Battery Hell !!!!

[blue 10+ year member]

OK , I need Gurus here .... Facts please , no opinions.

I only have one battery ( stock ) , and it's mounted in the trunk for lack of underhood room. The wires running to the front are 1/0 , and I've done the big 3 already. My two Arc amps are 3 feet from the battery , and my gains are set rather low due to my 8 volt pre out on my head unit. I'm running 1700 watts and listen to rock , REALLY loud. But my car is a SQL car and not an SPL monster .... so I'm somewhat suprised at my dimming headlights.

My alternator is PCM regulated , and so I can NOT simply get a HO alternator , because my PCM is not giving out more voltage without an 8 second period of CONSTANT demand by my car .....

My ONLY option is battery assistance of SOME kind .....

Here's where the HELL starts .... I'm getting VERY conflicting information from the so-called Pros at Optima , Odyssey , and Ohio Generators ... Not to mention the local shops install managers !!!!!

The first thing I was told is that I needed a starting battery , because they act more like a capacitor and discharge/recharge faster ... but Optima says that is incorrect and just opposite ... buy the Yellow top they say.

Then I read this on here :

What differentiates a deep cycle battery(yellow/blue top) from a starting battery(red top) is for the most part the difference between the thickness of the plates. Deep cycle batteries have thicker plates than a comparably sized starting battery so the starting battery can fit more plates into the same volume and the starting battery will react quicker to load changes. Basically the starting battery will be able to react to transients faster than it's deep cycle counterpart and usually can produce more current. "

But Optima says NO to this theory ....

Here's my two choices as I see it :

Odyssey makes a flat dry cell motorcycle battery that will fit underhood PC-680 , so i could fit this underhood and daisy chain to a new dry cell battery in the trunk. Using TWO batterys .... OR I could just buy one BIG battery for the same money as the two and place it in the trunk.

Which way would be most likely to stop my dimming headlights ... REMEMBER , the underhood battery would only be a small dry cell.

If I went with option A , I would probably get an Odyssy PC-680 for underhood and an Odyssey 950 for the trunk.

If I went with option B I would get a single Odyssey PC-1250 or PC-1750 for the trunk alone.

thanks

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[johnecon2001 5,000+ posts]

I choose option A. Two are usually better than one.

And are you sure on the fact that you can't replace the alt? Have you checked around the different shops online to see if they can make one for you? What about re-winding the stock one?

 

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

having two batteries isn't going to help unless you cruise around from time to time without the system on to charge the extra battery.... I'd look harder for some sort of HO alt (Mopar racing alt?) Also you'll still get dimming when the amps run from the battery because the battery is at 12v while the amps want 14.4 (which is also what the alt provides) so when you alt is at it's limits and it switches to the battery it'll still dim some... To be honest I'm not sure... maybe a newer model alt (I saw 136amp on an '06??) 1996-1999 had 143amp....

 

[Eldorado 5,000+ posts]

Turn the volume down, i promise you wont have any more dimming and it will save you money from buying another battery or a H.O alt.

This is a fact. Many can agree with it and prove it.

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

dimming headlights is a not so good sign...i do have my gauge cluster and interior lighting dimm when the system is up, but never the headlights or exterior lighting...I'm using a YT, 1/0 gauge power, big 3...no caps

 

[blue 10+ year member]

having two batteries isn't going to help unless you cruise around from time to time without the system on to charge the extra battery.... I'd look harder for some sort of HO alt (Mopar racing alt?) Also you'll still get dimming when the amps run from the battery because the battery is at 12v while the amps want 14.4 (which is also what the alt provides) so when you alt is at it's limits and it switches to the battery it'll still dim some... To be honest I'm not sure... maybe a newer model alt (I saw 136amp on an '06??) 1996-1999 had 143amp....

Guys ... You do NOT understand. Even if I placed a 400 amp alternator in my car , my car's PCM will NOT allow any extra amperage or voltage to reach my car's electronics. It's a stupid function of MY car's PCM ...

 

[blue 10+ year member]

Guys ... You do NOT understand. Even if I placed a 400 amp alternator in my car , my car's PCM will NOT allow any extra amperage or voltage to reach my car's electronics. It's a stupid function of MY car's PCM ...

PS : I read the model # to the gent at Ohio Generators , and he told me my particular Denso alternator is a GREAT alt ... It's rated at 135 amp , but regularly exceeds it's rating by as much as 30 or 40 amps !!! So WHY in hell the dimming headlights ?

 

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

PS : I read the model # to the gent at Ohio Generators , and he told me my particular Denso alternator is a GREAT alt ... It's rated at 135 amp , but regularly exceeds it's rating by as much as 30 or 40 amps !!! So WHY in hell the dimming headlights ?

http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/sept2001/techtips.cfm

Anyways there HAS to be some sort of option. A new PCM, a lfash update for it... something. I just don't ("want to") beleive there is no way to change how it's working.... but I guess if there isn't you don't have many options...

 

[blue 10+ year member]

Well hell ...... Ohio Generators just called me back and said ..... WAIT , there actually IS an alternator that will work in your car after all ...... But it is the most expensive one we sell .... a Denso/Bosch combo unit for $500 !!!! But it will overcharge my stock battery .... so I really need another $175 battery also.

So ..... dimming headlights solved for $650 ..... WTF ??? !!! ???

 

[blue 10+ year member]

OK ..... Battery it is !! I'm going to start by upgrading my ONLY battery. Trashing the stock one and adding a dry cell ....

I've just got to decide between Optima , Odyssey , and SVR now .... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[Leeiswho2b 10+ year member]

I would add either a Optima Yellow or Blue top ( both are same internally). This will take a lot off of your alternator. The deep cycle has more reserve capacity and can charge quickly. Just did this setup in my 94 Caprice. Before, voltage levels dropped in the red everytime I turned HU to around 20 and of course EVERYTHING DIMMED....car was about to stall. After the install, (very simple and not very time consuming), everything was back to normal, no significant voltage drops, dimming lights, etc. Have had this setup for over a month w/ no prob so far. Running 3 JL12W3v2 with a Phoenix Gold 1200.1, 3 dynamat install kits.

 

[blue 10+ year member]

OK ..... I just bought an Odyssey PC-1700T ...

 

[Goldtaz1 10+ year member]

OK ..... I just bought an Odyssey PC-1700T ...

Couldn't have made a finer choice. That is the one I use and I have quite a system in my car. My car also has a "funny" situation whereby the ECU actually prohibits anything better than an 80 amp alternator charging at 14.2 volts from being installed in my car.

 

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

Well hell ...... Ohio Generators just called me back and said ..... WAIT , there actually IS an alternator that will work in your car after all ...... But it is the most expensive one we sell .... a Denso/Bosch combo unit for $500 !!!! But it will overcharge my stock battery .... so I really need another $175 battery also.
So ..... dimming headlights solved for $650 ..... WTF ??? !!! ???

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif MOPAR //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

 

[blue 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif MOPAR //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

Mopar ??

This is from my lowly 4 cyl SRT-4 .... He he he ...

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This however is now over 1000 hp ..... So yeah , Mopar !!!

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