I'm contemplating a couple issues, now that I'll be installing a couple amps with my new deck (BTW thanks for the help on the deck install questions)

A couple new things...
1. How many amps does a 99SE 5spd alternator put out? I hope way more than 80. I'm using 2 40-amp amps.

2. I picked up a couple sets of RCA cables, and the damn things have little (18-20 guage) wire attached... what the hell is that for? remote turn-on? some kind of RCA ground?
I've never seen that before!

Thanks for your help dudes!

Justin

 

but yes, the wires on the rca are to be attached one end to remote out on deck and to remote in on amp. i don't use it personally but that is what they are for.

 

1. idunno
2. u ground that on both ends. in theory it is suppose to lead all the foreign voltage to the ground so it would not harm the amp or head unit. plus it's suppose to reduce whining i believe. some peep use it for remote. that's usually for high power sh*t.

it would be good idea to get a cap.

 

it can be used as a remote wire from the radio to the amp, but you should not run rca wires with pwr. wire. that wire should be grounded if you are getting noise and neg. wire from amp should be as short as possible.

 

1. If I'm to ground the little RCA wire, should I ground it to the same place as my big ol' 4-guage ground for my amps? Or can I just attach it to the body of the amp somewhere?

2. Cap: good point... this is a 2 amp setup, 1 running 100W X 4 full range and the other running 600W X 1 mono. This means I'm doing 80Amps & 1000Watts Max (~500 RMS). Any idea what size or brand for the cap?

3. I have a 2-foot 4-guage ground wire, so I think I'm OK there... I was thinking of attaching it under one of the bolts holding down the rear seat (from what I remember, this is unfinished, unpainted bare metal) Is this a good call.

You guys rock, thanks for the advice!

Justin

 

The little wire that is part of the RCAs can be used for the remote but should be grounded. If you dont, it can cause some noise. That is also why the power wire is ran on the opposite side as the RCAs. The stock alt pumps about somehwere around 75-90amps. Not sure on that one. How about you just leave that little wire alone and not touch it. Nothing will happen if its not connected. Since you are running the stock alt, it would be good for a cap. Get a 1 Farad Cap. It will run you anywhere from 100-175 (digital). 1 Faraf is good for 1k watts. As far as grounds, in the Maxima where the trunk latch is, there is 2 big bolts, use those. Use the same ga. ground wire as your power. Try to keep your ground under 2ft if possible.

 

#1 THE SMALL WIRE SHOULD BE GROUNDED IF YOU GET NOISE, ANY GOOD GROUND UNPAINTED WILL DO, EVEN THAT 4G WIRE. #2 STINGER CAPS ARE PRETTY GOOD BUT IF YOUR RUNNING NEAR 1,000 WATTS IF YOU HAVE THE EXTRA MONEY ( $30 DIFF. ) GO WITH THE 1.5 CAP AND IF YOU CAN, TRY GETTING A RED TOP OPTIMA BATTERY YOU SHOULDEN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS SET UP. #3 THAT BOLT THAT HOLDS THE SEAT IS GREAT BUT SEE IF YOU CAN MAKE THAT NEG. TO THE AMP SMALLER. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR INST.

 

the alt makes more power than that, over a hundred for sure. Its really strong. My amp runs 70 amps and 65x4 +300x1, no cap, no dim lights even at full volume. Try it without the cap, then get if if you need it. If you do get the cap, you have to ground it also.

 

Alternator: The GXE and SE units make 105amps. The GLE unit makes 120amps.

Cap: Get a 1-farad cap and wire it to the sub amp. The other amp doesn't need auxillary capacitance. The Nissan alternators are strong, though. I don't use a cap and my lights don't dim at all, with the system cranked and all accessories running. And that's with the Nissan battery that was in the car when I bought it.

 

Are you guys sure that they are that strong? Then there must be a problem with mine. I run 2 amps, a PPI A600 (300x2) which is a 40amp and my MTX 225HO (700rms x1) which is 90amps, a line driver, a EQ, and 3... yes 3 1Farad Caps and my lights dim still. Yes i charged them and hooked them up right and all my power and ground wires are the same. I did however leave the stock battery in. It's a 99, no reason to replace it alreay. As far as the HU, mine doesnt dim at all, it has a built in power supply )Alpine CVA-1000). I guess after all these damn classes and years of car audio install did nothign for me Oh yea, if you plan on running multiple caps, try to use all 1 Farads. Use the StreetWire carps. They are an actual full 1 farad cap. If you cut most of the caps in half, they are truely just a half a cap (.5Farad). Stupid huh? ;P

 

I have a 97 SE with a Soundstream Rubicon 1002 powering 2 15" woofers (and 2 other smaller amps). At full blast, the headlights only dim very slightly but its not bad at all. The alternator is very powerful (alot more powerful then the 4 cyl 90 camry I used to drive), and I run NO caps. The only electrical upgrade I have is a Yellow Optima Deep Cycle. When this alternator dies, I'll get one from a GLE, yea I heard that the GLEs are more powerful then the SE and GXEs, for what reason I really dont know. But you're electrical dimming problems is most likely your battery.

 

the small wire on the RCA is for the remote line from your deck to the amp. I used it on my system and it didnt do a thing. I competed a few times for sound quality and saw no effects of that wire interfering with my stereo. So take it from me it wont do a thing! As for the diming of your lights. Are you using a stock battery?? that could be the problem right there. You need to use a DEEP CYCLE battery to give the system that extra juice when the bass hits! I have a deep cycle and 2 1 farad caps in my car and still have very minimal dimming. I sugest if you plan on having the system for a while get the deep cycle battery. Capasitors are for systems that draw 1-2amps of power while the car is running. Try the battery and let me know what happens. One last thing, make sure to use a good solid ground for the amps. If your ground is ****ty then the entire system can be effected by this. I used a welded piece of metal thats at the rear left of the trunk. Its behind that knotch in the plastic molding on the left side wall of the trunk. Make sure to sand both sides down to othe bare metal for optimal contact. Thats the best place so far that i found to give me the least amount of road noise if any. Other places in the max such as the tire well of near the rear seat will give you alot of noise from the engine. E-mail if you have any other questions regarding the system install.
Anthony
ny96maxse

 

Well, after reading this over, I was informed that:

a) 95-97's have 110 amp alternators
b) 98+'s have 125 amp alternators.

I'd say it's safe to say you have around a 100-130 amp alternator hehe.

As for power problems, I'm running a 200 amp fuse on my car, and needless to say, I know exactly how to fix it (on a maxima anyway, there's much better solutions for other cars).

First off, a capacitor is NOT the answer. Everyone on here is all about caps, but they really don't increase any of your potential power drawing capability. Once you drain 1,2 or 3 capacitors, your alternator is going to be power your stereo like it was already, AND your capacitors as too. For anything with a lot of current drain, a cap is going to serve as a hinderance.

Alternators: I was informed by afew of the local alternator shops that the most it could be rewound to was 140 amps. This isn't a big increases and probably won't entirely fix any problems, but it should help quite a bit.

Batteries: This is your money shot. Get a optima yellowtop or any other battery like it (words not coming to mind right now.. dry-cell? I forget..) That in conjunction with the alternator should put you in a mode to run yourself deaf without much if any light dimming.

 

Unfortunately caps are the solution in this instance. He is only drawing 80 amps of current or less most of the time the stereo is running with a peak of <160 amps at max power. The alternator on the 99 SE puts out I think 115 amps at 9000 RPM. That's alternator RPM. The reason anyone who works at a stereo shop who knows anything about your vehicles electrical system suggest's a cap is because your lights will only dim durring heavy base hits. The cap can provide the power for the surge a lot faster than your alternator and battery. The alternator doesn't even kick on until the battery voltage drops below a certain point. By that time the base note is already finnished and your amps are still only getting half the voltage that they need because there is no cap. If any stereo shop goof tries to sell you an alternator for this system they see you as a very easy sell for something which cost hundreds of dollars(typically $500 or more) and takes a good bit of time to install.

Secondly a replacement battery, either gel cell or dry cell would probably be helpfull. The standard lead acid auto battery can only take partial discharge. If you are like me you drained it way more than partial discharge at least once during the install. A dry cell or gell which is designed as a deep cycle can take a more complete discharge and still fully recharge with either the alternators help or a battery charger. Once a standard car battery goes below a certain point in the discharge it will never again fully recharge.

 

right now im having the same problems as you are having....i bought a '99 so i figured the same as you (since the battery was new with less than 8k miles on it whats the use replacing it)

however, running 2 15's with a soundstream 1000sb and the components inside with a soundstream 4x75...my lights were literally dimming as if they were turning almost off and on...i have only one lightning audio 1farad cap rite now

someone told me to get a couple new caps that may help

another person suggested to me to get a new alternator which would put a big hole in my pocket along with a new battery

someone else also told me to get whats called a battery isolator which would basically allow me to have 2 regular car batteries instead of one


im planning on getting tv's definitely....rite now im confused on what to do with all these options...i know my system is totally underpowered....and if i get tv's i most likely will kill my alternator...so what should i do??? i believe the 1000sb amplifier is 100amps and the 75x4 is around 60 amps.

 

I'm seeing the headlights and dash lights dim with the beat of the music - have been searching through the threads for days and can't find any concrete answers on the best fix. Cap? Battery?

My setup is an aftermarket HU hooked up to a voltage controller that then hooks directly into the stock wiring. This means the HU amp and the stock bose amps are both running, right? I also have a sub, 380W x 1 at 4ohms.

It sounds great, but by night it's not quite so hot and the lights all dim. Is a stiffening cap a good idea anyway?

 

Wow there is SO much misinformation in this thread, it is ridiculous.

Few things.
1. Power and RCA run on the same/different side: complete MYTH. Get some high quality RCA's and you can run them next to the power all day. I do.

2. That little wire with the RCA's? I've only seen cheap RCA's have them. You could use it for whatever you want. If the cable is decent, it shouldn't matter what you use it for. If you're getting noise, then it's cheap wire. Refer back to #1, get some better wiring.

3. Caps are NOT the answer. If you have dimming, you need to upgrade your big 3 wires, and maybe get an Optima.

4. You don't need a high output alternator.

5. You're in the wrong sub-forum. Come to the Audio and Electronics are to get some real advice.