Need advice on powering my stereo system. PLEASE!

[Geoguy]

I have a 1990 Geo Metro 3cyl. In it is a 15" Juggernaut, a 4500watt Boss amp, 500k cap, 810ca battery, 2ga wire, 50amp alternator. Without the stereo, the alt belt squeals at me constantly. At night I have to make a choice, headlights or radio. I have another battery and didn't know if I could parallel/series them or which to do? the other battery is only 560ca. What do I need to do?

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[akheathen Premium Member]

what you need to do is upgrade your alternator. that cap a 500farad cap? ditch it, it is doing nothing but loading up your alternator. wire that juggernaut in series, and watch the voltage drops in your vehicle, that lets you know the most power you can use. by now your belt is probably glazed over. take alook at it. i don't remember if it's a serpentine, or v-belt, but it helps to scuff the pulley with scotch brite, and even a glazed v-belt, and make sure it's adjusted. i would say you want the biggest single alt you can get your hands on. when installing batteries, you always parallell, or the voltage will doubble, and fry many electrical components. also, with that little 3-banger, it may stall at idle running the stereo. i've done it plenty on much bigger engines

 

[IonRL205 10+ year member]

Kinda sounds like a troll to me...

 

[Geoguy]

ok, so i throw out the cap. I found a 75amp alt that 'should' bolt on to existing brackets. Will that be big enough or should I look into fitting a larger one? How do I hook up my sub in series? can I parallel the two batteries I have? They are two different brands and one is 810ca, the other is 560ca ???

 

[akheathen Premium Member]

hey, my first system was in a 3-banger justy, with 2-12's, and 3-10's..... been there, and it did sound pretty good for my first, mostly to do with the small cabbin and 5drivers, but hey. i bet there are also some that have pulled off bigger in a geo, but with tons of money and power thrown at it

 

[akheathen Premium Member]

if you found a 75a out of a different vehicle that should bolt up and plug in, then you may just have expanded your options. even with the sub paralleled, you still could to need 250a or more. what was the 75a alt out of? many options and availability in the gm lines. head on over to the vendors section and take a look at what they offer in h.o. alternators. it is possible to run mis-matched batteries, but not always reliable at all. if one has a significantly lower resting voltage, it could damage the other in time, and then that one would turn around and do harm to the first one. same goes for matched batteries of different condition. see it in diesels all the time- if one goes bad, you replace both, or end up spending the year swaping out 4-5 batteries. if you wanted, you could also install an isolation disconnect switch to the extra battery when not in use

 

[Geoguy]

The 75 alt was new for the swift, just over $100. I had found a link that said you could use an alternator out of a Chevy van with an AC bracket to mount it. I tightened my belt again and it took out the squealing, there I may have found space for another battery identical to mine.

 

[05trailblazer 10+ year member]

they are trolling.. this is the tech section so careful... you have to understand where he's coming from..both of yall are in the same place as him

 

[Geoguy]

I am so confused. what did I do wrong? I'm just looking for help

 

[05trailblazer 10+ year member]

you did nothing wrong... you need a new v-belt for sure, then upgrading your alt if you have the funds..

I am so confused. what did I do wrong? I'm just looking for help