Official CarAudio.com Big 3 Thread

[smokingachicken]

uhh....I don't see any pictures

its actually on the page previous to the one the link takes you.

fuckin n00bz

as far as noobz, nobody wants to go trough 56 pages to find pictures. Especially when 50% of all the post are people like you complaining about noobz.

[jco1385]

link works for me. post numbers 571 & 581

you shouldn't need pictures, btw. it's easy as pie. pos battery post looks like pos battery post, alt post looks like alt post, etc...

[grandam888]

did big 3 yesterday. Funny how who ever ghetto rigged my wiring before i owned it used 8 gauge to block from ground, 10 gauge to fusible link from alternator, AND SOMETHING LIKE 14 GAUGE from battery negative to chassis. I couldn't believe it when i saw it. basically my only goo negative was from block to battery. Ran 3/0 everywhere now.

i was dropping to 12 volts @ idle with a 800 watt amp running, not i don't even dip below 13.5 @ idle doing about 14 volts cruising down freeway.

[Vital]

About to do my first BIG3 which is very simple but not when it comes to fuses.

I always see "make sure to have a fuse next to your battery that whould match amps from the alternator" in every big3 "how-to"

Here's what i don't understand - alt is what's powering the battery, not the other way around. So current is coming FROM alt to bat which logically means that fuse should be next to the alternator, not battery, no ?

If you look at it further (and correct me if i'm wrong on this) in case anything happens to the wire and let's say it gets cut somewhere in the middle of it's run battery will now pump jiuce out of it just like it does with any other wire connected to it's positive terminal post. SO there should ALSO be a fuse next to the battery. Not sure how many amps fuse but i'd guess the same as your "next to alt" fuse.

Yes? No? Am i missing something here?

[Vital]

^^^ anyone??

[jco1385]

i don't have a fuse on that wire and have never had a problem. BUT, if i was going to fuse it i would do like you are saying so that it would effectively 'kill' that wire in the event it was overloaded. i just routed mine where it is out of the way of everything.

[flatland]

Can I just use a circuit breaker for my alt to battery connection instead of a fuse holder? I have one circuit breaker for my audio system and would like to keep it all uniform if possible

[bubbagumper6]

Can I just use a circuit breaker for my alt to battery connection instead of a fuse holder? I have one circuit breaker for my audio system and would like to keep it all uniform if possible

Eh, you can but every time you trip the breaker it gets weaker and weaker. Also I'm not sure if you'd be allowed to compete with that in (if you even want to). Fuse holders & fuses are cheap and easy to swap out for different amperages, I mean there's a reason 99% of us use them.

[flatland]

Eh, you can but every time you trip the breaker it gets weaker and weaker. Also I'm not sure if you'd be allowed to compete with that in (if you even want to). Fuse holders & fuses are cheap and easy to swap out for different amperages, I mean there's a reason 99% of us use them.

That's good to know, so thank you!

I haven't used it yet, but I'm sure I can send it back, and get a credit towards a fuse holder style.

Thanks agin

[bubbagumper6]

Yeah no problem, you can get no-name nice ANL fuse holders on ebay for cheap (like $10 shipped each).

[SmartAsss]

Anywhere in this long post did someone mention that only the big 2 (ground wires) is needed unless a hi-output alternator is installed? The factory wiring is enough for the factory alternator..it has to be otherwise the thing would catch fire. Saves some money on fuse, wire and terminals. In case anyone cares.. Ill probably be flamed for this comment though.

[tuckintaco93]

also if your going to start something like this dont delete your pics from your pic hoster

[bubbagumper6]

Anywhere in this long post did someone mention that only the big 2 (ground wires) is needed unless a hi-output alternator is installed? The factory wiring is enough for the factory alternator..it has to be otherwise the thing would catch fire. Saves some money on fuse, wire and terminals. In case anyone cares.. Ill probably be flamed for this comment though.

Uhh, upgrading the stock alt cable will give less resistance which would mean less of a voltage drop. Just because the cable is able to handle the current doesn't mean it isn't corroded to hell and causing a bad voltage drop.

[azphat12]

Personally I would just do all of them. You will already be under the hood, and to get a 5ft cable and a fuse and holder isnt that expensive.

[SmartAsss]

Uhh, upgrading the stock alt cable will give less resistance which would mean less of a voltage drop. Just because the cable is able to handle the current doesn't mean it isn't corroded to hell and causing a bad voltage drop.

You're correct about the corrosion, this is very possible, but assuming that the cable is in halfway decent shape, then this is really not an issue. the issue is really with the ground straps which are much more prone to corrosion.
A voltage drop of even as much as .5v is not going to make a difference in the sound or output. If the system is too weak, it is just too weak. adding the alternator cable is not some sort of miracle cure for electrical systems as its touted by so many people on here.
example.. 13.5v x 100amps = 1350w. 14v x 100amps = 1400w. A gain of 50w in a 1000w + sound system will translate into zero audible gain. to have an audible gain, you would need double the wattage 2000+.

Personally I would just do all of them. You will already be under the hood, and to get a 5ft cable and a fuse and holder isn't that expensive.

I hear that, but Ive seen many posts asking about "do i really need a fuse on my alt cable" and I'd rather see someone omit the alt cable if they don't have a fuse then to put a big cable on without it. to some people $10+ dollars is money better spent else where. and safety is priceless.

think of it this way. you could beef up all of your wires in your car, what would it gain you if they are already sized properly? lower resistance across the board, but it would have no effect on how everything operates.

People will do what they will, I'm just trying to let people know the theory behind things. Im not going to discuss this any further because its really not that big of an issue, just thought Id mention it. It's just not a must have item.