Well here ya go #1 when at slow and with window down, i can hear my clutch making a sort of stretching sound. Any clue if this is something i need to get fixed asap or what? oh, and i have a super heavy duty clutch.. and yer once i put pressure on, it sort of make the sound like it being stretched (being stretched is the best way to describe it, only hear it when car is slower. and window is down.) and if this is a big issue, any idea on price if you think u can tell me what is wrong thanks.. #2 well was talking to a 'auto electrician' today and i asked him if he had any idea as to why my music was cutting out.. The problem i'm having is that i have 2 15" or 16" subs i forget which and a mono and a 4 channel amp and at one stage i thought it was loose wiring so had a look at the amps. and seemed ok, every now and again it would get power, and 2sec later, the amp lights would fade n turn off.. signaling no power. anywho.. it was suggested that i needed a big alternator 2 question WTF is a alternator and is that the problem? he seemed to think that i wasnt getting enough power to the amps
i wouldnt jump into saying its your alternater, thats the unit the keeps charging the battery and supplies power...id probably look more closely at what gauge wiring you are running from the battery to the amp. to run two 15inch subs i would want to run minumum 4gauge to the amp and maybe even preferably 2gauge. check out what the size wiring you have connected first.
agree with chad , if it was the alternator you would notice low power elswhere on the vehical such as headlights , ect . does the amp have good ventalation ? ie is it getting hot ?
A Farad Capacitor acts as a surge current reservoir for your amplifiers and other electrical equipment. When amplifiers are subject to transient peaks and spikes, they often need to draw significant amount of current to cope. When this happens, the supply voltage can drop by a few volts. This voltage drop can cause distortion and cause the output to clip which can damage your valuable speakers. It can also ?dim? your vehicle lights, and decrease the amount of electrical power going to your engine
nah its not getting hot at all, neither of them are.. and when i first got the car the sound system was already in.. oh and there Alpine amps, which im told are very reliable, and the width of the wires? id roughly say, 7-8mm thick,
the red power leads are 7-8mm thick i mean, some of the others are like 1mm thick n stuff, but 99% sure they are not to do with power
mmm 7-8mm sounds about the 4gauge size. how do you have you amps connected? how many amps do you have? is there one cable coming into a distribution box then splitted off to each amp or do you have seperate cables from the battery...
i actually think its like 1 cable, (red) that is going into 1 amp, then into another then through the car, into where ever it meets up...
by what you have described it sounds like you have figure 1. you want to have either 2 or 3. i have figure 3 , some people may say dont need it but i personally think thats the best method of giving power to an amp having independent power lines to each amp...nothing wrong with figure 2 though, run a fatter cable to the distri box then 2 smaller cables to each amp... p.s i was bored
lol sorry just had to comment on how you've asked 2 questions.... 1 relating to the mechanical well being of your car (clutch), and the other relating to the sound system..... ,,,and everyone jumps up to answer the latter first hehe.... not picking... just found it funny hehe ok.... past my bed time.
ahh yes Chad i have figure 1.. ok sweet, now i know what needs to be done.. thanks heaps.. now to figure out how to fix it think taking it to a car audio store, might be best, and get them to like. reinstall my sound system, useing the figure 2 or 3 style. thanks again for help with that 1
also get a capacitor in there too...i have ahigh power sub and seeing you're running 2 big subs i recommend using a capacity like a 2 farad capacitor...this will help alot aswell with the cut out...i used to get the same thing as you, but i dont anymore...but a capacitor and a reinstall like chad said will nearly give you 100% no cut out
My 2 cents worth with using 4 gauge cable for Power +12 eg. make sure your using the same gauge or BETTER for Negative -12 eg. 4 gauge + = 4 gauge - ----> OK 4 gauge + = 2 gauge - ----> Excellent Power Flow 4 gauge + = 8 gauge - ----> Bad causes overheating to amps and power sorce - Bottle Necked like i said using X gauge make sure use same X gauge or BETTER for Black Negative -12 also some people take Negative -12 it to the earth/body but you will receive better response and power flow with it to the battery and make sure you get a battery which can handle the draw/drain as you can blow them up. p.s. if you don't beleive me try it to -12 earth/body, take off you large gauge cable and put in a thin crap gauge or even 8 then crank it and you will see well hear the difference and feel the temp rising from the amp.
a capacitor in my eyes is gimic. never have i used one and never will i use one. if you have problems then get a better battery. i have 2 12'z pumping all the time and i listen to hardstyle and never have problems. wire the system up nicely with a nice battery and your set. ive also seen some high end systems, and very powerful ones with no capacitors aswelll
a cap will help, without a cap you put alot of strain on you battery and electricals. (with big subs and big volumes) why use a cap;- 1. extends life on battery with sudden drains when sub going nuts 2. does not lower car electronics voltage which we need for sensor readings & ecu, thats why we use grounding kits for better response 3. does not put strain on amp trying to draw current (otherwise causes heating & damage) 4. umm still thinking....
not argueing agaisnt using them, but i belive that if you are having problems then you havnt paid much attention to your wiring etc etc. i have a nice/big systems in the 3 cars we have and they get pumped out alot and never had any problems. and they have been pumping hard for the last 5 years i guess...also any previous car we have owned every car has had large stereo installs not once ever had problems. a capacitor is like a cover up for a poorly installed system. install the system with great wiring do it once,do it right and forget about it thats my moto...
A capacitor on a big power system is usually a good idea, not necessarily a must have item. What a cap does is store up large amounts of power and can then discharge that stored power very quickly. If you notice your head unit display dimming every time a bass beat hits, you need a cap. Not only will it keep the voltage levels in your entire electrical system constant for top ignition performance and great sound, it will protect your sensitive electronic equipment (head unit and possibly ECU etc.) safe from voltage drop which can severely damage your equipment. Anyone that runs a computer in an area that suffers brownouts will know exactly the type of damage I mean. Chad, if your system doesn't need a cap, you've done a top job on wiring and installation. Personally I think they're a great tool for voltage regulation across a car's electrical system. Sorry I couldn't help out with the clutch situation Andy, I'm sure someone will be able to - maybe once we get the stezza issue sorted
i would recommend a cap to anyone who has amps & sub's no matter how you hook it up it will still draw/drain on big volume/bass/current maybe unless you have like a few $k battery deep cycle in your car then you would have had to change alternator to compensate for charging. Andy300, when did you get your clutch done ? does it slip under power ? (parked & moving) sounds like could be thrust bearing & or diaphragm not fully released which is scoring pressure plate (sctratching)
Re #2, is it just the amps that shut down, or is it also the head unit, and does this occur as engine revs increase? If so, check voltage as the voltage regulator in the alternator my be stuff and the head unit is sensing over voltage and shutting down to protect its circuitry, then when the revs drop, the voltage drops and stereo turns back on. Cheers, Peter
It's probably just the springs or the clamping section in your pressure plate making a bit of noise as they slide when the clutch is used.
