Car electrical hiccups 10 seconds after starting up

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

Nearly every time I start up my engine, after about a 10 sec wait my headlights and amps and everything will quickly turn off then back on. It's probably not a problem, just kind of want to know what would cause it and if it has any negative effect on my amps to be switched between on and off so much. BTW I don't have any aftermarket electrical gear, stock wiring/battery/alt.

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[Paulspikey 10+ year member]

Is it a sonata? My radio does it when i have a thumb drive plugged in. Dont know if my amp shuts off though?

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

It's a 2009 wrx actually. I'm running 2 amps at about 800 watts if that might be a factor. The idling engine tone changes a little as well when all the electrical stuff "resets".

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

anybody?

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Sounds like a problem with your alternator charging, sudden dip in voltage maybe?

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

Sounds like a problem with your alternator charging, sudden dip in voltage maybe?

That's probably it, does the alternator make a whine as it's running? I'm trying to figure out what the sound change is.

Also if I either put a capacitor next to my amps or upgraded my battery, could that possibly make up for the quick drop from the alt? Or would the alt need to be upgraded?

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

That's probably it, does the alternator make a whine as it's running? I'm trying to figure out what the sound change is.
Also if I either put a capacitor next to my amps or upgraded my battery, could that possibly make up for the quick drop from the alt? Or would the alt need to be upgraded?

Alt whine usually happens when you get belt slip but you shouldn't have that problem. This is one of the few scenarios where I would recommend a cap.

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

Alt whine usually happens when you get belt slip but you shouldn't have that problem. This is one of the few scenarios where I would recommend a cap.

I've heard that subarus in general have weak electrical though, so I sort of want to just upgrade my battery. Do you think that might solve the problem or not? And how much do aftermarket hi output alts generally go for?

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

I've heard that subarus in general have weak electrical though, so I sort of want to just upgrade my battery. Do you think that might solve the problem or not? And how much do aftermarket hi output alts generally go for?

A high output alt can be anywhere from $200 for a cheaper ebay alt all the way up to $500+ for a nice DC alt that puts out a lot of power. My pathfinder doesn't have a very strong electrical yet I can still run close to 2k daily. First step before you do anything should be to put a DMM on your battery and watch the voltage.

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

A high output alt can be anywhere from $200 for a cheaper ebay alt all the way up to $500+ for a nice DC alt that puts out a lot of power. My pathfinder doesn't have a very strong electrical yet I can still run close to 2k daily. First step before you do anything should be to put a DMM on your battery and watch the voltage.

I have a dmm, i haven't done this yet. How does the process go, and what do I look for? Pos lead on pos terminal and neg lead on neg terminal? Is that AC or DC voltage and what number am I looking for?

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

I have a dmm, i haven't done this yet. How does the process go, and what do I look for? Pos lead on pos terminal and neg lead on neg terminal? Is that AC or DC voltage and what number am I looking for?

Battery and alternators always hold a DC charge. Your amp puts out an AC charge for the speakers. With the car off your voltage should be 12v - 13v and with the car running it can be anywhere from 13.8v to 14.4v. If stuff is shutting off it's probably dropping below 10v

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

Battery and alternators always hold a DC charge. Your amp puts out an AC charge for the speakers. With the car off your voltage should be 12v - 13v and with the car running it can be anywhere from 13.8v to 14.4v. If stuff is shutting off it's probably dropping below 10v

Okay I'll go try this, thanks for the help!

Also, do I want to test anything with music running? Is there any important info I could gain from this method?

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Okay I'll go try this, thanks for the help!
Also, do I want to test anything with music running? Is there any important info I could gain from this method?

Depends, does your stuff only shut off if you are playing music in that first 10 seconds or so? Or does it shut off regardless?

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

It will shut off regardless. I usually don't even have a chance to get my ipod or a cd going before it shuts off.

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

I just went and tested it with the car off and it's 12.81. is there any significance to this?