


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## ibanender

> _Originally posted by dirtywhiteboy66_@Oct 20 2004, 07:44 PM
> *Not trying to bag, just wondering what amps are you using that are rated at 60 amps, drawing 20-30 amps max draw, but take a 108 amp draw on Burp, cause those are some incredible amps, again just wondering
> [snapback]2315655[/snapback]​*


I said 20-30 amps at the loudest i listen to it, not max draw. Max draw would be the 108 amps on a burp. The amp is an Orion HCCA2100.


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## ibanender

> _Originally posted by TOWN CAR92_@Oct 22 2004, 01:39 PM
> *it looks like the wire that runs from the alternator to the battery is fried........would running to many watts/amps off of the factory battery cause this
> [snapback]2319671[/snapback]​*


Yes, excessive current draw will burn a wire.


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## TOWN CAR92

ok well my battery is good and my alternator is good.....when i start my car the batt will read abot 12.3V then if i put my lights on it will go down to about 12V. as i start to turn up my radio it will proobably jus keep dropping....i cut it when it was down to about 11.6V. .... the battery charges itself back to about 12.3 again....help!!


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## 1ofaknd

with your car running your voltage should be higher then that i think. battery might be going out. i'd get it tested.


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## TOWN CAR92

i had bat and alternator tested... they both are good


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## TOWN CAR92

i drove the car for a few minutes and after it the battery read about 11.8 volts....i didnt use my radio or headlights tho....this is pissing me off becus the battery was tested and they say it was "good"....i guess i will try a new battery??


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## 1ofaknd

11.8 is low. should be at least 13 and some change when the car's running.


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## BIG DIRTY

> _Originally posted by ibanender_@Oct 23 2004, 11:12 PM
> *I said 20-30 amps at the loudest i listen to it, not max draw.  Max draw would be the 108 amps on a burp.  The amp is an Orion HCCA2100.
> [snapback]2322916[/snapback]​*


Well that is a great amp.


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## TOWN CAR92

FIXED!!!....but i do need a power cap......


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## 1ofaknd

what was the problem...

and WHY do you feel you need a capacitor?


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## TOWN CAR92

there was a wire that was burnt out so it wasnt making a great connection...it was probably making the alternator half charge the battery ....but i think i need a capacitor cus if i put my radio up and my head lights on the voltage bounces around but it drops a little....and when i turn them off it goes back to normal....about 14 volts......i don understand tho cus the amps im using are not that big.....


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## ibanender

> _Originally posted by TOWN CAR92_@Oct 26 2004, 03:18 PM
> *there was a wire that was burnt out so it wasnt making a great connection...it was probably  making the alternator half charge the battery ....but i think i need a capacitor cus  if i put my radio up and my head lights on the voltage bounces around but it drops a little....and when i  turn them off  it goes back to normal....about 14 volts......i don understand tho cus the amps im using are not that big.....
> [snapback]2330117[/snapback]​*


A cap wont help you at all. Ideally, you should make the wire that goes from the alternator to the battery at least 4 ga, and the ground wire from the engine to chassis at least 4 ga, and the ground wire from the battery to chassis at least 4 ga. That is likely to fix your problem.


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## pink63impala

when im sitting at a light my amp meter[factory] drops down to 10 or 11 volts.im runninga orion 2250 run stereo.you think caps will help?how about another battery run with an isolator? its in a 99 burban


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## 1ofaknd

^have you upgraded the big 3?


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## Stealth

> _Originally posted by ibanender_@Oct 26 2004, 04:01 PM
> *A cap wont help you at all.  Ideally, you should make the wire that goes from the alternator to the battery at least 4 ga, and the ground wire from the engine to chassis at least 4 ga, and the ground wire from the battery to chassis at least 4 ga.  That is likely to fix your problem.
> [snapback]2330762[/snapback]​*



right. worth mentioning though, is that in the 80s cadillacs (and i'm assuming Lincolns too) there's no wire from battery to chassis. there's the wire that goes from battery to engine block, and then from there to the chassis. so don't kill yourself trying to find the wire that goes from battery to chassis. although if your car doesn't have one, and you're serious about car audio, then be like me, and run a wire from the battery to the frame.


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## Stealth

> _Originally posted by pink63impala_@Oct 26 2004, 07:57 PM
> *when im sitting at a light my amp meter[factory] drops down to 10 or 11 volts.im runninga  orion 2250 run stereo.you think caps will help?how about another battery run with an isolator? its in a 99 burban
> [snapback]2331697[/snapback]​*


if it came down between an isolator and second battery, or a capacitor, i'd take the first option in a heartbeat (an isolator and battery). also be wary of what your factory amp meter tells you.


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## ibanender

> _Originally posted by pink63impala_@Oct 26 2004, 09:57 PM
> *when im sitting at a light my amp meter[factory] drops down to 10 or 11 volts.im runninga  orion 2250 run stereo.you think caps will help?how about another battery run with an isolator? its in a 99 burban
> [snapback]2331697[/snapback]​*


That amp when run hard draws 50-60 amps easily, with peak draws over 100 amps. Your alternator at idle probably isn't doing more than 20-30 amps. Your battery only has so much capacity before its REALLY relying on the alternator. Aside from the "big 3" listed, a better battery under the hood will help also. Not as far as 2 batteries, but an improvement over what you have.


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## BIG DIRTY

> _Originally posted by pink63impala_@Oct 26 2004, 09:57 PM
> *when im sitting at a light my amp meter[factory] drops down to 10 or 11 volts.im runninga  orion 2250 run stereo.you think caps will help?how about another battery run with an isolator? its in a 99 burban
> [snapback]2331697[/snapback]​*


Damn man what you driving a Pinto.


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## BIG DIRTY

> _Originally posted by ibanender_@Oct 26 2004, 06:01 PM
> *A cap wont help you at all.  Ideally, you should make the wire that goes from the alternator to the battery at least 4 ga, and the ground wire from the engine to chassis at least 4 ga, and the ground wire from the battery to chassis at least 4 ga.  That is likely to fix your problem.
> [snapback]2330762[/snapback]​*


The only way this is gonna work is if you got a One wire hookup Alternator, if you got a factory, then you might want to hit up a Electricial shop to re-run you power wire to 4 ga. And for all yall that started thinking: NO you should not try to run anything bigger then 4ga from your Alternator, why you ask, anything bigger and you may have problems with that skinny Electrical post on the back of your Alternator, they tend to break, take that from me.


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## ibanender

> _Originally posted by dirtywhiteboy66_@Oct 29 2004, 07:40 PM
> *The only way this is gonna work is if you got a One wire hookup Alternator, if you got a factory, then you might want to hit up a Electricial shop to re-run you power wire to 4 ga.  And for all yall that started thinking:  NO you should not try to run anything bigger then 4ga from your Alternator, why you ask, anything bigger and you may have problems with that skinny Electrical post on the back of your Alternator, they tend to break, take that from me.
> [snapback]2342080[/snapback]​*


Then why is it that everybody that doesnt have one wire alternators, it helps? The power output has voltage and current going through it, therefore a bigger wire helps. A one wire senses turn on and such through it, which doesn't matter because its being triggered through the other wires anyway. If you are breaking the posts on the alternator, you have a POS alternator. I've never broken one, done this on several cars, and I use 1/0. All it is, is a bolt on the case with a connection on the inside of the case on the other end. Unless for some reason you are tugging on the wire against the post, it wont matter what size you have, its not gonna break it because its bigger. Don't over-torque the nut, and you wont break it.


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## BIG DIRTY

> _Originally posted by ibanender_@Oct 30 2004, 05:45 PM
> *Then why is it that everybody that doesnt have one wire alternators, it helps?  The power output has voltage and current going through it, therefore a bigger wire helps.  A one wire senses turn on and such through it, which doesn't matter because its being triggered through the other wires anyway.  If you are breaking the posts on the alternator, you have a POS alternator.  I've never broken one, done this on several cars, and I use 1/0.  All it is, is a bolt on the case with a connection on the inside of the case on the other end.  Unless for some reason you are tugging on the wire against the post, it wont matter what size you have, its not gonna break it because its bigger.  Don't over-torque the nut, and you wont break it.
> [snapback]2343811[/snapback]​*


This is not even a conversation topic, most Alternator run through some type of external regulator, One wire have internal regulator, factory wiring harnesses usually have multiplel power coming from it, when you upgrade, you will have to change a few things, and that is not gonna work for the unexperienced person, again talk to people at there level, most guys on here have not done this type of stereos, and I ride old schools, there is alot of movement with the engine, and I had problems with one Alternator, but I would not recommend using 1/0 guage for an Alternator, but again you have done everything.


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## 1ofaknd

on older cars it may be an issue...i ran 1/0 on my new car and it's doing fine so far.


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## BIG DIRTY

Yeah there is alot more movement, I could have braced it in another place, but I didn't, so I just use 4 ga. and it has worked for 5 years now


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## 1ofaknd

cool, older cars have rusty parts too. lol


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## BIG DIRTY

Not mine. :biggrin:


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## 1ofaknd

what show is that at!


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## ibanender

> _Originally posted by dirtywhiteboy66_@Oct 30 2004, 09:01 PM
> *This is not even a conversation topic, most Alternator run through some type of external regulator, One wire have internal regulator, factory wiring harnesses usually have multiplel power coming from it, when you upgrade, you will have to change a few things, and that is not gonna work for the unexperienced person, again talk to people at there level, most guys on here have not done this type of stereos, and I ride old schools, there is alot of movement with the engine, and I had problems with one Alternator, but I would not recommend using 1/0 guage for an Alternator, but again you have done everything.
> [snapback]2344227[/snapback]​*


Running a wire from one location to another is pretty basic. If you only explain things on a level of nothing, they never learn. Apparently, muchlike yourself. It doesnt matter if you have an external regulator or not, if you follow the path and upgrade the wire, it helps. MANY cars have internal regulators so that isn't an issue.


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## BIG DIRTY

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Oct 31 2004, 10:29 AM
> *what show is that at!
> [snapback]2345145[/snapback]​*


East Coast Nationals, in Jacksonville Flordia


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## BIG DIRTY

> _Originally posted by ibanender_@Oct 31 2004, 10:25 PM
> *Running a wire from one location to another is pretty basic.  If you only explain things on a level of nothing, they never learn.  Apparently, muchlike yourself.  It doesnt matter if you have an external regulator or not, if you follow the path and upgrade the wire, it helps.  MANY cars have internal regulators so that isn't an issue.
> [snapback]2346468[/snapback]​*


How someone would actually let you install something in there car is amazing, you are very ignorant. But I am sure that you are not the one installing anything, probably sweeping the floors around the shop like Big Scotty.


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## ibanender

> _Originally posted by dirtywhiteboy66_@Nov 1 2004, 08:18 PM
> *How someone would actually let you install something in there car is amazing, you are very ignorant.  But I am sure that you are not the one installing anything, probably sweeping the floors around the shop like Big Scotty.
> [snapback]2349909[/snapback]​*


I'm sweeping the floors of a shop I dont work in? Installing doesn't pay $100/hr to show up so I'll just keep at what I'm doing. I'm glad to see you can claim my ignorance with nothing more than "you're dumb". Go back to 5th grade where your education is.


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## Master_Shake

> _Originally posted by dirtywhiteboy66_@Nov 1 2004, 07:18 PM
> *How someone would actually let you install something in there car is amazing, you are very ignorant.  But I am sure that you are not the one installing anything, probably sweeping the floors around the shop like Big Scotty.
> [snapback]2349909[/snapback]​*


 :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: 

I never let any ignorant bitches touch my shit, thats when things get broke, you ask them about it, and they act like nothing happened.

"Oh shit..."

"WHAT HAPPENED???"

"Oh.. nothing man, nothing, no problem"

Fuck that


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