Audio upgrade complete. Will it hurt the car.

[08silver3i]

I have a 08.5 3i that came with the 6 speaker 6 CD audio system. I wanted to upgrade the system and did lots of research on here and other places before proceeding. Thanks to all of you who take time to advise newbies like me. I finished the install and it sounds awesome; however, there are a few minor issues like minor noise and alternator whine which I am currently trouble shooting (experimenting with ground locations, etc). I am also experiencing signal drop from the amp when higher electrical loads are required to operate the car (ie steering into a parking space with the lights on). May amp is only 400 watts and I didn't think it would tax the electrical system that much. My question to you experts is will I hurt my car operating it as is until I get the bugs worked out? I am concerned about the alternator and battery. Here is a summary of my system

-Stock head unit
-7 band EQ wired as high level with RCAs going to amp
-Rockforf Fosgate T400-4 amp running components in front doors and a sub in the trunk. The sub is bridged on the rear channels.
-Infinity 5X7 components
-Infinity Kappa Perfect 12.1D sub

 

[Trambounet]

If you ever find a fix to your alternator whine problem, I'd love to hear about it. I am reluctant to use a ground loop isolator and would rather find the true cause of the issue.
I also kept the stock HU and am using an Alpine PDX5 amplifier.

 

[8.5MS3]

you are taxing your electrical system. eventually your alternator and battery will go, followed shortly by the entire system. I had this happen on my previous car, after removing the entire system the battery would drain in a matter of days. Best bet is to buy a 2 farad capacitor @ 24 volts. this will store extra power and supply it when the system demands more than the alternator/battery can provide

 

[08silver3i]

Thanks for the reply. I have taken the aftermarket stuff off line until I learn more. Naturally, the alternator whine, noise, and power issues all went away. Could the "power loss" symptoms be caused by a poorly grounded amp? I am not pushing this system at all when it fades during those high assist turns with lights on that I mentioned earlier.

 

[8.5MS3]

No its not a faulty ground. Between the lights and stereo you are drawing more power than the car can provide, so since everything is not getting the power requested, they dim or decrease in volume. Just like in an old house when the air conditioner turns on and the lights dim for a few seconds. I believe the standard alternator in a car is 14 volts at 150 watts. Since the amp is constantly drawing more than the alternator can provide, lights will dim due to increased demand. Remember the amp has its own capacitor and it must be kept fully charged to be able to deliver 400 watts when requested

 

[henrykuong]

Really great! This is I need. thank all eveyone 4 shared !
calcul pret assurance simulation taux emprunt
immobilier - Taux emprunt immobilier. Comparez les offres d’emprunt immobilier, simulation emprunt immobilier, taux emprunt immobiliercalcul pret assurance simulation taux emprunt immobilier

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Bear in mind that those aftermarket add-on caps need to be charged (we won`t get into the debate of whether or not they actually work - that`s worse than the sri-cai debate in terms of how rabid people get).
Follow the logic. Your stereo is going fine, all of a sudden there is a series of heavy bass notes and the lights dim. With a cap the lights don`t dim. So cap supporters say this is proof that the cap is saving wear on your battery and alternator because the cap supplied the extra juice needed. Think for a second. Where does the cap get its juice when it recharges? Ultimately it all comes from the same place. You are not sparing your electrical system by adding a cap. All you accomplish is to prevent your lights from dimming (sometimes).
If you ever pick up a copy of a serious car audio magazine, you will see that they all have upgraded alternators/batteries, and in some cases a second alternator/battery combo that does nothing but run the stereo.
The answer to your initial question depends on how much extra power the factory alternator is rated for over what is required to run the car and how frequently you push your system hard (lots of bass played loud).

 

[BrianFiebig]

I dont see how this system would push the electrical all that bad. On my old Tauruses (Taurii??? 01 SES, 03 SES SPORT) I ran aftermarket systems on and never had a single problem. Granted, they were pretty mild, Pioneer premier HU, Pioneer speakers, Kenwood amps, and 2xJL 10" subs in a custom made dual bandpass box, but thats part of why I will only use JL subs, deep boom, awesome sound, low amp requirements.
On my first car (87 Crown Vic Police Interceptor) the system was absolutly obnoxious, Pioneer HU, Infinity Kappas (10 of em) Kenwood amps for those, and FOUR Orion 15" subs in the trunk with FOUR Rockford amps, in a custom made Quad dual bandpass box we called the B-52, that was actually bolted directly to the frame. Turned the whole car into a giant 18 foot sub. Headlights barely dimmed when they hit.
It all depends on the quality of your parts and your install I guess. Could it be that the electrical on these cars is set up to run the car an nothing else? Have to compare notes to be sure, but I doubt that the all up GTs have bigger alternators compared to my no option Sport.

 

[8.5MS3]

police interceptor's have bigger alternators to deal with the higher demands that police cars have (lights, computers, sirens etc). so you had the upgrade already. along with air shocks in the back, a bigger radiator and oil cooler

 

[dmention7]

Bear in mind that those aftermarket add-on caps need to be charged (we won`t get into the debate of whether or not they actually work - that`s worse than the sri-cai debate in terms of how rabid people get).
Follow the logic. Your stereo is going fine, all of a sudden there is a series of heavy bass notes and the lights dim. With a cap the lights don`t dim. So cap supporters say this is proof that the cap is saving wear on your battery and alternator because the cap supplied the extra juice needed. Think for a second. Where does the cap get its juice when it recharges? Ultimately it all comes from the same place. You are not sparing your electrical system by adding a cap. All you accomplish is to prevent your lights from dimming (sometimes).
If you ever pick up a copy of a serious car audio magazine, you will see that they all have upgraded alternators/batteries, and in some cases a second alternator/battery combo that does nothing but run the stereo.
The answer to your initial question depends on how much extra power the factory alternator is rated for over what is required to run the car and how frequently you push your system hard (lots of bass played loud).

I'm no expert on the subject, but I just wanted to chime in with a point or two. The reason the capacitor would potentially (I say potentially because I don't know if they do in practice) spare your electrical system is that the instantaneous high-draw events are being supplementally powered by the capacitor. The capacitor is in turn "recharged" during lower draw periods, so the power being supplied by the alternator/battery is kept at a more constant level without the momentary periods of high draw.

Now obviously any increase in the duty required of the charging system is going to be harder on it, but I'd have to imagine that if a capacitor allows the rest of the electrical system to operate normally, then you are doing some good for the overall "health" of the system.

I would still agree that an upgraded alternator and battery would be highly recommended if you're taxing the system to the point of requiring a capacitor.

 

[zx2man]

I used to be a car audio junkee for years...was running mulitple jl-ppi and us amps with high end gear like mb quart-focal-diamond...and never had a prablem with stock alternator. But these newer cars with might tighten up interior-dash and nicer headlights and whatnot must be sucking up more juice. Cause usually 1 little 4 channel amp isnt gonna do that much damage...try upgrading to a better car battery like 1 made by stinger or optium..that will help alot...the stock alternator should be fine,but it is still wise to know the capability of the alternator so it can stay charging your system...dont know about the ms3...but generaly speaking in car audio world you dont start upgrading to a high output alternator till your daisy chaining afew power hungry amps like least 3000 watt rms systems..the caps are good when you got you sound turned up and that bass is hitting hardnd it need that quick extra juice to keep the music up,but honestly your power comes from that deep cycle car battery thats under your hood..combine that with a strong running alternator to stable that charge through your electrical system and thats what makes a successful audio system.

 

[el_Don]

I'm not an expert at car audio, but I've seen people use an extra battery or two in parallel with a large capacitor which reduces the load on the original car circuit. You may want to look into that.

 

[Design]

Think for a second. Where does the cap get its juice when it recharges? Ultimately it all comes from the same place. You are not sparing your electrical system by adding a cap. All you accomplish is to prevent your lights from dimming (sometimes).

Couldn't agree more. More food for thought:

Last I checked, Mazda alternators are supplied by Denso which is waaaay overengineered for our cars. I ran a Denso alternator on my previous Civic Si (with a pair of 700 watt Premier amps) for 204K. Furthermore, most modern amplifiers - including Rockford Fosgate - have internal capacitors to address the sudden, variable power draw from aftermarket subs/speakers.

The dimming of the headlights at idle is due to the volume of charge the alternator produces at lower RPM's. The rockford probably only runs 75-125 watts RMS, which is not a lot of power. A deep cycle battery such as Optima will help maintain the necessary amps/voltage required by the system for longer periods of time.

A bad ground can definitely overwork the amp, so I'd suggest starting there first. If connecting to the vehcile frame (which you should be), sand down the area of paint/rust to ensure you have a solid metal-to-metal connection. If that doesn't solve the problem, I'd suggest an upgraded battery.

Good luck OP.

 

[meicalnissyen]

I have a 08.5 3i that came with the 6 speaker 6 CD audio system. I wanted to upgrade the system and did lots of research on here and other places before proceeding. Thanks to all of you who take time to advise newbies like me. I finished the install and it sounds awesome; however, there are a few minor issues like minor noise and alternator whine which I am currently trouble shooting (experimenting with ground locations, etc). I am also experiencing signal drop from the amp when higher electrical loads are required to operate the car (ie steering into a parking space with the lights on). May amp is only 400 watts and I didn't think it would tax the electrical system that much. My question to you experts is will I hurt my car operating it as is until I get the bugs worked out? I am concerned about the alternator and battery. Here is a summary of my system

-Stock head unit
-7 band EQ wired as high level with RCAs going to amp
-Rockforf Fosgate T400-4 amp running components in front doors and a sub in the trunk. The sub is bridged on the rear channels.
-Infinity 5X7 components
-Infinity Kappa Perfect 12.1D sub

In my experience, grounds, while important, have been less the culprit than placement of 12v+ and RCA cables

 

[meicalnissyen]

i used to be a car audio junkee for years...was running mulitple jl-ppi and us amps with high end gear like mb quart-focal-diamond...and never had a prablem with stock alternator. But these newer cars with might tighten up interior-dash and nicer headlights and whatnot must be sucking up more juice. Cause usually 1 little 4 channel amp isnt gonna do that much damage...try upgrading to a better car battery like 1 made by stinger or optium..that will help alot...the stock alternator should be fine,but it is still wise to know the capability of the alternator so it can stay charging your system...dont know about the ms3...but generaly speaking in car audio world you dont start upgrading to a high output alternator till your daisy chaining afew power hungry amps like least 3000 watt rms systems..the caps are good when you got you sound turned up and that bass is hitting hardnd it need that quick extra juice to keep the music up,but honestly your power comes from that deep cycle car battery thats under your hood..combine that with a strong running alternator to stable that charge through your electrical system and thats what makes a successful audio system.

+1

 

[meicalnissyen]

I have a 08.5 3i that came with the 6 speaker 6 CD audio system. I wanted to upgrade the system and did lots of research on here and other places before proceeding. Thanks to all of you who take time to advise newbies like me. I finished the install and it sounds awesome; however, there are a few minor issues like minor noise and alternator whine which I am currently trouble shooting (experimenting with ground locations, etc). I am also experiencing signal drop from the amp when higher electrical loads are required to operate the car (ie steering into a parking space with the lights on). May amp is only 400 watts and I didn't think it would tax the electrical system that much. My question to you experts is will I hurt my car operating it as is until I get the bugs worked out? I am concerned about the alternator and battery. Here is a summary of my system

-Stock head unit
-7 band EQ wired as high level with RCAs going to amp
-Rockforf Fosgate T400-4 amp running components in front doors and a sub in the trunk. The sub is bridged on the rear channels.
-Infinity 5X7 components
-Infinity Kappa Perfect 12.1D sub

You are gettin cut when turing?
like bumpin whatever you like, all cool, crank the wheel and ..... cut?
wow

that is not good. unless there is a gremlin, that is all to the alternator

 

[meicalnissyen]

police interceptor's have bigger alternators to deal with the higher demands that police cars have (lights, computers, sirens etc). so you had the upgrade already. along with air shocks in the back, a bigger radiator and oil cooler

cop tires. cop brakes, cop shocks


hit it

 

[8.5MS3]

cop diff, cop aluminum driveshaft, cop stab plates in the seat

bump

 

[ataraxia]

In my experience, grounds, while important, have been less the culprit than placement of 12v+ and RCA cables

I tend to agree...on my recent install-I made sure to keep the power and RCA lines separated. RCAs are run down the door sills, power is run down the center console. I'm running two JL Audio amps (250/1 and 300/4) using the stock battery and I have no whine, no power dips, no dimming lights, etc.

I think it has more to do with the wiring quality/placement and quality.

The attached pic is of my ground wires in the center console.

 

[tracrat]

sounds like wiring

You would need way more amp than that to bottom out your alternator. Like has been said before, keep signal wires away from power leads. I'd check voltage drop across the amp's power lead. Keep your ground wire as short as possible, and keep it the same gauge as the lead. At least 10 AWG, and probably 8 if it is in the trunk. Good fuseing and connectors also help to limit voltage drop.

If that is in order, go for a better battery. IMHO you don't need a cap or upgrade alternator with that amp. I have done many installs!