Hey everyone how's it going?
I have a question about my charging system in my car. I have a 1993 Plymouth Acclaim V6. The battery is a 700CCA and the alternator says 40/90A. What does the 40/90A mean is it 40amps or 90 or somthing in between.
My question is when I am running my system loud it seem to be very taxing on my car it almost seems like it was to stall and cut out. When I'm idleing my rpms move up and down with there is a loud bass note. This mainly seems to happen when I have the heater on in the rain with the wipers going and headlights on. I don't have a huge system just a Rockford Fosgate 201s amp, 12" Alpine Type S and the HU is a Kenwood KDC-2019. I am also using an 8ga wiring kit.
Do you guys think that my alt/batt is not up to par with my rest of the electrical system in my car or is it somthing else?
Thanks for any help,
Murph
Replies (4)
compvr15s on 04/28/2004 09:53:58
my guess on the 40/90 is 40 amps when the car is on but not runnin, key is turned to acc. 90 when the car is running. make sure you have a good solid bare metal ground on your amp. your system should not overwhelm your vehicles power output but when the heater and wipers are running that may be using a fair amount of power. first thing to do before you go and spend tons of money is to upgrade your bat cables. from your battery to your alt and from your batt to ground, most cars use 6 or 8awg wire, you will get the most power flow from 4awg wire. the 8 awg is fine for that amp i dont think it draws a whole lot of power, id try what i recommend first and then go from there, id deffin upgrade the wires under the hood if your vehicle is idling wierd from your system.. i know back when i had my car hooked up, i was runnin 3 amps two 600 watt class d amps as well as a 400 watt 4 channel amp, there were times when i would go down the road my car would just die, i went through 3 alts in that car, i would literally have to blow stop signs just to keep my car running, good luck, dont let the same mistakes hinder you like they did me.
swez on 04/28/2004 11:04:00
Agreed... invest in larger wires between ALT/BAT, BAT/GND and if your car has a grounding strap from engine block to chassis, double that.
Make sure all your wires are clean, battery terminals are also clean & tight. It seems like you may have some corrosion building up on the BAT terminal that is hindering full power transfer. Baking soda, an old toothbrush and some wam water will clean them well.
Finally, your 40/90 question means the ALT is speced at 40A at idle and 90A at full output. This amp kit should pose very little strain on a properly function electrical system. May want to have the ALT checked out to insure it is up to snuff after instally new power lines as noted.
Swez
Murph on 04/28/2004 13:08:12
If I am going to be cleaning battery terminals do I have to disconnect the battery?
And its probably an easy task but how would I go about upgrading my ALT/BAT, BAT/GND wires? For example does it matter what order what polarity is connected first etc...
Thanks,
Murph
swez on 04/28/2004 19:38:57
Cleaning battery while connected is fine. Water will not hurt the battery.
As for swapping out wires, note how the original wires are routed, use same pathways if possible. Use the same length for each wire. If you have to go a tab longer, so be it. Do your POS line from ALT/BAT first, then grounding strap and finally the NEG BAT terminal.
Clean the terminals well with baking and water (make a paste of it) Let it sit a few minutes, then wash off with warm water. Make sure your female connectors are clean too and use a dab of white lube silicone on each terminal post before reinstalling the clamps. This will reduce external corrosion build up on your terminations.
Swez
I have a question about my charging system in my car. I have a 1993 Plymouth Acclaim V6. The battery is a 700CCA and the alternator says 40/90A. What does the 40/90A mean is it 40amps or 90 or somthing in between.
My question is when I am running my system loud it seem to be very taxing on my car it almost seems like it was to stall and cut out. When I'm idleing my rpms move up and down with there is a loud bass note. This mainly seems to happen when I have the heater on in the rain with the wipers going and headlights on. I don't have a huge system just a Rockford Fosgate 201s amp, 12" Alpine Type S and the HU is a Kenwood KDC-2019. I am also using an 8ga wiring kit.
Do you guys think that my alt/batt is not up to par with my rest of the electrical system in my car or is it somthing else?
Thanks for any help,
Murph
Replies (4)
compvr15s on 04/28/2004 09:53:58
my guess on the 40/90 is 40 amps when the car is on but not runnin, key is turned to acc. 90 when the car is running. make sure you have a good solid bare metal ground on your amp. your system should not overwhelm your vehicles power output but when the heater and wipers are running that may be using a fair amount of power. first thing to do before you go and spend tons of money is to upgrade your bat cables. from your battery to your alt and from your batt to ground, most cars use 6 or 8awg wire, you will get the most power flow from 4awg wire. the 8 awg is fine for that amp i dont think it draws a whole lot of power, id try what i recommend first and then go from there, id deffin upgrade the wires under the hood if your vehicle is idling wierd from your system.. i know back when i had my car hooked up, i was runnin 3 amps two 600 watt class d amps as well as a 400 watt 4 channel amp, there were times when i would go down the road my car would just die, i went through 3 alts in that car, i would literally have to blow stop signs just to keep my car running, good luck, dont let the same mistakes hinder you like they did me.
swez on 04/28/2004 11:04:00
Agreed... invest in larger wires between ALT/BAT, BAT/GND and if your car has a grounding strap from engine block to chassis, double that.
Make sure all your wires are clean, battery terminals are also clean & tight. It seems like you may have some corrosion building up on the BAT terminal that is hindering full power transfer. Baking soda, an old toothbrush and some wam water will clean them well.
Finally, your 40/90 question means the ALT is speced at 40A at idle and 90A at full output. This amp kit should pose very little strain on a properly function electrical system. May want to have the ALT checked out to insure it is up to snuff after instally new power lines as noted.
Swez
Murph on 04/28/2004 13:08:12
If I am going to be cleaning battery terminals do I have to disconnect the battery?
And its probably an easy task but how would I go about upgrading my ALT/BAT, BAT/GND wires? For example does it matter what order what polarity is connected first etc...
Thanks,
Murph
swez on 04/28/2004 19:38:57
Cleaning battery while connected is fine. Water will not hurt the battery.
As for swapping out wires, note how the original wires are routed, use same pathways if possible. Use the same length for each wire. If you have to go a tab longer, so be it. Do your POS line from ALT/BAT first, then grounding strap and finally the NEG BAT terminal.
Clean the terminals well with baking and water (make a paste of it) Let it sit a few minutes, then wash off with warm water. Make sure your female connectors are clean too and use a dab of white lube silicone on each terminal post before reinstalling the clamps. This will reduce external corrosion build up on your terminations.
Swez
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