In the picture is how my batterys are hooked up. are they hooked up correctly?

 

also if i put both batterys in the trunk will i have problems starting my car?? or will i need a really good battery.. my batterys both are pretty crappy... im also using some pretty thick cable that runs the power from the front to the back.. made for the amps power..

 

i thought i had it all hoked up right untill i saw this picture...

 

That pic has nothing to do with you.
You really SHOULD be running some kind of isolation on the two batts. Solenoid isolation is cheap, i like it. You should be able to find a pic of how to wire it you on-line. I'll try and find a link.

Look here:
http://s-series.org/modules.php?op=m...rtid=40&page=1

In general this is a good explanation, but note that in method one they say what you did was OK, They're wrong......
Also, want to have a good chuckle, check out there DIY Audio form, it's sad........

 

good question...i've been wanting to add a second battery to my own car for quite some time. describing the best way to do this would help. i already have one in where the spare tire use to be however there wouldn't be room for two. would it be smarter to relocate both to the other side or one on each side?

 

Probably a good idea to use fuse logs too. In my dual battery system I'm using a fuse log on the strut tower, then pac isolator, ran wire into the car then another fuse log on driveshaft hump, then goes into the 2nd battery. That way both ends are fused so hopefully the line will go dead under the carpet if something happens.


As for isolators there pretty nice. You can pick up decent little solenoid ones off ebay for around 50 bucks or so. Kind of nice being able to jump start your own car after your wet battery has got partially depeated over winter. Flip the switch and the 2nd battery kicks in and is usually enough to get the car to enough volts for the starter to work.

Also for the ground wire you can go to a sheet metal contact as long as it's a good solid connection.

I imagine from that second pic with the optimas they were wiring them in series for the extra volts for that big pump... not a good idea when most amps peg out at 16+ volts or so.

Also I'll point out dual battery systems and caps won't fix a major power problem... believe me I've been dumb enough to try that. Basically you'll need a bigger alternator to keep them charged if you're putting a big strain on your current electrical system. My setup drains both my optima and regular wet battery to 9.0 volts within a few minutes with the car and stereo running... on a pullied 105 amp alternator.

-----------------------
As for a battery on each side it could be done, but you would need more fuses to connect the two up. I doubt from how nice your car looks you would take the chance of running a live wire between the 2 batteries anyways I would still use an isolator though in either case. Heck I've even seen pictures using several isolators on multiple battery systems... like the people running 3 to 5 batteries they had a solenoid type between each so they were perserved seperate when the car was off. I guess it would just come back to if you wanted one on each side or both on one side. Either way it's gonna take a custom bracket like shown in the picture. I would imagine putting both on the same side would look a little cleaner.

 

this is how i would like to have it hooked up... i want a powerful battery that runs my stereo and my amp with no problems . i even want to be able to blare my radio and subs when my car is off... optima yellow seems to be able to do that.. im also gonna keep one of my old wetcell batterys sealed up next to the optima incase i drain the optima. I want to get the battery out of the front and put it in the back..

 

also i already have a fuse inbetween the cap and the batterys.. so if anything did happen my stereo is safe.

 

Sorry, but no it's not. I'm replacing RPP diodes all the time. The fuse only blows if more current is passed though it then it's ratted for, but sometimes fuse blows after the damage is done.
You still don't have i isolator in the Pic there.
All you need for a solenoid isolation is a Ford starter solenoid, not much cheaper then that.

 

i think u should go with a dual alternator set up, its easy and provides more than enough power... and keep the cap too... battery's in parallel provide more power but they have to be the same type..... if not, if one goes bad before the other or one charges different it can major damage to your car system....

www.caraudiomag.com is a good site... try one these links..
http://www.caraudiomag.com/technical/
http://caraudiomag.com/technical/0206cae_alternator/

 

dual alternator would be nice but i dont have the time or money to pay for 2 new alternators.. i already need another 1.. if i get a high output alternator and the optima yellow.. from what there statements say i should not have anymore problems. in the future i would want to be running dual optima yellows in the trunk with the isolater stuff u talked about

 

HOW MANY WATTS ARE YOUR SPEAKERS? WHAT KIND? INCHES? HOW MANY? JUST CURIOUS......

 

Do a search for Iraggi alternators he makes some really nice alts for our cars cheap.

Heck I'll even find the thread for you... I emailed him awhile back for price quotes....

There's no need to go dual alternators... unless you like fabricating brackets and you can get OEM 105 amp alternators super cheap. It's much easier just to slap down the cash for a good aftermarket one.


Here's that email:
"I know the 200 will be a direct bolt on.. $319.00

its a 99% chance that the large case is still a direct bolt on even with the
carb upgrade..

220 $339.00
240 $359.00
260 $379.00
280 $399.00
300 $439.00

Thanks, Dom"

I would put a fuse between the battery and the carpet before you run it up to the hood too. Just for safety, you don't want to run a live wire under the carpet all the time without some sort of protection.


As for blaring the stereo with the car off it works to a point but then once you get where you're pulling a ton of power off the sitting batteries (only holding 12.5 volts at max). It won't be long before you run into power issues, cause you'll be draining them because the alternator isn't charging them back up.

But ,yes if you were wanting to put a battery inside the car an optima or really good other sealed battery would be the way to go.... just ask my friend. The local audio shop (same shop I had problems with) told him it was fine to use a wet battery... I said go sealed and he didn't take my advice. Well, turned out his battery leaked into the interior. It ate part of the sticker and some of the cosemetic coating off his JL 1000/1 and stained is carpet all up.

Ok as for needing same type batteries... yeah that's what everyone says. An isolator will automatically seperate the batteries when the car is off or the switch is flipped off. When the car is on you can connect the 2 together... Do you really think the batteries care which one has more cold cranking amps? From what my father (electrican) told me it doesn't matter as long as their at the same volts. So you're alternator is charging at times and sometimes it turns off, depending if you need more volts at the batteries or not. Well by connecting them in parallel you're just in theory making a bigger battery surface. Hehe think about a TV remote where you put 4 AA's in it in parallel/series do you really think the remote cares it's 4 seperate batteries? No, because all it needs is the set volts total from the 4 AA's, if it gets that it's happy.

 

As a retailer, I would love to sell you an alternator, battery isolator, more batteries, etc.

First off, if you have 700 watts, I wouldn't recommend a battery. Imagine getting a bigger gas tank, think it will get you better mileage. Similar analogy. An extra battery gives you more car-off listening time. It does nothing for you with the car on. I would recommend upgrading the wiring from your alternator to your battery and from your battery to the ground. Having a 1/0 wire go back doesn't help much if you only have a 4 guage coming from the alternator to the battery. Same goes for an extra alternator. Like putting Z-rated tires on a golf cart. Complete overkill, and you could spend that money in a number of other places.

Next thing, I wouldn't run the batteries as you describe unless they are of the same age, same brand, and same type. No different than the warnings you get on most items that run on batteries, do not mix different types or ages of batteries. Why? Your charging system is going to follow the path of least resistance, which will usually be the newer battery, battery with the shortest run from the charger, and/or the easiest to charge.

Another thing to keep in mind, batteries are under the hood for a reason. They thrive in a warm engine compartment, not an ice cold trunk. This affects charging as well (as mentioned above, path of least resistance).

Here is how I would do it:

1. Two batteries, brand new if possible, same kind, vintage, etc.
2. Both batteries under the hood.
3. A solenoid (a large relay, called an isolator) to isolate one from the other. I would rig it so when you turn the car off, you disconnect the front from the back. Do not get anything with a heatsink (a isolator/relay/solenoid is about the size of your fist for a 200 amp one (the one I recommend)). If it has a heatsink, it is turning voltage into heat, and your not getting all the voltage your rear battery needs. It something out of the RV and boating world you should never put in your car (its a relic from the old days of sound competitions when they awarded points for having two batteries and required them to be isolated) . Plus they are bigger, harder to wire up, and all around suck.
4. Hook up stereo to the disconnected battery so you don't drain the starting battery when running your system with the car off. Nothing looks dumber than cranking your system to look cool, only to look like a tool when you have to get a jump.

Juan

 

i could definately use another battery and probably a larger alternator. my alternator is at 180 right now and i only have one redtop battery but it dies after my viar compressor runs twice to fill a small 5 gallon tank.

 

i have 2 infinity 12" subs they pound hard enough any harder and my fiberglass trunk would crack... its loud enough anyways i have no backseat and all the sound gets pushed forward... i can crank it all the way up and my ears start to hurt after 30 seconds.. and after 5 minutes get a headache hehe// i believe 350 there like 700 max something a piece and my amp runs both at 700 so i technically should have 2 amps or a bigger amp.

 

I currently have a custom wound 180 Amp Alternator with 4 gauge wire running to my Optima Yellow Top with ZER0 Gauge wire running back to a 5 Farad Block of capacitors, feeding my MTX 81000D that is running at 2.7 ohms to feed my 3, 12" Infinity Subs wired as "ONE" in a custom sub box . The BASS is noting short of INCREDIBLE !!! I can blow my Hatch off if I want.

 

I read of a car battery that had a built-in drainage protection... so when the battery got to 10 volts it cut off high-current output... so that your car's computer would keep going, and also your stereo settings would stay on... this would work well with a large alternator... and then when you run the battery down, you can still start the car...

 

i highly recommend and Iraggi alt...ive had my 280 amp in three different cars over the last two years and its working great.

 

280....damn, how high do they go?

my 180 seems very small now.

 

And here I thought my Powermaster 140 was more than adequate....

 

He makes up to a 300 amp large case for our cars


I got the email I recieved from him earlier up on one of my posts....

Anyways I think Boomin Boy even got a lifetime warranty on it too for an extra 100 bucks or so... if I remember right?

 

damn, what price range are these 280-300 amp alternators? do they fit it just fine with the current belt size?

also I wonder what guage of wire did you upgrade your alternator wire to?

** also, what amperage does a new stock alternator put out?

 

I plan on getting one down the road. From all the reviews I've seen his alternators make over what he advertises them at. They seem to carry a very nice low rpm output too around 70%+ from what I can remember.

(old prices I got a few months back)
220 $339.00
240 $359.00
260 $379.00
280 $399.00
300 $439.00

 

does that mean it makes 70% of its amperage at idle?

 

All alternators put out less power at idle. Their output is dependant on their RPM. If I could find the tag that came on my alt, I'd type the numbers, but it shows tested output at X RPM (around idle) and maximum output at Y RPM. I'm not sure if it's 70% or not.

 

idle RPM power output is a fairly important number to me, since that's when you have your car parked and playing your stereo.

 

Sorry guys... I guess I should have researched instead of trying to recall off the top of my head... it's 40% according to this post....

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=218637

Course changing pulley ratios and stuff could have a very small effect on that too.


...................

If 40% is right or around there the 280 amp idling is still making more than the OEM alternator on the highway.

 

I found a 130amp Powermaster that puts out 90amps at idle. So whatever that ratio is...

 

no i was too cheap to get the liftetime warranty...but its a one year for free so i couldnt say no.

he also sells adjustable voltage regulators for them.

 

I'm gonna get the 280 amp unit eventually I think. I gotta get the GF a ring first before I can buy any more things for the car

 

lol me too

im ****ed i get paid every month and this cheque (october) is going to my car so i only have one pay cheque to get a ring before x-mas. haha oooohhh ****

but after that its no holds barred spending spree

 

if the alternator only puts out 40% at idle, it seems you'd be better off going a better-battery route.. because you'd have to get one hell of an expensive alternator, and the only time it really matters (well for the most part)---stereo-wise, is at idle... and it seems like it would be kinda lame to have to rev the motor to put out enough amps to keep the stereo going...

I'd say a decent 180amp alternator, large battery, and around 2.0 farads of (capacitance?) would be perfect for almost any system...

basically if it came down to the extra money for the better battery, wiring, and capacitor... versus dishing out the extra money for the 250 amp alternator, it seems like you might as well go with the other stuff first, since parked-listening-to-stereo-wise, you are really only getting a 0.4xalternatorrating anyhow... and if you get a really nice battery setup, you can draw much more current than that...

not that it wouldn't be nice to have the kick *** alternator as well, just saying that I'd go with the battery, capacitor, and wiring before the new alternator... (unless its just the stock alternator and you're talking about upgrading to some moderately better one (=< 180 amps)

 

wiring will make no difference for how much current your system draws. It will, however, be a bottleneck in the system.

Your wiring should be large enough in the first place to support your system.

Beyond that a bigger battery is always a good thing to have as it picks up what the alt cannot charge but caps are useless and will only kill your alt faster.

Most people in competitions will rev their engine up a bit. Depending on which level and type of event you're in you may only be able to take the rpms to a certain level though.

 

whoa, hold on there... I have always heard that a capacitor could only HELP an alternator, as its levels off the "spikes" of the power drain of the amplifier... and the spikes just put a sharp strain every other second and the capacitor just helps it stay a steady flow...

I don't understand how it could ever hurt?

 

when i had my camaro i ran a 240 alt, an optima yellow top, and 2 1 farad caps. i was running 2 kenwood 600's (one for each sub) and a kenwood 800 4ch for the insides. never had a starting/voltage/dim light problem for over a year.

 

damn you killed your alt that quick? are you mostly running it at idle?

 

caps will eliminate spikes in voltage drop but the fact is when the cap discharges it still needs to be recharged by the alt. Its just another thing the alt has to charge.

you wont have any problems if: you buy an alternator that can fully support your system

 

Unless something is wrong with your charging system, adding another battery will only make things worse. Its another load that your alternator has to charge.

The only thing that a 2nd battery will do is give you additional listening time when the car is off. If that is what you are looking for, great.

Spending money on an upgraded alternator is probably a waste of time unless:

1. Your current alternator is bad.
2. You plan on placing huge current demands on your charging system and your car isn't designed for it (putting 3000 watts in an economy car with a 40 amp alternator is a good example).
3. You want to compete.

Less than 1000 watts really isn't that much power. A car stereo isn't like a regular load (a 1000 watt lightbulb draws 1000 watts all the time, a 1000 watt stereo system draws much less, only drawing full juice when its turned all the way up, playing test tones).

I also believe that a big alternator can increase your chances of alternator noise.

 

I agree, I would probably upgrade my wiring first, since the altenator only puts out a small percentage of its power at idle (the most-used section of the alternator output)

 

yea but how often are you really sitting still with it at full volumes??

i love my music loud and have it up above 3/4 volume most of the time but at stop lights or going through residential areas i make a mental note to turn it down.

you're got to boom responsibly

 

you don't ever sit around with friends listening to your systems? Ever go to the beach? etc... any situation like that then your car is running off of the idle power of the alternator...

 

if i sit around with friends i raise the rpms up a bit to charge better.
if i go camping or to the beach etc i always make my friends use their cars for music....theres no hope in hell mine could be played at loud volumes at idle for a long time even with two 280 amp alts

 

They do make SPL alternators too. I think Ohio Generator makes a few that are made to peak out at around 2000 rpms. Course you can't run over that cause if you do bad things will happen, so there SPL show cars only.

Basically batteries help to a point but since they hold a really low charge by themselves (around 12.0 volts) it doesn't really help out that much. Most amps are rated in the 12.5 to 15.5 volts range (unless it's something like a JL 1000/1 which is down to 11.5). So if you want to see that kind of power you need to be charging them with the alternator.

I have a wet battery under the hood, Optima D34/78 in the back (linked with a solenoid), 2 1.0 farad caps, 0 and 4 awg wiring everywhere, and even a smaller pulley on the OEM alternator. I'm turning the 105 amp alt around 3.1:1 or so ratio on it, even PowerMaster only recommends a 3:1 ratio due to the heat put on the alternator. So I highly doubt the Autozone alt will last to long. With the car at around 3000 rpms I still drain the batteries below 10 volts pushing both of my bp1200.1s at around 18 volume or so in acouple minutes. I pulled one of the amps out and just ran one sub. It worked much better but I still pull on the electrical system hard enough to get below 13.0 volts at around 26 volume, then I had clipping again.


So basically the alternator is the weak point in my system. I'm hoping a 280 amp will be enough for mine... course I got a new motor coming eventually (in bedroom) so I'll beable to turn it 7000+ rpms bet that will spin the pulley on this autozone alternator.

 

yea i think 7k rpm would do that trick

what kind of setup is it?

 

I could have sworn that alternators had clutches in them, and when you revved your motor they really didn't do much past 1000 rpm? because when I'm listening to my stereo, and I see the voltage go down to like 11v, I just hardly push on the accelerator and it will jump back up to 15v...

 

No clutch, regulator.

 

interesting...