So folks today I got constructive and decided to try something a little different. I have 4g coming off the battery to a d-block that steps down to 8g wire to the two amps.... one amp was 300rms and the other was 700rms. The 700rms would cut out on any decent high volume with a deep bass hit.... Today I decided to double the run of 8g wire from the d-block to the amp... successfully making a 4g run to the 700rms amp... I was actually out of 4g wire so I used that extra 8g wire that I had laying around. I am really curious, this has actually lowered the times my amp has cut out to zero. I have played the amp all night tonight while cruising around downtown at pretty high volumes with songs that would cut the amp out before at the same volume, and tonight after putting the extra run of wire in, its stopped cutting out...


Could this solve the problem?? Or am I just being buzzed from the night of drinking tonight?

I still need to do the big 3 upgrade, and a H.O. Alt, I'm am working with Iraggi right now to get me out a 220a for a fair price.

 

when you added that extra wire, did you also fuse that wire? or was one 8 gauge fused with that 80 amp AGU, and the other just a straight wire?

 

That wire follows the same path as the original.... meaning each amp is fused on its own. Basically the original wire goes from the dblock to a fuse from there to the amp. I just cut the extra wire and matched that same run to the same fuse. Two wires going in one fuse two leaving the other side of said fuse one power Jack in the amp. Make sense?

 

oh so from the d block, two 8 gauge wires, both running to one AGU fuse, then 2 wires from that fuse to the amp input?

 

correct, for some reason, it has lowered the cutting out... as soon as I get some 4g I'll run it to the amp properly.. this is a temporary fix though... the manual says the amp needs a 4g wire to it.. I can confirm though that I am getting some voltage drops down to the low 11's high 10s when the amp does cut out... which it has since then but with some heavy playing... it makes me wonder that the amp might actually be capable of blowing that JL sub...

 

It sounds to me that the 700w rms amp was cutting out when connected with 8g wire, and it stopped cutting out when it was wired with 4g wire?
Thats what happens. Different sized wire is essentially meant for different sized power loads. If you use too little wire, it can cause cut outs, and some times blown fuses or even shorts.
According to the12volt.com (a site I often visit), a 700w draw of power needs 4g wiring if you use more than 4 ft of wiring (unless your amp is mounted within a foot of the firewall, most likely your using at least 4 feet).
Since you have a total power draw of 1,000w rms (700+300), I would use between 2 to 4 gauge from battery to first terminal of the d-block, followed by a true 4g sized wire to both amps (or at minimum, 4g to the 700w amp, and 8g to the 300w amp) off of the block.
This will minimize any electrical problems.
Also, you shouldn't really have to worry about a new alt if all your running is a 1000w system. If your really worried about it, just use a 1F Cap.
PM me if you have any questions

 

A clear and concise answer I like it thanks ; I am really sad that my block accepts 4g on one side and only 8g on the other, so I am going to have trim the wires down on the 4g wire to make it fit...

Question, say I get a cap, once its lost the charge, how long does it take for the alt to recharge the cap? Would it be safe to get two caps vs one? so that when one loses its charge, there is another one to back it up? I have also heard that Caps act as a filter is this true?

 

better not trim the 4 gauge! then you might as well still be running 8 gauge! better to get a new d-block or just drill out the current one. I did that with one of my d-blocks for 2 gauge in a 4 gauge input. and i dont think the capacitor will lose its charge overnight...

what i highly suggest you do though is get an all in one fused d-block. little more money than a regular d-block, but it looks better and they are usually better quality. dont get agu fuses again though....

something like this would be perfect:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Metra+-+...=1218088670615

or this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/DB+Link+...&skuId=9035714

 

going to ebay lol

 

Ya you should definately get a fused d-block. itll make your install look a lot more professional, and if theres a short it will be easier to replace the fuse because they will all be in one spot.
One capacitor is more than enough for a 1,000w system, so I cannot think of any reason why you would need two (if you decide to go with a higher wattage system you could always get a higher grade cap, for example, a 2 farad cap as opposed to a 1 farad).
If your cap drains out, then you can always recharge it, it should take less than 5 minutes.
Also, the alt doesn't directly charge the cap. Capacitors are charged by being in a completed circuit.