Big 3 questions...Nissan Sentra 2004

[skogie1 10+ year member]

This is a follow up to a previous post I put out... Going to do the big 3 upgrade.

I have a 2004 Sentra. I have 1 alpine m-1000 powering 2 cvr comp 10's (kicker) that run 400w rms each. I have a 1 zx-350.4 powering 4 speakers all of which are 60w rms. My lights dim and I need more power.

I have a new starter battery. I have the original alternator.

I will do the big 3 and if that doesn't take care of things I will install a second, deep cycle battery in the trunk.

Questions:

1. From what I can find online the original alt puts out about 60 amps. If that's the case why do I need 1/0 gauge wire like everyone recommends? I have some 2 gauge welding cable that has an amp capacity of 190 amps, won't that work just fine?

2. I see that there a lot of different types of battery terminals for car audio installation. Are they all made of the same materials? Are any made of better materials than others? Can I just go to my local tool store and get a terminal that will accomodate the larger cable or do I need to buy the expensive ones made by audio companies?

3. Nissan grounds the battery to the engine block not the chassis. I should change that to ground on the chassis, correct? Isn't the original configuration just creating a longer path for the current to find it's way back to the battery negative? (from the amp neg to the chassis to the block to the battery neg, instead of amp neg to chassis to battery neg.) Am I understanding this right?

4. Any tips on reattaching the fuse box line from the positive battery terminal after I've created a new battery terminal for the alternator attachment? I'm attempting to leave all cables untouched and attached so that when I sell this car it will be easy to revert it back to factory condition.

Thanks again to anyone who takes the time to weigh in on this.

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[sacsking916 5,000+ posts]

This is a follow up to a previous post I put out... Going to do the big 3 upgrade.
I have a 2004 Sentra. I have 1 alpine m-1000 powering 2 cvr comp 10's (kicker) that run 400w rms each. I have a 1 zx-350.4 powering 4 speakers all of which are 60w rms. My lights dim and I need more power.

I have a new starter battery. I have the original alternator.

I will do the big 3 and if that doesn't take care of things I will install a second, deep cycle battery in the trunk.

Questions:

1. From what I can find online the original alt puts out about 60 amps. If that's the case why do I need 1/0 gauge wire like everyone recommends? I have some 2 gauge welding cable that has an amp capacity of 190 amps, won't that work just fine?

Yes you can use the welding cable.

2. I see that there a lot of different types of battery terminals for car audio installation. Are they all made of the same materials? Are any made of better materials than others? Can I just go to my local tool store and get a terminal that will accomodate the larger cable or do I need to buy the expensive ones made by audio companies?

there are some made by different companies that use different metals, but yes they will all work.

3. Nissan grounds the battery to the engine block not the chassis. I should change that to ground on the chassis, correct? Isn't the original configuration just creating a longer path for the current to find it's way back to the battery negative? (from the amp neg to the chassis to the block to the battery neg, instead of amp neg to chassis to battery neg.) Am I understanding this right?

just ground from battery to engine and battery to chassis

4. Any tips on reattaching the fuse box line from the positive battery terminal after I've created a new battery terminal for the alternator attachment? I'm attempting to leave all cables untouched and attached so that when I sell this car it will be easy to revert it back to factory condition.

Thanks again to anyone who takes the time to weigh in on this.

hope that little bit helps

 

[skogie1 10+ year member]

Thanks. So just to clarify...run two negative grounds from the negative battery terminal, one to the chassis and one to the engine. I thought that I had to run a cable wire from the engine to the chassis.

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

Your 2 gauge cable will be more than adequate. People recommend 1/0 or greater because it will handle whatever else you may throw at it in the future. Your 2 gauge will work though.

That's very strange that they go from bat neg to engine block, because the engine block still needs to ground to chassis. I would run wire where it currently is, as well as ground bat neg to chassis.

 

[sacsking916 5,000+ posts]

Your 2 gauge cable will be more than adequate. People recommend 1/0 or greater because it will handle whatever else you may throw at it in the future. Your 2 gauge will work though.That's very strange that they go from bat neg to engine block, because the engine block still needs to ground to chassis. I would run wire where it currently is, as well as ground bat neg to chassis.

Yes definitely. Sorry I forgot to mention that part about the engine to chassis.

 

[basscort2009 5,000+ posts]

the biggest place ppl dont realize u need a ground is the alternator casing. because thats where the power is coming from so thats the starting point of the ground. i have a ground to the alt casing, engine block, and then a ground ran to the back battery bank.

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

the biggest place ppl dont realize u need a ground is the alternator casing. because thats where the power is coming from so thats the starting point of the ground. i have a ground to the alt casing, engine block, and then a ground ran to the back battery bank.

So is there currently a ground from alt casing to chassis? Or did you make one for that?