Printer Friendly Forum Posts - Advice before alt. install

Okay, in my garage right now is the Optima Yellowtop battery and a 150amp alternator for my '99 Civic LX. I have a few question before I go to install it:

1) On this car, the axle needs to be dropped out in order to get at the alternator, right?

2) I know some of you said to upgrade the power wire from 4gauge to 2gauge since the new alt. is capable of making 150amps, but is it okay to stay with the 4gauge? The new alt. only makes 70amps at idle, and the full 150 somewhere in the 5500+rpm range, but I never, ever rev my engine up beyond 4000rpm (which would probably be anywhere from 125 to 135amps). Given these conditions, would it be okay to go ahead and use the stock 4gauge power cable? Because the line that runs from the alt. to the battery is all part of a big harness...it would be a real PITA to change it. Alterstart only recomends the upgrade in cable if the alt. is putting out 150amps or more, but I will never have this alt. putting out 150amps...more like 130, tops.

3)The current amplifier puts out 440watts RMS. With the Optima Yellowtop and the much bigger alternator make a capacitor uneccesary? Or would it be better to go ahead and put in a 1-2 farad cap just to make things easier on the electrical system?

4)With the larger alternators' higher charging capacity, would the Optima be uneeded? I only bought it a couple weeks ago, I can still return it if is not neccesary.

Thank you guys for any assisstance. I'm in no hurry here, I want to do this right, but my wallet is allready angry at this little car. I've never done audio in a Civic, my expierience is with much larger engine Nissan's (2.4L to 3.5L) that all ran slammin' systems on stock batteries and alternators...the little 1.6L Civic engine is proving to be quite the obstacle. But, you know,...bass must be had. Thanx guys, ---D.

1) Dont know about having to drop the driveline... I'd check with a Honda mechanic on that one... I knoe it wasn't necessary for my '01, but it's a 7th gen, yours is a 6th gen.

2) Your stock cable is NOT 4 gauge... more like 8 gauge. Absolutely upgrade to 4 gauge! #4 is good to 150 amps, and even IF you are not putting out that much, 130 amps is too much for the stock charging cable. You do not have to run it the same place your stock cable runs, just insulate your old cable end, and connect the 4 Gauge to the output stud, then to the positive terminal of your battery. I ran mine under the lip of the engine compartment, above the radiator. You are upgrading your battery terminals, right? It should be able to take 2 #4 cables, AND your accessory output to the fuse block. The starter cable runs out of the main block under the hood, so that problem should be solved.

3) Depending on who you ask, a capacitor is NEVER necessary. I like them, just 'cause I do. I can say electrically, at least, they DO work, but with only 440 watts, you should be OK without one.

4) I'd have bought the red top Optima, and saved a few bux, but that's just me. The yellow top is a deep cycle battery, which does NOTHING for the performance of it. It only allows the battery to discharge to a lower voltage, and recover from that abuse, better than a standard (even Optima) battery. Your amps (and deck) will almost always turn off before you get to a voltage that low anyhow. What I'm trying to say is, "Yes, do the battery as well, it'll perform better than your stocker, and the rest of the car will like it as well. The stocker is JUST what the car needs, it does not allow for additional accessories."

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."