so im still having trouble with my ALT and today i just decided to run my HU dirrectly to my BAT is this a bad thing? will it kill my battery as im driving help please
Replies (16)
newB on 04/24/2008 01:00:53
you can run your constant HU wire to the Bat and it will be exactly the same. if you run your switched power wire to the bat your HU will never turn off and could possibly kill the battery while your away from the car.
either way- it will not effect your alt at all.
do the "big 3" before anything
-Drew
snappy on 04/24/2008 02:11:58
i already did the big 3 and im still having a lot of trouble i paid to much and invested a lot of money on the big 3
swez on 04/24/2008 02:44:24
Explain in detail what is going wrong here and we can work out a good plan to get things back on track. Basically, outline what has been done to date and the results so far.
The key to running external amps and such on this vintage car will boil down to adequate power from the ALT/BAT, proper wiring and wire gage used and wiring techniques.
Swez
'We cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that created it' This means bringing fresh/skilled eyes into the game to attain the intended results. CLAP
snappy on 04/24/2008 15:26:36
well at the moment im still havin trouble with my ALT i have took it to the shop twice and it seems like i still got the same old GEN back in my car. when i turn the volume on my HU the bass goes out then i turn the volume back down and the bass is on but at a low level. Also when i drive i got the music going on i turn my headlights and my bass goes out?
swez on 04/24/2008 17:45:19
Snappy,
Good initial response. This tells us the ALT is not keeping up with the new gear you installed. (A 35 AMPERE ALT supplies about 50% OF RATED VALUE AT IDLE AND LOW RPM) 17.5 A's @ idle is adequate in this scenario.
I believe this is the root of your situation and a larger ALT is in the cards. The OEM factory version will not handle the amperage draw noted.
Again, ask your local parts dealer what it will take to modify the future ALT to deliver a solid 90 - 120 A's of current to feed all electricals. Once that has been worked out, the issues should go away.
Comments?
Swez
newB on 04/24/2008 18:07:15
interesting- i have a 75a alt and i had kragen test it for me today (right after dropping in a 1000cca Energizer bat) and he said my big 3 gave my alt the best response he has seen. far less drop than typical... and his meter read 14amps at idle.
I NEED A BIGGER ALT!!!!
so do you apparently ;-)
-Drew
snappy on 04/24/2008 18:12:37
any suggestions were i can get a good ALT for a good price?
swez on 04/25/2008 15:29:45
It would seem to me that we have to get out of the Stone Age here and move toward newer and updated electrical system to support what you need now.
As I recall, "Generators" were the norm in many vehicles that pre-dated the early 60's. Gens work very different than present day ALT's. The more RPM a Gen gets, the more output they will deliver and Gen's deliver DC current/voltage as well. (Not AC like ALT's)
Today's ALT's produce an AC power source, (3-phase) that is then fed to diodes, (Rectifier Bridge) that convert AC power to DC power and a "Regulator" for voltage and current limiting as well.
In a nutshell, you may wish to contact a few ALT/GEN rebuilders that understand this vehicle. They will probably tell you that you can swap the old GEN out for a newer type ALT/REG version that may require adapter brackets to fit this car.
The problem I see here, this present electrical system is very obsolete and cannot deliver adequate wattage to power your new add-ons. The trick is to refit the present system to an ALT-based unit, regulator and rectifier bridge that will get the job done. (85-100 Amperes would be a good target to shoot at)
Swez
SQLThump on 04/25/2008 18:52:47
On another note, whether or not a H/U will turn off completely wheter wired directly to the battery depends largely on your H/U. I have mine wired with both constant and switched to the battery, and the only "issue" I had was needing to manually turn on and off the H/U.
I did not do this as any measure of bypassing any part of the charging system, I just like to be able to play my stereo without running the car or any other accessories, as well as to treat my head unit like an amp.
Some H/U's will not power off completely without a cut of power to the switched (red) wire. The playing off any sound will stop, but the display will usually stay on in some way or another.
snappy on 04/25/2008 19:38:48
hey swez today i went to a car shop and i got my ALT checked out and its read 14 Amps which now it works a little better but eventually i will upgrade my ALT again i currently have a 35amp ALT and i dont think its enough for the sound system i got.
also thanks for the adivce SQL do you have any pictures of how you got your HU wired?
SQLThump on 04/25/2008 19:49:29
No pics on how it's done, but its simple. I took a section of 8AWG amp cable, connected it to the battery like an amp, ran it through my dash, connected both H/U wires to it, , grounded it with 8AWG, and then fused it off at 20 amps because I can't find a 15 amp duse for it.
Powering off is as simple as a touch of my remote's button, with no barrety drain.
I have never heard of an alt that small and truly feel for you there. Finding an alt for this car may be a bit tricky to give it modern (90-120A) or high performance (200A or more).
Check out MotorCityReman.com or Ohiogenerators.com, as well as Knuconceptz.com. Each site offers a variety of different custom Alts, and although I doubt yours is listed, something can be ordered and made to work for you since you have the luck of having an older American car. Stuff like this is done ofetn for restoration purposes, and can probably work for the Falcon.
ttocs on 04/25/2008 22:30:45
I got my 200A high output alt off of ebay. I think it was a little more then $100 after shipping
snappy on 04/30/2008 00:40:21
SQL so you used the cable you would use for your amp to run it to your HU?
SQLThump on 04/30/2008 03:08:44
Basically. It is two seperate circuits, one for my head unit and another for my two amps. But we are talking a direct 8Ga from battery to head unit. Mainly this is in the name of extreme overkill so I sleep better at night.
snappy on 04/30/2008 18:48:57
lol ok got it i will try that out!
SQLThump on 04/30/2008 18:51:13
Do it up.......
Replies (16)
newB on 04/24/2008 01:00:53
you can run your constant HU wire to the Bat and it will be exactly the same. if you run your switched power wire to the bat your HU will never turn off and could possibly kill the battery while your away from the car.
either way- it will not effect your alt at all.
do the "big 3" before anything
-Drew
snappy on 04/24/2008 02:11:58
i already did the big 3 and im still having a lot of trouble i paid to much and invested a lot of money on the big 3
swez on 04/24/2008 02:44:24
Explain in detail what is going wrong here and we can work out a good plan to get things back on track. Basically, outline what has been done to date and the results so far.
The key to running external amps and such on this vintage car will boil down to adequate power from the ALT/BAT, proper wiring and wire gage used and wiring techniques.
Swez
'We cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that created it' This means bringing fresh/skilled eyes into the game to attain the intended results. CLAP
snappy on 04/24/2008 15:26:36
well at the moment im still havin trouble with my ALT i have took it to the shop twice and it seems like i still got the same old GEN back in my car. when i turn the volume on my HU the bass goes out then i turn the volume back down and the bass is on but at a low level. Also when i drive i got the music going on i turn my headlights and my bass goes out?
swez on 04/24/2008 17:45:19
Snappy,
Good initial response. This tells us the ALT is not keeping up with the new gear you installed. (A 35 AMPERE ALT supplies about 50% OF RATED VALUE AT IDLE AND LOW RPM) 17.5 A's @ idle is adequate in this scenario.
I believe this is the root of your situation and a larger ALT is in the cards. The OEM factory version will not handle the amperage draw noted.
Again, ask your local parts dealer what it will take to modify the future ALT to deliver a solid 90 - 120 A's of current to feed all electricals. Once that has been worked out, the issues should go away.
Comments?
Swez
newB on 04/24/2008 18:07:15
interesting- i have a 75a alt and i had kragen test it for me today (right after dropping in a 1000cca Energizer bat) and he said my big 3 gave my alt the best response he has seen. far less drop than typical... and his meter read 14amps at idle.
I NEED A BIGGER ALT!!!!
so do you apparently ;-)
-Drew
snappy on 04/24/2008 18:12:37
any suggestions were i can get a good ALT for a good price?
swez on 04/25/2008 15:29:45
It would seem to me that we have to get out of the Stone Age here and move toward newer and updated electrical system to support what you need now.
As I recall, "Generators" were the norm in many vehicles that pre-dated the early 60's. Gens work very different than present day ALT's. The more RPM a Gen gets, the more output they will deliver and Gen's deliver DC current/voltage as well. (Not AC like ALT's)
Today's ALT's produce an AC power source, (3-phase) that is then fed to diodes, (Rectifier Bridge) that convert AC power to DC power and a "Regulator" for voltage and current limiting as well.
In a nutshell, you may wish to contact a few ALT/GEN rebuilders that understand this vehicle. They will probably tell you that you can swap the old GEN out for a newer type ALT/REG version that may require adapter brackets to fit this car.
The problem I see here, this present electrical system is very obsolete and cannot deliver adequate wattage to power your new add-ons. The trick is to refit the present system to an ALT-based unit, regulator and rectifier bridge that will get the job done. (85-100 Amperes would be a good target to shoot at)
Swez
SQLThump on 04/25/2008 18:52:47
On another note, whether or not a H/U will turn off completely wheter wired directly to the battery depends largely on your H/U. I have mine wired with both constant and switched to the battery, and the only "issue" I had was needing to manually turn on and off the H/U.
I did not do this as any measure of bypassing any part of the charging system, I just like to be able to play my stereo without running the car or any other accessories, as well as to treat my head unit like an amp.
Some H/U's will not power off completely without a cut of power to the switched (red) wire. The playing off any sound will stop, but the display will usually stay on in some way or another.
snappy on 04/25/2008 19:38:48
hey swez today i went to a car shop and i got my ALT checked out and its read 14 Amps which now it works a little better but eventually i will upgrade my ALT again i currently have a 35amp ALT and i dont think its enough for the sound system i got.
also thanks for the adivce SQL do you have any pictures of how you got your HU wired?
SQLThump on 04/25/2008 19:49:29
No pics on how it's done, but its simple. I took a section of 8AWG amp cable, connected it to the battery like an amp, ran it through my dash, connected both H/U wires to it, , grounded it with 8AWG, and then fused it off at 20 amps because I can't find a 15 amp duse for it.
Powering off is as simple as a touch of my remote's button, with no barrety drain.
I have never heard of an alt that small and truly feel for you there. Finding an alt for this car may be a bit tricky to give it modern (90-120A) or high performance (200A or more).
Check out MotorCityReman.com or Ohiogenerators.com, as well as Knuconceptz.com. Each site offers a variety of different custom Alts, and although I doubt yours is listed, something can be ordered and made to work for you since you have the luck of having an older American car. Stuff like this is done ofetn for restoration purposes, and can probably work for the Falcon.
ttocs on 04/25/2008 22:30:45
I got my 200A high output alt off of ebay. I think it was a little more then $100 after shipping
snappy on 04/30/2008 00:40:21
SQL so you used the cable you would use for your amp to run it to your HU?
SQLThump on 04/30/2008 03:08:44
Basically. It is two seperate circuits, one for my head unit and another for my two amps. But we are talking a direct 8Ga from battery to head unit. Mainly this is in the name of extreme overkill so I sleep better at night.
snappy on 04/30/2008 18:48:57
lol ok got it i will try that out!
SQLThump on 04/30/2008 18:51:13
Do it up.......
Copyright ClubKnowledge 2009 * All Rights Reserved
