I have a 600w mono amp and a 375w 2 channel amp, and even though I am currently only running at 450w (400w from mono, 50w from 2chan), I get noticable dimming from my headlights\interior lights. The car is a 1995 Camry...I'm not sure how the generation thing works, but I think its gen3.
So a few questions...
1. Is there anyone else out there running similar wattage amps on their stock alt without problems? I don't know if the Big 3 upgrade will help, but I'm pretty newbish with cars and I've been putting off doing it because of that.
2. How do I tell the amp output of my alternator? I've heard Toyota alts can be pretty weak.
3. Are there any cheap replacement alternators? I don't want to spend above $150 on a new alt to power this stuff. I don't plan on going louder, I just want to keep my amps from dying.
1. Try the big three before anything, it's the cheapest route and should be enough to get you by.
2. Check the alt itself, may have a sticker on it. If not look up the OEM replacement part for your vehicle at an online auto parts store. I have a 98 Camry and I think my stock alt was 80amp.
3. You're not gonna get a high output alternator for cheap. It'll be above $150. Try the big three first.
'93 Honda VFR750 Interceptor. Badass bike with single sided swingarm. The engine was basically half a v8 The camry's got an inline 4 cyl.
Anyways
3 things will help, and most likely iun this order unless your alt and/or batter y are already going bad.
1. Big 3
2. Alternator, if you have a strong battery.
3.Better battery. You can pick up a nice marine deep cycle battery from Costco for like 50-60 bucks. If you want to step it up, look into a Hawker/Odyssey/Stinger battery.
For an Alternator www.excessiveamperage.com is fairly priced. Ohio Genereators makes some very good alternators. You can also look for a shop that will rebuild your alternator to provide more power.
For info on Big 3 there is a good post on Sounddomain
I went out with the multimeter...it sits at 14v until I crank it up, then it varies between 12.5v and 13.6v. I don't know how bad that is, but...eh
Sounds like your alternator may be bad.
At idle it should stay pretty constant. Make sure your radio is off when you're testing the voltage. If the voltage is going up and down much more than .4 volts then you need a new voltage regulator or probably a whole new alternator.
Make sure that you have good clean connections. Make sure that there isn't any corrosion on the battery terminals. Use the proper guage wire. (sounds like 4ga. is what you should be using for your system). Keep your ground wire as short as possible and ground it to a good spot with no paint hindering the connection. I like to ground to one of the big seatbelt fastening bolts in the back seat.
A capacitor will help relieve the strain on your electrical system, but it is not a "band-aid" for a poor working electrical system. It is just an aid, and is for delivering quick power for bass notes.
Big 3 is good. i did it yesterday, definelty keeps my voltage more stable, my interior lights do not dim anymore, and my idle is more consistant with the system. 4awg wire from alt + to battery +, battery - to chasis, and engine block to chasis.
Oh, I know what the big 3 consists of, I'm just stupid enough to not be able to do it. I'm horribly bad with cars, so I wouldn't even know what to look for
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