Alright, I kind of posted this question in a previous post but it was under a different title so I didnt get to much feed back so let me get to the point. I have two JL amps, one 500/1 and one 300/2 wired with a four gauge power and ground amp kit. I have a the single 4 gauge power wire ran to a distribution block with a digital volt meter witch splits the single power wire into two for the amps. When I start the car I am usually running anywhere from 13.9-14.4 at idle. When I turn up the music and hit a solid bass line (10 secs or so) I can watch my voltage slowly drop and sometimes it goes below 12v, then my amps will go into stand by mode until power is restored. My question is, do I need a capacitor or a better battery to support a small 800 watt RMS load? Some people tell me they are running more the 1000w RMS on a stock electrical system and have no problem like mine. I have my ground ran to the bolt in which the seat belt harness is mounted to the car, I just learned that I should have sanded that paint to make a better contact. Could that be my problem? My head lights dont dim at night and I also have a volt meter right at the batter where the main fuse is. I watch both volt meters simultaneously and the one under the hood reads a proper 13.9-14.4 consistently where the one at the amps will slowly drop, I am so confused .

 

what thinkness of wire?

 

4 gauge all around

 

Did you do the Big 3? If you did already then I'd suggest changing your battery to a Kinetik or PowerMaster.

 

what is the Big 3? I guess I didn't do that........

 

4 gauge all around could also be the problem, 1 of those amps is good with just 4 gauge back but if running two of those it should be a larger gauge wire to the distribution block, then the smaller ones split to the amps

 

I am no pro, but that is thin for your app. Get a thicker positve wire.

 

1. negative battery wire to ground (1/0 gauge)

2. engine block to ground (1/0 gauge)

3. alternator (+) to battery (+) (4 gauge)

 

I'm running 4 gauge to a dist block then 1 4 gauge to a 500/1 and 1 4 gauge to a 300/4. No issues. I have upgraded my big 3.

 

Could be a battery/alternator problem. How old is your battery, is it the OEM one still?

 

If the voltage at your battery remains the same and the voltage at the amp drops, then your battery and altenator are not the issue. 4 gauge wire should handle the load your presenting with no problem unless you are pulling the full 800 watts of power continuously as in a 30HZ sine wave, and even then, it not a continuous load.

Current flows from negative to positive, so the draw is really coming from your ground wire and it's connection. Insure the ground wire is making good contact, no piant and no grease. Manufacturers will often put a little grease on larger bolts during assembly to avoid damaging threads for torquing. This grease is non-conductive, clean the threads also. A little alcohol works wonders.

 

I've been planing on doing the big 3 for the longest time. I've got lots of spare wire lying around, but I just need photos of where everything is so I can do it. Anyone got photos of these locations in an HR?