1 farad cap.... charging system is still getting nailed

[kick Z tail out]

My previous system (two 800W amps and three 15"s) was in my Blazer. I didn't have any caps in there, and it dimmed the lights and everything, but for the most part it wasn't anything too much for the 350 and it's heavy charging system to handle. I wanted to add caps to it eventually, but never did, I ended up taking the stereo out before I had a chance.


Now, to the present day. I just got a little 92 Integra (1.8L) to be my commuter. I decided to put one of those old 800W amps in to drive one of my 15"s.

Knowing full well this tiny little Acura was going to be affected much more dramatically than my Blazer, I put a 1 farad cap in. My neighbor up the street (a pro that installs stereos all the time) wired everything up with me. We got everything running, and it doesn't seem to matter: the stereo lugs the RPM down, dims the lights a bit on low excursions and peaks.

Doesn't something seem wrong to you? :lol: I've seen much larger systems with caps that run without a single hint of a strained electrical system. Or is the cap helping, but not doing the job completely?

Anyway, he thinks it's possible that the ground from the cap isn't solid enough (but I'm pretty sure it's good) .... Opinions?

[anotherws6]

One thing I notice often when the ligths dim, people wire up overkill grounds, which is a good thing. But people always seem to neglect the ground running back into the battery. A ground is only as good as it's weakest link. Just a thought, I hope your problem is as simple as that.

[Cliff_J]

A cap needs to have a very low ESR in order to be effective, many caps have high ESRs.

A cap will help a little, but the size of cap really needed is 10x larger than most people purchase by the 'standard' bs that most people believe as fact.

The 60amp alternator (or whatever it has) is a large part of this issue, and the battery will be a factor as well. The inexpensive place to start is the grounds (including the chassis ground) and going on from there.

Cliff

[JTom]

Your cap is just a band aid for a poor electrical system. Your alternator isn't providing your amp with the current to run at its full potenial. So its trying to charge your battery, run the electonics in the car and trying to run that amp. Most hondas have very small batteries to begin with and just a big enough alternator to run what it was designed to. You should either look into getting your alternator rewound and/or upgrading the battery to a deep cycle.