what's wrong with my car?

[bumpin_blazer 5,000+ posts]

ok as i was driving home from work today i noticed that my lights started to flicker and dim really low. i looked at the battery gauge and it was going down to like 9 which is at the bottom. what should i do about this?? i am running 2 full caps so i don't need that. you think i should get a comp. series battery or alternator?? what do you guys suggest??

keep it thumpin,

adam

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[solar eclipse 10+ year member]

Adam, whats your setup? You must have some serious watts in your ride to have two caps. Email me directly at: center4racing@cfl.rr.com and I will help.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

get a new alt or get yours rewound, maybe add a second battery after you do the alt...you need a battery i have 4 svr 500 cca batteries i'll sell cheap!! but back to the problem..it isnt the battery if the car/truck is running and your caps are nothing more than a higher performance voltage bridge...not enough current to "save" anything (save really isn't the right word)

 

[bumpin_blazer 5,000+ posts]

well my alternator is only about 8 months old, i burnt the last one out about 3 months after i got my system and my parent's refused to listen to me saying it is most likely my system that caused it, they wouldn't let me pay and i was like flat out it's my fault let me pay for it, they said no. but yeah i was thinking i may need a 2nd battery but not really sure. lend me some more wisdom if you can guys. thanks!

keep it thumpin,

adam

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

if i recall you have a blazer it is a gm which means its a fairly cheap rewind and bump up prolly under 125 total they can prolly bump it up another 20 - 30 amps no prob

 

[Phatillusion 5,000+ posts]

I think you need a bigger altenator. Ever since I had my system my lights would dim, it kept getting worse and worse, even dimming when the system was off. I'm to cheap to buy anything to fix the problem. So anyhow, no the system is out and the lights still dim, sometimes the voltage meter drops so much the lights almost flash off. I've had police follow me before, thankfully it stops after a while, only to start up later. Now the poor old beretta is dead in the driveway, it overheated and blew a head gasket or cracked the block or whatever. Anyhow, get a bigger altenator, or have yours rewound.

 

[bumpin_blazer 5,000+ posts]

where is a good place to get my alternator rewound?? any kind of store in particular??

keep it thumpin,

adam

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

most are just local.....look up auto electrical in yellow pages

 

[Boom Dr.]

you might need another alternator or just have the one you have now looked at... mine went dead after two months of getting my car... i have a 2002 eclipse w/ two 10" kickers and 2 10" JLs... my alternator got fried w/ all that juice... so you might just need a new battery or add another one... or maybe a new alternator or add another one... email me if you need some more info...

 

[bootleg 10+ year member]

I can almost guratee it's your altenator, if you're reading 9 volts, with the system not even running than you hava a bad altenator. It is very easy to draw so much from them that the winding becomes inversly charged. Check with your local auto parts store and have them test it, you'll most likely have to take it out to put it on their machine, I know for a fact that most Advanced Auto stores will have one. Good luck. geltoob.

 

[bumpin_blazer 5,000+ posts]

no it's not down to 9 with the system off, when i sit at stop lights it runs down to about 9 if a long bass note is on. it runs perfectly fine when i am driving or the system is off with a/c and headlights on. just sitting at a stop light makes it go down if i have the system on with or without headlights.

keep it thumpin,

adam

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

bump up the alt and get a optima battery....the alt costs less and the optima is a great battery about 280 for the whole deal 180 for the battery

 

[tgkx 10+ year member]

I've seen that with my truck, it has to do with sitting stationary in drive. I assume your blazer is an automatic, drop it into park at a light and ill bet you your voltage jumps back up. I'm not sure why the GM alternators do this(im not a mechanic) but that is the issue here if i had to bet.

 

[kottonmouth 10+ year member]

its ur alternator. mine did the same thing bout a month ago. the rectifier went bad on my alternator. i got another alternator for 125 and it is a 140 amp. now that i got a new amp (1500w) my lights dim a little when the bass hits big. i need to get a cap. i just odnt have money.

 

[chulowithakhulo 10+ year member]

well guys heres a few things u can do b4 taking that big step adn getting a new alternator cuz that can cost u soem serious cheese.

1. get a bigger battery ( it should run u about 100 dollars)

2. secondly make sure the wire running to ur caps and amp are teh proper wiring ( 6 or 8 gauge depends on your amp)

3. make sure your ground wire is very clean and most importantly that it is very short and also try using thesame gauge size as ur postive wire.

4. also make sure ur caps are in line with your amp, wha timean is make sure teh positive wire fromthe battery runs to your cap and then from your cap to teh amp and a seperate ground for your cap and amp.

5. also try to adjust the sensitivity on the caps.

6. try differant wiring sequences on your amp and subs (makes a big differance but performance might vary)

after following all these steps and still there is a problem, sorry to say it chief you need a new alternator a big alternator which will cost you alot of cheeze!!!!!

email me if you have any questions chief! sean@altanyc.com