Power problem
Thread Starter
3rd Gear Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 557
From: Northern Virginia
Power problem
I think my audio system is too demanding because when my audio is on all my lights dim, and if i roll my windows up or down that amount of power will dim my headlights until i let off the button? I've got 4x after market speakers, headunit, 4 channel amp, 10inch sub w/mono amp? Is my audio too demanding? what should I do about this
The Godfather
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 15,480
From: Temple, Texas
The problem is you have poor grounding. Poor grounding = dimming headlights, potential excessive battery drain/failure, and possibility of shorts in your speakers/amps.
A lot of people blow money on huge batteries, capacitors, and other things, but forget to follow electrical basics such as ensuring you have good solid grounds to everything running higher than normal power.
The ground to your mono amp most likely is the problem, make sure the ground wire is the same size as the positive/negative wires, a lot of people go cheap and get a wire size smaller than the input/output wires, you can do this on some applications but isn't a great idea when running higher wattage applications.
Next make sure the ground wire is grounded to a solid part of the frame, not plastic or a piece of aluminum, needs to be grounded to the sheet metal or frame.
Lastly check all your battery grounds in the engine bay, sometimes they may wiggle loose and can cause issues.
Upgrading the alternator to a 210 amp will also do the trick but make sure the grounds are good and don't forget the line from the alternator the the battery must also be upgraded to carry the higher load or else the existing cable won't supply full power and could potentially melt the coating and cause a short/fire if excessive amp load is pushed through the wire.
A lot of people blow money on huge batteries, capacitors, and other things, but forget to follow electrical basics such as ensuring you have good solid grounds to everything running higher than normal power.
The ground to your mono amp most likely is the problem, make sure the ground wire is the same size as the positive/negative wires, a lot of people go cheap and get a wire size smaller than the input/output wires, you can do this on some applications but isn't a great idea when running higher wattage applications.
Next make sure the ground wire is grounded to a solid part of the frame, not plastic or a piece of aluminum, needs to be grounded to the sheet metal or frame.
Lastly check all your battery grounds in the engine bay, sometimes they may wiggle loose and can cause issues.
Upgrading the alternator to a 210 amp will also do the trick but make sure the grounds are good and don't forget the line from the alternator the the battery must also be upgraded to carry the higher load or else the existing cable won't supply full power and could potentially melt the coating and cause a short/fire if excessive amp load is pushed through the wire.
Last edited by jthorn9; Dec 2, 2010 at 11:21 PM.
Thread Starter
3rd Gear Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 557
From: Northern Virginia
The problem is you have poor grounding. Poor grounding = dimming headlights, potential excessive battery drain/failure, and possibility of shorts in your speakers/amps.
A lot of people blow money on huge batteries, capacitors, and other things, but forget to follow electrical basics such as ensuring you have good solid grounds to everything running higher than normal power.
The ground to your mono amp most likely is the problem, make sure the ground wire is the same size as the positive/negative wires, a lot of people go cheap and get a wire size smaller than the input/output wires, you can do this on some applications but isn't a great idea when running higher wattage applications.
Next make sure the ground wire is grounded to a solid part of the frame, not plastic or a piece of aluminum, needs to be grounded to the sheet metal or frame.
Lastly check all your battery grounds in the engine bay, sometimes they may wiggle loose and can cause issues.
Upgrading the alternator to a 210 amp will also do the trick but make sure the grounds are good and don't forget the line from the alternator the the battery must also be upgraded to carry the higher load or else the existing cable won't supply full power and could potentially melt the coating and cause a short/fire.
A lot of people blow money on huge batteries, capacitors, and other things, but forget to follow electrical basics such as ensuring you have good solid grounds to everything running higher than normal power.
The ground to your mono amp most likely is the problem, make sure the ground wire is the same size as the positive/negative wires, a lot of people go cheap and get a wire size smaller than the input/output wires, you can do this on some applications but isn't a great idea when running higher wattage applications.
Next make sure the ground wire is grounded to a solid part of the frame, not plastic or a piece of aluminum, needs to be grounded to the sheet metal or frame.
Lastly check all your battery grounds in the engine bay, sometimes they may wiggle loose and can cause issues.
Upgrading the alternator to a 210 amp will also do the trick but make sure the grounds are good and don't forget the line from the alternator the the battery must also be upgraded to carry the higher load or else the existing cable won't supply full power and could potentially melt the coating and cause a short/fire.
thanks for the quick/really informative response, ill check all the grounding first.
The Godfather
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 15,480
From: Temple, Texas
No problem. Try to tell this to my buddy that has a half *** ricer with a huge stereo, he's running a huge $400 or so dollar battery, a capacitor, and a few other things and still has electrical issues. He never listened to me when I said get rid of all that junk, simplify the wiring, and get better grounds.
Now long story short he had to take all this crap out his car because of the problems, next time maybe he'll listen.
Now long story short he had to take all this crap out his car because of the problems, next time maybe he'll listen.
The Godfather
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 15,480
From: Temple, Texas
Oh one last thing, I don't know how your system is wired so I'm just going to assume it's not wired at all and just give you a few pointers.
1.) Do not use duct tape or even wire nuts to wire your system together. Both cause frequency loss in the wires from the amp to the speakers (meaning poorer sounding speakers or less RMS wattage to those speakers) and can potentially cause shorts or electrical issues. In stead use butt splices then as over kill use heat shrink tubes to seal the wires together. The butt splices supply one of the best electrical connections available and the heat shrink ensures the connections stay water/air sealed for maximum signal frequency and wattage the the speakers and ensures they won't pull apart when/if working on the radio, wires, speakers, whatever. This is mainly for the connections behind the radio or if you have to splice a line else where.
2.) Do not just tie in bare wire into the amp, instead use a connector tip (either flat or round depending on the application/connection to the amp). This insures maximum safety for both you and the car as well as maximum power delivery to the amp. Failure to do so can result in a short in the amp, electrical issues, and the amp not putting out full power.
3.) Keep in mind, all the power that goes out has to come back in as stereos are wired in a DC set up and all that power must be grounded, ex:
Battery
+-*to frame
+-
+-
Stereo
+-*to wiring harness
+-
+-
speaker
Battery
+-*to frame
+-
+-
Amp
+-* to frame
+-
+-
Subs
+ = Positive (outgoing) line
- = Negative (return) line
* = Ground
4.) Remember to make sure your subs are wired correctly, especially if they're dual voice coil, failure to wire them correctly can cause major issues. Also make sure they are wired to the OHM load of the speakers as OHM load can be changed by using different wiring methods. Most common methods are 2 and 4 OHM. The lower the OHM load the higher the wattage to the sub however the less stable that wattage can be at times so make sure your subs have a high sensitivity rating, which means it converts that extra wattage more effeciently into sound.
1 OHM = 1000 RMS watts
2 OHM = 500 RMS watts
4 OHM = 250 RMS watts
8 OHM = 125 RMS watts
Here are some wiring diagrams for you to make sure you have it set up right you just have to know what OHM load your subs have.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-fB3ITxV...rs_wiring.html
5.) Keep in mind, EVERYTHING with car audio has to be balanced, there is no point in running huge wattage to your subs if your speakers in your car can't keep up or your stereo isn't made to tune those subs, or if the amp doesn't support the RMS (not peak load) the subs demand. If your subs are rated at 250 RMS watts and a peak wattage of 500 then you want an amp that supplies around 225-300 RMS watts at the same OHM load the subs are rated(unless dual voice coil under certain circumstances 4 OHM subs can be wired to draw 2 OHM off the amp for more power).
6.) Always insure the supply wire to amp meets the peak power requirements of that amp. In other worse don't use an 8 gauge cable rated at 500 amps for a 1000 peak wattage amp, you're gonna have problems. Also keep in mind that in larger systems (those drawing more than 500 RMS "total' watts which includes speakers and subs) a larger/higher capacity battery and alternator and possibly upgraded grounding may be needed but you'll know when you install everything. A system running more than 750 RMS watts can be sure to need an upgraded battery and amp as well as upgraded grounding around the car. Also, capicitors are junk and nothing more than a good way to drain a good battery and put extra strain on your electronics, true audio enthusiast do not use them cause they're truely a rip off, the key lies in your grounds and wiring.
1.) Do not use duct tape or even wire nuts to wire your system together. Both cause frequency loss in the wires from the amp to the speakers (meaning poorer sounding speakers or less RMS wattage to those speakers) and can potentially cause shorts or electrical issues. In stead use butt splices then as over kill use heat shrink tubes to seal the wires together. The butt splices supply one of the best electrical connections available and the heat shrink ensures the connections stay water/air sealed for maximum signal frequency and wattage the the speakers and ensures they won't pull apart when/if working on the radio, wires, speakers, whatever. This is mainly for the connections behind the radio or if you have to splice a line else where.
2.) Do not just tie in bare wire into the amp, instead use a connector tip (either flat or round depending on the application/connection to the amp). This insures maximum safety for both you and the car as well as maximum power delivery to the amp. Failure to do so can result in a short in the amp, electrical issues, and the amp not putting out full power.
3.) Keep in mind, all the power that goes out has to come back in as stereos are wired in a DC set up and all that power must be grounded, ex:
Battery
+-*to frame
+-
+-
Stereo
+-*to wiring harness
+-
+-
speaker
Battery
+-*to frame
+-
+-
Amp
+-* to frame
+-
+-
Subs
+ = Positive (outgoing) line
- = Negative (return) line
* = Ground
4.) Remember to make sure your subs are wired correctly, especially if they're dual voice coil, failure to wire them correctly can cause major issues. Also make sure they are wired to the OHM load of the speakers as OHM load can be changed by using different wiring methods. Most common methods are 2 and 4 OHM. The lower the OHM load the higher the wattage to the sub however the less stable that wattage can be at times so make sure your subs have a high sensitivity rating, which means it converts that extra wattage more effeciently into sound.
1 OHM = 1000 RMS watts
2 OHM = 500 RMS watts
4 OHM = 250 RMS watts
8 OHM = 125 RMS watts
Here are some wiring diagrams for you to make sure you have it set up right you just have to know what OHM load your subs have.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-fB3ITxV...rs_wiring.html
5.) Keep in mind, EVERYTHING with car audio has to be balanced, there is no point in running huge wattage to your subs if your speakers in your car can't keep up or your stereo isn't made to tune those subs, or if the amp doesn't support the RMS (not peak load) the subs demand. If your subs are rated at 250 RMS watts and a peak wattage of 500 then you want an amp that supplies around 225-300 RMS watts at the same OHM load the subs are rated(unless dual voice coil under certain circumstances 4 OHM subs can be wired to draw 2 OHM off the amp for more power).
6.) Always insure the supply wire to amp meets the peak power requirements of that amp. In other worse don't use an 8 gauge cable rated at 500 amps for a 1000 peak wattage amp, you're gonna have problems. Also keep in mind that in larger systems (those drawing more than 500 RMS "total' watts which includes speakers and subs) a larger/higher capacity battery and alternator and possibly upgraded grounding may be needed but you'll know when you install everything. A system running more than 750 RMS watts can be sure to need an upgraded battery and amp as well as upgraded grounding around the car. Also, capicitors are junk and nothing more than a good way to drain a good battery and put extra strain on your electronics, true audio enthusiast do not use them cause they're truely a rip off, the key lies in your grounds and wiring.
Last edited by jthorn9; Dec 7, 2010 at 07:53 PM.
lol
6th Gear Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,524
From: Sacramento, CA
Then maybe you will know this.
What do I have to do wiring wise to upgrade to a Mach 460?
Does the Mach 1000 use the same wiring as the Mach 460?
If I ever did anything I would just want to go with a Mach 1000 and remove it whenever I race.
What do I have to do wiring wise to upgrade to a Mach 460?
Does the Mach 1000 use the same wiring as the Mach 460?
If I ever did anything I would just want to go with a Mach 1000 and remove it whenever I race.
The Godfather
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 15,480
From: Temple, Texas
Here is a link that will tell you everything:
http://flemworld.com/mach460/Mach.html
The stock wiring unit in the base Mustangs is similar to that in the Mach 460 and Mach 1000. Each speaker has it's own plug that plugs into the back of the radio via a wiring harness. However converting from a base system to a mach system will be a pain due to all the parts needed. In short, it would be cheaper, and easier believe it or not to just go aftermarket. Keep in mind not to cut ANY wires in the car like you would any other car. Like I said each speaker has its own wiring harness and is a pain to work with, and it's not just a positive and negative wires, it's a full harness with multiple wires. Cutting the wires from the amp doesn't give you much of any room to work with either. In short, just install new speakers and run new wires to the aftermarket head unit. That way if you sell or trade in the car you can easily pull out your speakers and put the factory stuff back in, if you start cutting wires you can no longer reinstall the factory system.
http://flemworld.com/mach460/Mach.html
The stock wiring unit in the base Mustangs is similar to that in the Mach 460 and Mach 1000. Each speaker has it's own plug that plugs into the back of the radio via a wiring harness. However converting from a base system to a mach system will be a pain due to all the parts needed. In short, it would be cheaper, and easier believe it or not to just go aftermarket. Keep in mind not to cut ANY wires in the car like you would any other car. Like I said each speaker has its own wiring harness and is a pain to work with, and it's not just a positive and negative wires, it's a full harness with multiple wires. Cutting the wires from the amp doesn't give you much of any room to work with either. In short, just install new speakers and run new wires to the aftermarket head unit. That way if you sell or trade in the car you can easily pull out your speakers and put the factory stuff back in, if you start cutting wires you can no longer reinstall the factory system.
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