weird problem

[leahcim]

I have a 2001 VW GTI VR6. When I bought it, it had a 820W mono amp, single sub and aftermarket head unit. I added aftermarket speakers..also have a capacitor, but for some reason my car will randomly shut off completely (engine, headlights, interior lights) and the car won't start back up for a few minutes..seems as if the battery is completely dead, but I've had it checked and the alternator...both turned out good..what could be my problem? anyone have a similar problem? could my amp be bad? cap? i have no clue.

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[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

How much power u runnin total rms?

 

[leahcim]

How much power u runnin total rms?

AMP:

Power Acoustik OV2-820 (ov2820) 2-Channel Gothic Series Amplifier

SPEAKERS: (4)

Polk Audio DXi650 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers

Head unit

Alpine CDE-125BT

I'm not sure on the sub because it's in a box...but the grille has a flame kinda design..it's a single though.

My car has a high out put alternator..sorry if the info isn't very good..i'm not the best with car audio..

i didn't want anything too crazy..just a little power with pretty decent bass.

 

[MetalHead888 10+ year member]

it really sounds like your alternator to me. your alternator craps out on you and your car will run on the battery until that dies as well and the car turns off. my guess is that your alternator is its on its way out and is fully functional sometimes and thats why it came up good when tested.

also, try taking that capacitor out. if its faulty and pulls to much power, you can have all sorts of problems. you really dont need that anyway. theres plenty of other ways to cope with power issues like upgrading your grounds. i dont think youd have any without it anyway. worth the shot.

 

[leahcim]

it really sounds like your alternator to me. your alternator craps out on you and your car will run on the battery until that dies as well and the car turns off. my guess is that your alternator is its on its way out and is fully functional sometimes and thats why it came up good when tested.
also, try taking that capacitor out. if its faulty and pulls to much power, you can have all sorts of problems. you really dont need that anyway. theres plenty of other ways to cope with power issues like upgrading your grounds. i dont think youd have any without it anyway. worth the shot.

I just got this alternator put in less than 2 months ago man.

 

[MetalHead888 10+ year member]

I just got this alternator put in less than 2 months ago man.

ya didnt say that lol. still possible if they put in a used or rebuilt one. crazier things have happened before.

how often does this happen???

heres another idea actually. take out the inline fuse from the power wire to the amp. that way, your amp and capacitor both dont get any power. if this still happens then you can say that its not the amp or the capacitor, and you can rule that out and move on.

if your problem seems to be fixed, you know its something with the system.

 

[leahcim]

ya didnt say that lol. still possible if they put in a used or rebuilt one. crazier things have happened before.
how often does this happen???

heres another idea actually. take out the inline fuse from the power wire to the amp. that way, your amp and capacitor both dont get any power. if this still happens then you can say that its not the amp or the capacitor, and you can rule that out and move on.

if your problem seems to be fixed, you know its something with the system.

haha sorry for the lack of info, but yeah it was a brand new one. i actually took off off the hot wire from the battery..and put electric tape over it...and put it off to the side. it actually hasn't cut out, but it's only been a day. it has had several times, but i'm going to drive for a few days to see if anything happens. let's say it doesn't happen for over a week....does that mean the amp or cap is bad? or could it be something else? i'm not too great when it comes to this stuff..are there ways to test the amp or cap? or whatever it could possibly be. thanks for your help.

 

[DoesDad 10+ year member]

With the amp you're running you should almost be able to do that on a stock alt. And get rid of that cap. You don't need it with what you're running. Going to more of pain the a$$ than anything else.... I had this happen in a Focus. Things are full of sensors too. Does your engine light go on at all?

 

[jirehn 10+ year member]

Did you already replace your battery?

 

[leahcim]

With the amp you're running you should almost be able to do that on a stock alt. And get rid of that cap. You don't need it with what you're running. Going to more of pain the a$$ than anything else.... I had this happen in a Focus. Things are full of sensors too. Does your engine light go on at all?

alright, i'll have to take that out today...seems more of a problem than anything, but yeah the VR6 is stock with a high out put alt so that shouldn't be the problem i hear. what do you mean? its came on if i have problems, but never with the shutting off thing. did you ever find out what it was in the focus?

 

[leahcim]

Did you already replace your battery?

yep, the car needed a new battery and soon after that i got a new alt..both were tested two days ago and came back good.

 

[MetalHead888 10+ year member]

Its gonna be the capacitor before its the amp. If it doesn't happen it's safe to say its the wiring, amp, or cap. My bet is the cap. And that might also be what killed your alternator too. A cap would probably end your alternators life early. Id give it awhile though just to make sure its the system and not something else.

 

[leahcim]

Its gonna be the capacitor before its the amp. If it doesn't happen it's safe to say its the wiring, amp, or cap. My bet is the cap. And that might also be what killed your alternator too. A cap would probably end your alternators life early. Id give it awhile though just to make sure its the system and not something else.

alright, i don't have the hot wire connected to the battery, but i want to take the cap out. i didn't put the cap in and have no idea how to safely take it out..(i don't want to get shocked or something crazy lol) is there a guide on how to do this or anything?

 

[MetalHead888 10+ year member]

alright, i don't have the hot wire connected to the battery, but i want to take the cap out. i didn't put the cap in and have no idea how to safely take it out..(i don't want to get shocked or something crazy lol) is there a guide on how to do this or anything?

its actually incredibly easy.

first thing your gonna do is disconnect your battery so you dont get shocked or blow stuff up.

you should have 2 wires running to each post - disconnect both of the ground and positive wires that run to the capacitor and wire them directly to the amp. the ground for the cap and amp may be individually wired.

so youll end up having 1 wire running right from the battery to the positive terminal on the amp

and another wire that runs from the ground to the negative terminal on the amp

if that wasnt clear enough, post some pics and we can give you a more accurate description for your exact setup.

if all is done right you should be left with the capacitor unhooked and 2 lose (probably short) wires - 1 ground and 1 power

like i said in my last post - give it a bit before you go taking apart your system. leave the wire from the battery disconnected and see what happens. as of now, we dont know if its the system or some other sort of electrical or mechanical issue.

 

[leahcim]

its actually incredibly easy.
first thing your gonna do is disconnect your battery so you dont get shocked or blow stuff up.

you should have 2 wires running to each post - disconnect both of the ground and positive wires that run to the capacitor and wire them directly to the amp. the ground for the cap and amp may be individually wired.

so youll end up having 1 wire running right from the battery to the positive terminal on the amp

and another wire that runs from the ground to the negative terminal on the amp

if that wasnt clear enough, post some pics and we can give you a more accurate description for your exact setup.

if all is done right you should be left with the capacitor unhooked and 2 lose (probably short) wires - 1 ground and 1 power

like i said in my last post - give it a bit before you go taking apart your system. leave the wire from the battery disconnected and see what happens. as of now, we dont know if its the system or some other sort of electrical or mechanical issue.

well..from what i noticed..LED's were still lighting up on the cap even when the car was off..not sure if its suppose to or if it only stays on for a little bit after the car is turned off.....but i disconnected the hot wire so now nothing is running from the battery. i thought if i was disconnecting the cap it had to have no charge or you could get shocked or something crazy lol.