A few electrical concerns..

[xxBURT0Nxx 10+ year member]

ok, i drive a 2000 VW Jetta, which I believe has a 120 amp alt stock. I have a brand new battery, not exactly sure on the specs, but it sits at 14.4v. I have 1/0 hyperflex run to my trunk, and then I have a zx650.4 running in my trunk for my mids, and currently have no sub amp right now. When I turn the volume up full tilt the battery sits at 13.8v-14.0v. So it seems as though everything is okay, however I can still hear alternator whine when I am driving around, and when I go to use the power windows my headlights and the lights in the instrument cluster dim out. Not sure what the problem could be, I figured stock elec. would be able to handle a 650.4... any suggestions?

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[DBDRAGGUY 10+ year member]

alt whine is an indicator of a ground problem. Check your batt connections.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx 10+ year member]

alt whine is an indicator of a ground problem. Check your batt connections.

okay great i can do that... what do you think is causing the dimming??

 

[1hawaii50 10+ year member]

I'm running the ZX650.4 and a Sony XM-1S in my 07 Altima 2.5S, and I haven't noticed any problems. Check your grounds.

 

[clouduz 10+ year member]

must be grounds, i'm running the same amp for highs and a 1606d and no dimming

 

[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

Are you sure you have a good ground on the amp?

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

ok, i drive a 2000 VW Jetta, which I believe has a 120 amp alt stock. I have a brand new battery, not exactly sure on the specs, but it sits at 14.4v. I have 1/0 hyperflex run to my trunk, and then I have a zx650.4 running in my trunk for my mids, and currently have no sub amp right now. When I turn the volume up full tilt the battery sits at 13.8v-14.0v. So it seems as though everything is okay, however I can still hear alternator whine when I am driving around, and when I go to use the power windows my headlights and the lights in the instrument cluster dim out. Not sure what the problem could be, I figured stock elec. would be able to handle a 650.4... any suggestions?

First off, the 14.4v reading is your alt, not the battery. Check the battery voltage with the car turned off.

Next, your issue is a ground issue because your car is a unibody vehicle and you probably did not run a dedicated ground to the front of the car. IMHO, if you don't have a dedicated ground from the rear to the front, that is your issue. You can run a temp one to test it out before you dedicate the perm wire.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx 10+ year member]

First off, the 14.4v reading is your alt, not the battery. Check the battery voltage with the car turned off.
Next, your issue is a ground issue because your car is a unibody vehicle and you probably did not run a dedicated ground to the front of the car. IMHO, if you don't have a dedicated ground from the rear to the front, that is your issue. You can run a temp one to test it out before you dedicate the perm wire.

no way to fix it other than run a dedicated ground? I just don't really have any money right now to run more wire so i was just seeing if there was a way to fix it.

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

no way to fix it other than run a dedicated ground? I just don't really have any money right now to run more wire so i was just seeing if there was a way to fix it.

I would test it first with a temp wire. But IMO, that is your problem. It could be other things but this is the first thing I would suspect. It is an easy thing to test for if you had a decent piece of wire on hand.

 

[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

IMHO, if you don't have a dedicated ground from the rear to the front, that is your issue. You can run a temp one to test it out before you dedicate the perm wire.

Are you saying he needs to run a ground wire from the amp to the front of the car? Thats nuts. If your running a multiple battery set up I can see doing this, I have done it. But having a single amp running off one battery doesn't justify having to run a ground wire that far, unibody frame or not. You can try replacing your ground wire and moving the point of grounding to another location and see if that helps. Make sure that the ground is good and tight, and most importantly that it's a clean ground.

You might want to check your power wire too, if you have your power wire running alongside your RCA's then thats probably going to be your alt whine issue.