Hey guys, need some help here. I have an 87 max with 2 12's and a 600 watt amp runnin in the back, and a radar detector out of the lighter. Now the car is not running great, and recently i have noticed my volt meter jumping from a normal reading of about 14 down to about 11 sometimes. Now this usually only happens when I am at a stop, or if i have my subs up really loud. Now I know when you have subs and such it can have an effect on the lights dimming etc, but I have had the car for 3 years, and subs for 1 year, and have never had this problem. Please help, I feel like the car will not turn over at some point. Oh by the way, I have a brand new battery, and my belts are all new.

 

Probably a weak battery...

Try the audio forum for additional help.

 

I suggest buying a new negative battery cable and ground it on the engine and chassic. On my 91 se-r the cable was corroded so I replaced it, it also made the car seem to run better and the lights brighter. Run a 4 gauge wire from the battery (-) to the part on the engine where it grounds. Then run another 4ga wire from that point to somewhere on the body of the car. Since the gauge works fine until your at a stop it just means you are putting more load on at idle than the alternator can handle. Thus it uses the battery and your gauge drops to 11-12V.

 

Follow Nismos's suggestions. And clean all the ground connections you can find, use a small wire brush, and after reattaching the wire put some grease on top (all over the connection) to prevent future oxidation.