Recently i had my alternator go out. Left me stranded and had to get the car towed.

Alternator was replaced under warranty.

For all those that had alternators go out... is it normal to go out at 25k miles?

Can my low powered amp (Jl audio 150x2 -- running this without a capacitor...) be the culprit?

Just for reference, if the system is playing loud, and the bass hits, the battery voltage guage moves down just a tad. It fluctuates back n forth just a little.
I connected a volt meter to it today and when the system was playing loud, and bass hit, it fluctuated to the low 13 ish voltage (13.00-13.4). When system was off i was at 13.66.

One theory would be that the amplifier is drawing some juice from the battery, and then the alternator works "extra hard" to get it back up to the 13.66v it needs to maintain.

then, in turn, the "extra hard work" from the alternator can lead to its premature failure?

Would this make sense? Do you think this was the cause for the alternator that gave out with absolutely no warning signs?

Thanks.

 

If you run the amp while the car is off, it could ruin your battery, but it shouldn't hurt your alternator at all.

If the occasional dimming is bothering you, buy a .5 farad capacitor and run it in line on the amp's power wire. Your amp isn't so big that you need a bigger cap.

 

Several Possibilities.
Can the alternator be damaged by the amp? Yes! Transient voltage spikes could easily damage the alternator or the rectifiers.
Battery "dip" as indicated on the voltage meter might be a an indication of improper power ground cable or under-sized amp/battery cables.

Cheers

R

 

Gramicci101: i agree with you. However system was never ran with car off.

regarding the capacitor... in previous systems that had multiple amps, i always had capacitors. I felt no need in this system. The lights dont dim. The amp is really weak. 150x2 rms and its not even being utilized to the fullest since the subs i have are weak as well. (3x jl audio 6.5 inch woofers...)

Ruf-Racer: the battery "dip" as you call it, is something ive always seen in all my cars. When i say dip, i mean needle barely moving. Just like i said from 13.66v when the system is off (car is running), to 13.3v when system is on, down to 13.0v if base hits.

Is that really bad?

i doubt any cables are undersized or misgrounded. I had similar voltage dips in every car i had, and never had an alternator problem.

Thanks

 

I'm running 2000wts of amp power and never see the needle move (two 10" subs in the back)...nor any dip of lights. In my old system I rad a cap...and as well, a larger battery. Your amp is relatively small...I would vote grounding or cabling as RUF said.

 

rpbyn c:

i guess ill take a look at the grounding or cabling...btw my amp gets grounded to the ground of the battery.

are you running a cap now? from your message i gather your not.

What type of cabling should i have with this type of setup. again just to reiterate everything is stock except for jl audio 300/2 and 3 jl 6.5 inch woofers working as subs.


996 owners with aftermarket amps for a sub -- Ever see the battery voltage needle fluctuate just a tad, when the bass hits??

 

Caps are just a bandaid for improper setups. If you are drawing alot of power you need to do the big 3: Battery, cables, and alternator.
Since you are not pulling alot of power you have a wiring issue. Never ground an amp to the neg of the battery. You need to ground it to a clean metal structure close to the amp. I have mine grounded to the frame 1 foot away from the amp.
I am running 2 amps 1k watts total and have no dips in voltage, no caps just good wiring.

 

bill w, the big 3, like you said is for high powered systems. from my experience with car audio- and i had many cars with really high powered systems, this one by far the most basic of them all-- i dont need a high powered alternator, or bigger battery. Ill checkup on the wiring, especially the ground that you and others mentioned.

Ill keep you guys posted.
Thanks.

 

You're right, I'm not running a cap with this current system. The last system, it was just that as bill mentioned a bandaid fix to a bigger problem.

I am not a stereo installer, just learned a wee bit (and I mean wee) from having the car sponsored and asking a bazillion of questions. Wish I could provide you with your answers.