QUESTION: Power dips??

[edollete]

...am exprcng a power dips when I turn the volume up on my system...headlights blinking and so is the dashboard...

...this is what I have now...

1Farad RF Capacitor

120A Alternator (stock one, kinda suspect this as the main problem)

Regular car battery (thinking of upgrading)

...what are the steps on testing my Alternator?...

I appreciate any response...

Eric

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[litspliff]

get better(or additional) alternator regardless of tests. a better battery is also needed, but will not help much without more alternator output.

 

[sc0rch]

NEW battery if the one is old...you dont wanna go throwing a bigger battery in....not reccomended at all......i have herd that you can have an alt rewound to 180 i believe....but i'm not completely sure..a guy a NAPA told me that...you might wanna ask around...plus it's cheeper than buying a big alt.....around $120 to have it rewound....but still need to ask and uaualy the guys at NAPA can refer you to a place to have something done

 

[edollete]

...hmmm...i guess i'll reconsider the rewound...much cheaper...

...how long does it usually take for the rewound? Looks like I need to leave the car....

...i know a close-by NAPA shop, maybe i'll drop-by and asked them...

..hey, litspliff, you mean 120A alternator is not enough?...is there such thing as high-output 120A or a low-output 120A?...kinda newbie on this one....

 

[Alaxan 5,000+ posts]

Litspliff needs to learn a thing or two before he goes of spouting information. A 120amp alternator should be more than fine for 95% of the systems out there today! Rewinding....can be done, but if the alternator is failing already may be useless. Take the car in to NAPA or Autozone or Pepboys and they will often test the alternator for free if not then for a few bucks. I would suggest (if the alternator is bad) getting the same alternator brand new and put in. Bigger battery? Is not supplying any more amperage or voltage to anything in the system. Basically it is pointless to get a big battery unless your wanting to leave the system running for a longer period of time without having to start the car. The system all runs off of the alternator when it is running so a battery will not help much here. Capacitor? Not necessarily needed and in fact causing more strain on the charging system (especially if it is failing).

 

[edollete]

...whoa!...whoa!...the boss has spoken...hehehe...you're right, i'm thinkin of taking the Alt to Pepboys for a test...just one thing...

...while they're doin the test, do i need to turn the system on?

...what are the results that i should be expecting? if bad/good?

...Alaxan, am not plannin to get a big battery, maybe a good one is what i meant...

...thanx a lot for the response...

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[Alaxan 5,000+ posts]

Should not need to turn the system on during the testing. It is possible using a voltmeter to put on and see the voltage drops etc on the power end by the amps. It should remain fairly stable, tho not guaranteed so long as it does not drop incredibly it should be fine. A good battery will be a good addition, but kepe in mind mostly all the battery does is start the car. After that the alternator is what is running everything. (or at least sould be)

 

[rpeAMP 10+ year member]

I would start by replacing the stock wires going from the alternator to the battery, the engine to chassis, and the battery to the chassis (the magic three). It doesn't matter what you upgrade or how powerful your electrical/charging system is if the wires that are already in place aren't capable of carrying the extra added current.