Expert: Cleggsan - 8/15/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a D3 1000.1 Diamond Audio Amplifier, and 2 Alpine 10" Type-Rs in my 1999 Chevy Prizm.  At first, my lights would flicker whenever the sub woofers were pumping bass, but just recently, i noticed that only half of my voice coils were plugged into my sub woofers.  After i fixed that, the sub woofers were twice as loud, but it only lasted for about 3 days until my car wouldn't start.  Once i took the power wire out from my car battery, it started again.  I'm curious how i should approach this problem in a way that will not damage my car any further, but will still let my sub woofers play.  Thanks in advance.

ANSWER: You need a heavy duty alternator and an oversize battery (oversize in its electrical capacity - amp.hours).

The battery became discharged because of the heavy drain caused by the subs sucking up so much energy.  Perhaps your alternator is weak and needs replaced, as well.

Hope this helps. Let me know if there is more to the story.

C



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So you suggest i buy like a 100amp alternator and a new battery?

Answer
The D3 1000.1 amp when loaded with 1 ohm can put out 1000 watts.  With a 12v automotive system feeding it the drain on the battery system could peak up to 83 amps.  Under normal music it would be less than that but when you are pumping out lots of bass it draws heavily on the battery and, of course, the alternator must keep the battery charged up.

So, 100 amp alternator would not be unreasonable to go for.

Also, you should try a power cap.  They are quite expensive, but they sometimes smooth out the drain on the battery and give a good bass response improvement - either with or without the high output alternator.  You should use a 1 or 2 Farad power cap. They will cost around $100!!

Any more? Let me know.
C