I have 2 12'' orion xtremes and a 520 watt amp everytime the beat hits my tach jumps. I had a 400w cadence amp before and i never had these types of problems. I put in a new amp and my voltage regulator and tach jump like crazy.I was wondering if anyone knew the problem.

 

probably about time you get one of those Power Capacitors if I'm not mistaken. If this doesnt solve the issue just get it anyway cause it looks cool.
http://www.carstereomall.com/store/s...ch=lig-lsd10tb

<img src=http://www.carstereomall.com/store/images/lightning/lig_lsd10tb_b.jpg>

 

The reason an engine's RPM's will drop (or the voltmeter in the car's dash drops) so low is because the alternator is getting loaded down due to the amount of current being drawn. The alternator is being worked harder to provide power for the car's electrical system and bogs down the motor because of the increased amount of current and voltage it is trying to make. The only immediate solution to the problem is to increase the idle speed of your motor while your stereo is playing, as you are probably pushing the limits of your system with the existing charging system in your vehicle.

Other than installing a complex system of actuators or solenoids to control your engine's idle speed (useful only for competition, obviously not for daily-driver use), adding an additional battery or upgrading to a higher-output alternator would be the next closest solution to that problem. Example: By upgrading the battery to a dedicated car audio-type battery (like the Lightning Blue-Top or Purple-Top), your car now has a better source for reserve current during times when you are really pushing your system hard. See your local Lightning Audio dealer for more information about adding a new battery or an additional battery to your system. They may also be able to assist you with an alternator upgrade, if that is the ideal solution.


Later.

 

adding a second battery will increase the load on the alternator...

 

i agree with muaholic go with the alternator

 

or try a cap like redbird_400 said, they come in great in those times when you just need a little extra boost, then its there!

 

Yeah I fried my stock altenator the other week. Looks like this is why. <font color=red><h3>BOOM!</h3></font>

 

How does two batteries put extra load on the alt? Power used equals power output. Doesn't matter how many storage devices used in the mean time. You are right though. If the car's alt isn't making enough power to carry the system then the batteries are just going to power it longer before they go dead, and you'll still fry the alt. I'm putting two batts in my car just because I did the TPI to Carb swap and now I have an extra tray. Better for cold start and those times when you just want to bumb all night and still be able to drive home. BTW our diesel F-250s have at least three batteries mounted in them. The 2004 is going to have dual alts to help keep up. The injectors alone pull 30 amps.

 

umm...in my old 84 SC the tach would "bounce" when you turned the stereo up...but not because of electrical problems (I had it hooked up to an external power supply because I was testing out HUs that I had got for cheap at garage sales, lol), the tach would bounce because of the physical movement caused by the stereo....It never really bothered me, so I don't have a solution for you, but it's just a thought....but i'd guess it's more than likely an electrical problem in your case....

 

yeah it could just be bass moving the gauge my speedometer jumps 5 mph when the bass hits

 

high output alternator

 

...which will actually decrease alternator output at idle speeds, which is where most problems manifest.

 

Hey you seem to know a load. What are these capacitor used for? Isnt it for if the amp needs sudden power it takes it from the capacitor then when its not drawling that from the capacitor the capacitor recharges it self? I think I said capacitor to many times.

 

well, capacitors are very nice, when used properly.. unfortunately, many people think that all their electrical problems can be fixed by one, which just isn't true.. essentially, if your lights dim when you get a loud bass note, but then immediately come back again, a capacitor will help you out, because your charging system can handle all but the most extreme loads (which only last for a second or less)--that is what the capacitor is designed to alleviate. if your lights dim the entire time your music is turned up, a capacitor will not fix that--your money would be better spent in a higher output alternator. for use in competitions and such, capacitors can be good because they provide a constant voltage to your amps, and since a lot of amps are unregulated and produce more power at higher voltages, and lower power at lower voltages, if you can keep the voltage constant you wont have fluctuations in your sound, which probably isn't noticable in everyday listening, but for competitions you can lose points for that...

 

that happened with my aftermarket tach. soemtiems it would just start reading 0 rpm's and then would jump up to about 4,000 rpms, when the bass hit and then after a while it would go back to normal and work liek its supposed to. but the wierd thing is my stock tach worked normally the whole time

 

Not sure if anyone said this but to run 2 batts and not put such a huge load on the ALT get a battery isolator keeps things in check and won't let the batts charge off each other... this also helps with wiring problems you can get by running 2 batteries in parallel or series.