Subs causing car to lose power

[bezz]

Ha no ****, I'm doing computer/electronic engineering at flinders, Adelaide's a small place hey. I'm in 4th year technically but i did 2nd year part time over 2 years so I'm halfway through 3rd year now. Trying to organise work exp for next semester atm.

 

[Denno]

Oh really? Well I started out in Computer/Electronic engineering in first year, did not like the electronics side at all, and changed to software in 2nd year (I love the electronics side now that I have actually found a real world use for it - in my car!!! haha). I f****d up 2nd year, failled too much, so I'm technically in my third year now, but just repeating the subjects I stuffed up last year lol. And yes, adelaide is a very very small place ha. I'd be doing just as you are now if I didn't stuff up last year, but work experience will have to wait til next year now...

Well I'm going to head to bed now mate, getting a little bit of rest before an exam is probably the right thing to do lol. I'll prob bump into you round the traps, and not know it haha. Good luck with the work experience.

 

[garfa]

I'm back!
Miss me Bezz???

Ok, too much stuff to read, so I can say that the problem is bad wiring.
1000Wrms is not much....... and as such should bnot effect the car at all (I know a stock vs with **** battery and alternator that has never been tested) has no problems with about 1600Wrms. No headlight dimming or anything.

Re wire the whole install.
Add the 3 magic grounds: engine to chassis/batt to chassis/batt to engine. use cable equal to/or bigger than pos sized cable.
Run ground from amp to the chassis. use a multimeter to find the best spot. I have had good results with the floor.
if all the above does not fix then run multiple grounds from the batt to the chassis floor.

 

[VrWagz1]

Your lights are a good indicator your wiring is not up to scratch on your amp
1. Amp cable to small
2. You havnt earthed it properly under a good bolt (with no paint)
3. You havnt upgraded you Batt- to chasis wire.
You can read a bit about it in this thread http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/car-audio/75062-dimming-lights.html

 

[Denno]

ok thanks garfa, I was about to come back on and say that playing with the gains did nothing lol. I had it set to jus under 1.5V (which I thought meant it wasn't amplifying the bass that much, so I changed it to be roughly 2 I think, not exactly sure as there is only a marking for 0.5V and thats it. Also, my Bass EQ level is turned all the wy to the left, and always was, so that wasn't a problem.
I was scared that it might be wiring, bcuz I have spent $170 on wires for it already...the guy at jaycar said I that because I have so much power running through my system, I should run the ground straight back to the negative, I was walking out thinking to myself, did I just get screwed over, and I have since come to realise.. Yes I did get screwed over . (theres a reply for VrWagz1, I have a perfect ground - the actual negative of the battery lol, which also means the wire going from my negative to chassis wouldn't be a factor either).
Also, I have used 4ga wire, as I asked in here, and I believe it was bezz who said it would be fine for what I was going to be running??
The book for theheaduit says I should run a 2ga wire from the battery to a distribution block, with a 4ga wire - no longer than 1m - to the power of the amp. The only reason I haven't done this is bcuz bezz said I should be fine..(http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/car-audio/75106-car-audio-wiring.html)
So to clairfy, I have 4ga running from positive on battery to power in amp, and 4ga running from ground on amp to negative of battery.

 

[dijm8]

luke how about you take the subs out problem solved lol

 

[Denno]

lol thankyou dani-el bahaha, but you have heard them, would you take them out if you were in my position?? No, thats what I thought haha. Now go to work

 

[bezz]

4ga should definitely be fine... if setting the gains did nothing I'd be looking at my grounding as garfa pointed out (how's it goin man?). Maybe if you ground the amp to the chassis in the boot, and use your excess 4ga to upgrade your ground points from your battery to car and other power wiring? Just seems odd you're getting all these troubles when you're really not running that much (that amp is fused for what, 100A max? 4ga is definitely ample!)

 

[Denno]

Yeah it is kinda weird ay. Would grounding it to the chassis really help though? I have an 80amp fuse in the fuse holder by the battery, protecting the wire, don't really think that mates bcuz thats just the amperage at which is blows right? And it hasn't blown yet so therefore I haven't been drawing or needing to draw more than that current. If this is wrong then I curse that bloody jaycar guy who told me to use the 80amp fuse to protect my amp, which yes, is fused at 100amp itself. I am just really out of idea's, not that I had many to begin with, but the troubles that everyone else is having and then finding solutions for, I don't think apply to me... Unless the fact that I am running the ground wire all the way back to the negative battery, therefore meaning the current only has 4ga of wire to run back on, whereas if I ground it to the chassis, then it's got the whole freaking car to roam about and find its way back to the negative termal..Would this be a factor?

 

[garfa]

Bezz! yeah really good. just bought a VYII SS! goes a bit better than the VS. lol! new job in procurement is kicking it too! urself?

Denno: OK mate, whats the amp grounded to? how long is the cable?