Performed 1 step of the Big 3

[SyKo13 5,000+ posts]

It's you that goes under the car, not your big ***:fyi:

 

[Fear Of Theive 10+ year member]

Shakes how big are you? i'm 6'5 lol. And Syko you can't start a sentence with & since you had another thought and wanted to continue your last thought the word instead of & should of been Also, with a comma. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[SyKo13 5,000+ posts]

& stfu

 

[SyKo13 5,000+ posts]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[Fear Of Theive 10+ year member]

had to throw in //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[ShakesAllDay 10+ year member]

Thanks for completely trashing a sensible thread. Please, go play somewhere else.

And, btw, both of you **** at proper grammar.

 

[Fear Of Theive 10+ year member]

Thanks shake,Now answer my question. What type of car,how big are you?

 

[ShakesAllDay 10+ year member]

2002 Mazda Tribute

225lbs.

 

[SyKo13 5,000+ posts]

Stating facts:fyi:

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

also if you rub peanut butter on the termanials. it seems to help alot and you can eat the peanut butter if your stranded. i picked up +1.9volts just from that.

did you put the fluff on the + and peanut the -? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/dont.gif.ed5870f9483b695f9745036963f41c24.gif your sandwich is out of phase then FYI. You can correct that with some wonder bread in the plate path.

 

[Fear Of Theive 10+ year member]

How Many Volts would i gain from that?

 

[SyKo13 5,000+ posts]

57.fu

 

[dkmesa 10+ year member]

... and it helped! 13.7v to 14.2v (car running @ idle)
Well, I've decided to go ahead w/ the Big 3 install. I don't have a monster system (Alpine M450 and F250), but my headlights (and interior lights) would dim on bass hits. IIRC, my stock alternator puts out 105 amps, which isn't bad, so I don't see a reason to upgrade that. I suppose I could put in a better battery, but decided to see where the Big 3 got me first.

I decided to start w/ the Battery (-) to chassis step first, since it is the easiest. I decided to use 4ga. because of my small system. I picked up some terminal *protectors* (the green and red pads you put around your posts), some Tsunami battery terminals and some battery post/cable protectant spray. I got the spray and terminal protectors because I had quite a bit of oxidation and wanted to see if this stuff helped.

I used stinger 4ga. The stock looked like 8 or 10ga. I took the battery out of the car, cleaned it up (wiped off all oxidation residue and used a post cleaner/scraper on the posts). Then, I installed the battery terminals. I snipped off the old stock wire going from bat(-) to chassis. I replaced it w/ the 4 ga. and a gold-plated ring terminal at the chassis (same hole). There is another wire going to that same spot... I'm unsure where it is going... maybe the alt? Maybe the engine/******?

Put the battery back in and connected all the wires (stock 8ga(+), stock 4ga(+), amp 4ga (+) and new 4ga(-) ground to chassis. I sprayed the terminals and the grounding point w/ the protectant spray, which gives the stuff a cool red gloss... kinda neat. I will have to wipe it all off next time I mess w/ the stuff, but I don't think that will be a big deal.

Before the install, I tested the battery w/ the car running @ idle... it tested 13.6-13.8v. After installing the 4ga(-) wire, I tested it again @ idle... tested 14.1-14.3v. It seems this simple addition has helped already, unless somehow having everything disconnected for 30min. affected something. I'll test again later after driving around and see what I get.

So, I'm impressed. Next are the other 2 (more daunting) steps. I don't even know how I'm gonna get to my alternator. This is gonna be fun.

That is good to know. I wonder if it is sheer coincidence or from the better ground. I replaced my 8 ga chassis ground with a 4 ga one, installed a grounding kit that consists of 8 ga wiring grounded to the engine block in 4 places, and secured them with a nice battery clamp. I am yet to run a 4 ga alt to bat because my factory wiring is so complex it would require a shitload of terminals, loom, and jerry-rigging lol

lol. ive only done 1 part of the big 3 as well, but i did my positive alt. to batt. I wasnt having serious drops really even before, but not only did it steady the voltage, but my truck was sometimes hesitating to start, just a little like it was getting JUST enough juice to turn over. Now it has no problem and starts right up, so it can help other things as well. EVentually ill do the other 2 wires, but now the system is out so it doesnt really matter.

you did the hardest part, why not finish the job?

 

[synikalt 10+ year member]

Shakes how big are you? i'm 6'5 lol. And Syko you can't start a sentence with & since you had another thought and wanted to continue your last thought the word instead of & should of been Also, with a comma. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

grammer 101 ftw! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/graduate.gif.d982460be9f153bb54e5d4cb744f6ae8.gif

and why dont you just get couple of peices of flat wood or stack some 4x4 together. Drive your front 2 wheels onto them park + E-brake. Thats what i do everytime i change My oil In Deh Car.

 

[2002XLT 5,000+ posts]

Dkmesa- Eventually i will, but at this point my time is limited, got a lot going on, and the system is out and fuse is taken out so there really is no need to do the rest, although i do have all the materials for it, miight finish it up this weekend or next if i can set aside an hour or so.