I just hooked up my system today and sometimes when im driving a indicator comes on saying I have a low battery or alternator problem something like that. Is it because my amp is drawing to much from the battery? What can I do to fix this? Will a new alternator or a capicater fix it or is there a cheaper way?
Have a look at the battery, does it have a "eye" on it to indicate it's charge state? If the battery is low or the amp is drawing mor current than can be supplied, expect the indicator light to come on. A new high output alternator and good battery should solve this, a cap at this point is a worthless investment, while they do have a good purpose, in this case it would put more draw on the battery and alternator.
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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.
flashalexb, I agree with forbidden. you should have this looked at soon. i have found that one problem can cause others. if your alternator is going it can take out your battery. it can also put a strain on your starter if the battery gets to the point that the car is hard to start. what kind of power is your amp or amps and what kind of car. Bad grounds can cause the amps to draw more current than they should.it also could be your regulator is going for a dump. In this instance i think a cap would help by stabalizing the dynamic load on the regulator.
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Steve@A.E.S
If you have Advance Auto Parts in your area, hit them up. They can test your battery, alternator, and starter for free. You are correct, sounds like the combined current draw of your system and your car's electrical system is greater than the current generated by your alternator and so it's pulling additional power from your battery.
You have a couple of options. One, install a kill switch on your remote wire so you can turn your amp on & off at will. Then, just don't use it all the time. Two, connect your car to a charger for a couple of hours every night. That, of course, is a temporary solution but at least it won't leave you stranded.
Either one of two things is happening. Your car's electrical system can handle the load of your system, but the alternator is dying and not generating what it used to. Or, your system is too much of a load and you're going to need a high output alternator.
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I refuse to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death.
Well It came on twice yesturday. But today I was driving alot and it didnt come on at all. My car is a 1996 Buick Regal and with in the last 6 months I had a new alternator and battery put in (this was because my old one died) The alternator model is CS130D I think its a 105 amp. The amp I am temporally using is a Lanzar RK1000-4C which is a 1000 watt four channel amp and when I get my amp back I will be using an Audiobahn A8002T which is 2x400 rms at 2 ohms.
Sounds like the indicator light sensor in the car is designed to signal when the origional equipment is drawing too much power. Most auto makers don't account for a large stereo or any amps. That's one big problem with the "idiot lights" in cars instead of the guages.
Have the load test done with and without the stereo pounding. I have a guage for the alternator and 1 for the batt. When the subs kick in I go from 13v to 11v with every beat.
The set-up you describe should not be too much for your car, but it should be checked soon.