Big 3 ground?

[R05Nismo 10+ year member]

I was looking into the Big 3 for my truck and I was looking around under the hood and noticed my stock ground going to the block has this plastic box on it with a plug. Turns out its a sensor for the alternator that reads the discharge rate of the battery and tells the alternator to output more or less. So adding a bigger ground would bypass this sensor and cause problems?

Also, its an 05 Nissan Frontier, 110 amp alt, Interstate 800cca battery, stock ground/power looks to be 4 gauge, total power is 900rms. 600-sub 300-components.

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[SethPhillips 5,000+ posts]

I was looking into the Big 3 for my truck and I was looking around under the hood and noticed my stock ground going to the block has this plastic box on it with a plug. Turns out its a sensor for the alternator that reads the discharge rate of the battery and tells the alternator to output more or less. So adding a bigger ground would bypass this sensor and cause problems?
Also, its an 05 Nissan Frontier, 110 amp alt, Interstate 800cca battery, stock ground/power looks to be 4 gauge, total power is 900rms. 600-sub 300-components.

is it a plastic circle that gose around the wire.. or a plug??? i THINK bypassing it should be ok...

 

[R05Nismo 10+ year member]

Its a plastic box, the wire goes threw it and there is also a plug with 2 wires coming from it. I could snap a pic.

I was thinking about leaving it alone as its a newer ride and maybe adding a really small battery under my seat by my amp like this...?

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=4575

 

[05AztecRed 10+ year member]

is it a plastic circle that gose around the wire.. or a plug??? i THINK bypassing it should be ok...

Leave it alone and run a separate line as instructed in the Big-3 directions.

 

[R05Nismo 10+ year member]

Leave it alone and run a separate line as instructed in the Big-3 directions.

This won't cause any problems with my electrical system?

 

[DBS-Ninja]

I replaced my 1 farad cap with that battery to my 04 silverado running 1200 watts, and it didnt make much of a difference. Voltage dips below 11volts still. I started reading these threads soon after and decided big 3 is my next step. Hope this helps.

 

[R05Nismo 10+ year member]

I replaced my 1 farad cap with that battery to my 04 silverado running 1200 watts, and it didnt make much of a difference. Voltage dips below 11volts still. I started reading these threads soon after and decided big 3 is my next step. Hope this helps.

I don't know everything but I do know if your dropping below 11 volts something is not right at all.

 

[Keith H 10+ year member]

Leave it alone and run a separate line as instructed in the Big-3 directions.

+1.

 

[R05Nismo 10+ year member]

+1.

Ok, I do have one other question. I have the amps grounded in the cab of the truck. Should I also run a ground wire from the engine block to the cab say at the firewall? Since the cab of the truck is a seperate part of the body.

 

[Keith H 10+ year member]

Ok, I do have one other question. I have the amps grounded in the cab of the truck. Should I also run a ground wire from the engine block to the cab say at the firewall? Since the cab of the truck is a seperate part of the body.

That'd be a little overkill. And could potentially cause some ground loop problems.

 

[R05Nismo 10+ year member]

Ok, thanks.

 

[05AztecRed 10+ year member]

You'll be fine with a ground from the amp to the cab. I took out the drivers side jump seat and mounted my amp onto that. I've since upholstered the box in standard auto gray, this is just my initial install...

Ground wire is the silver 4ga. at the bottom of the amp. I sanded that cab to bare metal at the ground point, drilled a pilot hole, and used a self-tapping metal screw. NEVER had ANY grounding issues. Amp is a Phoenxi Gold 800.1 that powered 3 10" subs...

Here are some extra shots of my setup. I too have an 05 Nissan Frontier.

power wire & fuse:

Power wire @ cab grommet, pre-loom

Power wire @ cab grommet w/ loom

Ran RCA's, power wire, & remote wire down passenger side, with NO issues.

& door speakers

 

[R05Nismo 10+ year member]

I do have the amps grounded in the cab under the center console. I ment while doing the big 3 to add a ground from the block to the cab (not inside) somewhere on the firewall. How does your voltage hold up with your set up?

 

[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

I would check with the Nissan dealership before adding another ground, just in case you run into problems. I know some of the high end cars like BMW and Mercedes have something in the computer thats monitors the alts output and if it reads higher than the factory specs than things shut down. Someone I knew tried adding the big 3 to his BMW and couldn't shift out of 1st gear til he bought a special chip to bypass the computer. It's a slim chance your Nissan has this feature, but you might want to check with someone that actually knows, not someone on a forum.

 

[05AztecRed 10+ year member]

I do have the amps grounded in the cab under the center console. I ment while doing the big 3 to add a ground from the block to the cab (not inside) somewhere on the firewall. How does your voltage hold up with your set up?

I see... As long as you have a block to chasis, you'll be fine. You can put a block to cab for extra protection, but I don't really see any major gains by doing that. Might try it if you have a ground issue.

I had dimming issues when I played my system really loud pre Big-3, but didn't notice anything at my normal volume.