Higgity Hank

Okay, this is for everyone with dimming lights, cutting bass, and other electrical system problems that people say "Get a cap" "You need a cap" "Cap this" "Hey, go cap yoursel-.... But I digress.

Supplies Needed:

• A few feet of 4ga or heavier wire
• Ring ends for the wire
• A few wrenches
• About 15 minutes

Wiring:

• Engine Block to Frame
• Frame to Negitive Terminal on Batt
• Alternator Output to Battery Positive

First we'll deal with the ground wires, which are the most important for solving the problems inherent with a large audio system. You'll want to put one of the ends on your wire, then measure from a bolt (any bolt you like, I used the engine lifting bolt at the front left of the engine myself) to the frame of the car. Cut the wire to the appropriate length, and put on another ring terminal. Undo the bolts you'll be using, and put the ring around them. Bolt them back down.

You've just taken care of one of the big three.

Next, repeat the process with a wire from the frame of the car to the negative terminal on the battery. Don't worry about the stock grounding wires, just add this one on.

The third of the big three is the most difficult, and isn't really needed if you're using the stock alternator. If you choose to upgrade this wire, you'll want to follow the stock alternator from the output of the alternator and connect it to the positive terminal of the battery.


There you have it. A very simple mod that will help with most dimming, etc. problems

If I can find my digicam, I'll post some pics, but it's really nothing exciting.

cupOZnj

good post hank.

jennz03

iTrader: (14)

kind of off topic..but i just got my speakers and sub and amp is on the way, what kind of wires do you recommend? I have no idea what wires to get, can you help me?

bobaab

iTrader: (5)

is it ok to connect the engine block directly to the negative terminal of the battery?

cupOZnj

the negative terminal of the battery is not an earth ground. it is better to connect directly to an earth ground (ie chassis grounding point).

as for jennz03....
what do you mean what "kind" of wires? if you want my honest opinion, go to home depot, pick out some power wire (plain old 8 gauge stranded), ground wire (should be same gauge as power, just get like a different color), remote turn on wire (smaller gauge, maybe 12 or so), and a bunch of speaker wire (16gauge aughtta do it). as for signal, if you have aftermarket headunit, go to radio shack and get some gold plated rca cables.

if you have no idea what i'm talking about, if you don't know what i'm talking about, you need to do some research on the internet about car stereo installation. it's probably a good idea anyways just to learn how everything works.

Higgity Hank

Actually, it's fine to ground the engine block straight to the negative terminal. We're not talking an "Earth ground" here cup... the whole thing is contained. Remember, the rubber tires keep the car a closed system. The only problem with grounding the engine directly is the extra wire involved, and the messy wiring.

Other than those 2 points, go for it.


As to which wire to get, I really like the product I recieved from www.knukonceptz.com

Good prices, fast shipping, and a quality product make them worth checking out. My car is done in their 0/1 ga.

Zeeshan

iTrader: (6)

im gonna have to disagree with ya im running 8 guage depot wires right now, and my system got hella louder when i stuck it in my friends civic with 4 guage wiring. im upgrading to 4 guage. depot wirings alright as a temporary, or else just spend the $30 and get a good amp wiring kit. this is the one im gonna get.... http://www.knukonceptz.com/detail.asp?product_id=KOLAK4

Higgity Hank

There are multiple reasons it got louder. Not just the 4ga wiring.

1. Difference in transfer function
2. Difference in cabin space
3. Difference in airflow.

All of these things have a huge effect on acoustics, realize it or not. If you want a loud car, get a hatchback or an SUV. You're not gonna get "hella loud" in a car with a trunk unless you pony up some serious bucks, or know your **** for real.

4 gauge wiring will do nothing for you if you're not drawing a lot of amperage. Plain and simple. 8ga is plenty for most street beating systems, especially those under and up to about 700wrms.

cupOZnj

yes hank, you could hook it up to the negative terminal of the battery....but in my professional opinion it would be better to bypass the battery and go directly to a grounding point on the chassis.

cupOZnj

http://www.electronixwarehouse.com/e...s/wiresize.htm

http://www.electronixwarehouse.com/e...er-ratings.htm

http://www.electronixwarehouse.com/e...fiers/main.htm

the more you know......

"Note that amplifiers, like light bulbs only consume watts when they are actually creating sound in speakers. For this reason, no matter what the capacity of the amplifier and woofer, normal room volume will, on average, only need about 5 to 10 watts for sound thought to be loud. The rest of the extra ten to thousand watts are used only in creating deep loud bass."