another light dimming post

[grumby13 3]

so as it is stated i have light dimming.

i recently well a few hours ago installed a newish alternator for my 2000 toyota camry the alternator is from a totaled/damaged 2003 toyota highlander which is 130amps rather then the stop 80 amp alternator that came with the camry. so car i did the "big 2 upgrade" which consists of batt + to alt +',  batt - to strut tower and the new alternator when i turn the up to where i normally put it with the old one well 5 notchs up the lights dim but if im calculations are correct the newish alt should have enough power to power the subs and the rest of the car no problem. but that is not that case. since the amp gain is less the half way up. so im thinking the problem now im faced is the battery being the culprit since it's the stock one that was replaced a few years ago.

forgot to mention the big 2 upgrade is 4ga for both.

so what should be the first thing i should fix that would help me the most since i need to save up for the new sub

 

setup

 

AMP: kenwood x1200m

WIRE: 8awg power and ground for amp

HU: kenwood DEH x3500ui

vehicle: 2000 toyota camry LE

SUB: kenwood kfc w3013ps and the other sub unknown but looks like a home theater sub.

 

 

[Jason Witt 65]

It is very possible the alternator was damaged in the wreck, or you have some connections that need attention.

[grumby13 3]

that is my assumption but seems like it works fine when i had the heater all the way up the interior light on and my head lights and for good measure turned my high beams on to create as much of a power draw to see if the alternator can keep chargeing quick enough.

 

i made sure the nut on the alternator is very tight to where you would have to use a lot of force to take it off and i made sure the ground of the amp to the car is tight and the battery negative and positive. the postive terminal will not go all the way down since im still using the stock starter wire and still had the stock alt line with it which i tucked away from anywhere that is metal and zip tied it. but right now i just don't know where the loose connection is i will take a picture of the terminal i was talking about before i go to work later today. and see if that could be a problem

[Jason Witt 65]

The excessive load from your amplifier could be straining an already tired alternator.

[codester 48]

so as it is stated i have light dimming.

i recently well a few hours ago installed a newish alternator for my 2000 toyota camry the alternator is from a totaled/damaged 2003 toyota highlander which is 130amps rather then the stop 80 amp alternator that came with the camry. so car i did the "big 2 upgrade" which consists of batt + to alt +',  batt - to strut tower and the new alternator when i turn the up to where i normally put it with the old one well 5 notchs up the lights dim but if im calculations are correct the newish alt should have enough power to power the subs and the rest of the car no problem. but that is not that case. since the amp gain is less the half way up. so im thinking the problem now im faced is the battery being the culprit since it's the stock one that was replaced a few years ago.

forgot to mention the big 2 upgrade is 4ga for both.

so what should be the first thing i should fix that would help me the most since i need to save up for the new sub

 

setup

 

AMP: kenwood x1200m

WIRE: 8awg power and ground for amp

HU: kenwood DEH x3500ui

vehicle: 2000 toyota camry LE

SUB: kenwood kfc w3013ps and the other sub unknown but looks like a home theater sub.

Light dimming is not always a sign of low voltage although it is often a telltale sign.

Some headlights are very sensitive to any voltage draw and even though voltage is quite stable

E the extreme draw of a system can cause dimming.

That said in your case knowing how you have the subs wired to the amp (ohm load) would give some insight on power you are running.

If you are running that amp at 2 or 1 ohm you Are for sure at the max of your 8 gauge power wire, even 4 ohms might be pushing it on 8 gauge for that amp.

Another issue I see with your system is the miss matched subs which will cause wiring issues and also sound like crap compared to one sub in a proper box.

[grumby13 3]

the car it came from had 107K miles on it so maybe i will get it tested to double check if it can hold a charge. if it does not pass with flying colors i will just turn it in for a core charge and get a new one but i might even add the original alt to the loop so it will help each other out just don't want to overload the stock battery.

[Jason Witt 65]

the car it came from had 107K miles on it so maybe i will get it tested to double check if it can hold a charge. if it does not pass with flying colors i will just turn it in for a core charge and get a new one but i might even add the original alt to the loop so it will help each other out just don't want to overload the stock battery.

Don't do that. Someone of your skill level should not even attempt something like that.

[grumby13 3]

 

 

so as it is stated i have light dimming.

i recently well a few hours ago installed a newish alternator for my 2000 toyota camry the alternator is from a totaled/damaged 2003 toyota highlander which is 130amps rather then the stop 80 amp alternator that came with the camry. so car i did the "big 2 upgrade" which consists of batt + to alt +',  batt - to strut tower and the new alternator when i turn the up to where i normally put it with the old one well 5 notchs up the lights dim but if im calculations are correct the newish alt should have enough power to power the subs and the rest of the car no problem. but that is not that case. since the amp gain is less the half way up. so im thinking the problem now im faced is the battery being the culprit since it's the stock one that was replaced a few years ago.

forgot to mention the big 2 upgrade is 4ga for both.

so what should be the first thing i should fix that would help me the most since i need to save up for the new sub

 

setup

 

AMP: kenwood x1200m

WIRE: 8awg power and ground for amp

HU: kenwood DEH x3500ui

vehicle: 2000 toyota camry LE

SUB: kenwood kfc w3013ps and the other sub unknown but looks like a home theater sub.

Light dimming is not always a sign of low voltage although it is often a telltale sign.

Some headlights are very sensitive to any voltage draw and even though voltage is quite stable

E the extreme draw of a system can cause dimming.

That said in your case knowing how you have the subs wired to the amp (ohm load) would give some insight on power you are running.

If you are running that amp at 2 or 1 ohm you Are for sure at the max of your 8 gauge power wire, even 4 ohms might be pushing it on 8 gauge for that amp.

Another issue I see with your system is the miss matched subs which will cause wiring issues and also sound like crap compared to one sub in a proper box.

could upgrading the better to a more "powerful" battery in a sense of store more power like a nice $150 battery and i plan to replace that other unknown sub with the same w3013ps when i have the money after i have pay the bills.

[Jason Witt 65]

Yes, upgrading your battery would help. I would suggest looking at some AGM models.

[grumby13 3]

the car it came from had 107K miles on it so maybe i will get it tested to double check if it can hold a charge. if it does not pass with flying colors i will just turn it in for a core charge and get a new one but i might even add the original alt to the loop so it will help each other out just don't want to overload the stock battery.

Don't do that. Someone of your skill level should not even attempt something like that.

im not gonna be making the bracket my friends uncle will make it for me since he owns his own autoshop so he could let me know if it would be worth it to make the bracket. so i should just replace the battery with a better one. to help aid in the more power the alt ca supply

[grumby13 3]

Yes, upgrading your battery would help. I would suggest looking at some AGM models.

what is agm and idk what i would be mainly looking for. well i know somewhat what im looking for it's the AH but i don't remember how to calculate the forumula to figure out what battery would suit my electrical load and charge

 

my price range is $150 and which battery company is the better one when it comes to the warranty

Edited March 7, 2013 by grumby13

[Jason Witt 65]

AGM means Absorbed Glass Mat. It stores and quickly discharges current on demand. XS Power is a very good brand with the wattage ratings calculated for you already, but you will need a larger budget than $150 for any decent AGM battery.

[grumby13 3]

what about optima red top or yellow top i was thinking shuriken i think it was the bt35 or 45 i was thinking of getting since it was in my price range just heard that some car audio batteries are not good to use as the under the hood battery due to the heat that is generated from the engine

[Quentin Jarrell 671]

Save a few more  bucks and go to Sears and get the largest physical sized MARINE platinum battery that will fit in your factory location.  When you factor in shipping and any problems that might arise causing you to have to exchange a battery, and warrantee there batteries can't be beat. 

 

Just make sure it is a MARINE battery.  It is there deep cycle batteries and they look exactly like the other platinum batteries however they have a "M" in their model numbers.

 

And if they ask tell them the battery is going in a boat so they don't give you any shit about it being used in a "system"

[grumby13 3]

Would you hace a rough guess of fue Privé

[grumby13 3]

Could a loose HU connection Make it flicker as well

[grumby13 3]

Could I use a cap as a second battery since ny sisters husband hace his that he has not uses it ter

[OuTLaWeD 110]

did you say you had the stock wire from the alternator disconnected and tied up somewhere? if so, hook it up and try it again.

[grumby13 3]

Onlything in the stock location is the Batt neg To engine so what I did was I left the original batt To chassis in the connection with the new batt neg To chassis so it would help with the greater through put it will have To deal with Could a loose connection of the headunit Wired To the cara wiring harness make it drain a little more power To the amp

[OuTLaWeD 110]

you need to have the original alternator cable hooked up from the vehicle  to the alternator. hook that up, do some testing and I'm sure that will probably solve your problem.

[grumby13 3]

I got the new alternator To Fox the problem

[OuTLaWeD 110]

ohh my bad man. I thought you were saying after you got the new alternator put in it was causing you problems. a lot of new vehicles need to have the stock cables hooked up so it can read the voltage coming from the alternator and send it to the computer.

[grumby13 3]

Me and My friend are gonna tale out the unknown sub and put in My old one To see If it help ad thing is that My old one is a dual voice cool 4ohms Wired To 2ohms and the other one is only 4ohms single voice cool so Idk how this well go bit since My old one is 360rms 4ohms I will leave it Wired To 2ohms and the other 4ohms 400rms which should Cancel out since they hace different peak

[grumby13 3]

so im still having the problem today i used a wire brush and a drill to see if i could improve the ground a bit but no luck so what is my only option now

[Jason Witt 65]

Upgrade all of your wire to at least 4 gauge. Finish your big 3 as well and you will notice a difference. On a side note: It takes power to make power, and when you don't have enough made to use, your vehicle's electrical will suffer greatly.