Battery not strong enough

[bertrum]

I don't think it's car related. Im running 1000W amp in my 1.4, no power issues at all.... maybe the SLIGHTEST of light dimming but that's at full whack! I do have a 1 Farad Capacitor - although I've been advised to remove as it isn't really required - apparently!

Im using a seatbelt bolt for ground also.

What gauge cable are you using?

 

[andycupra]

not really. Wasnt sure if it was subwoofer related or car related. Should one of the mods move the thread there you think?

you have said yourself earlier in this thread that the exact same thing happened in your previous car when you used the sub woofer..

Im not sure by previous posts that the earth has been prepared correctly.
Can you confirm how you did the earth connection, its very important that you get a good earth connection.
(ie scrape off/sand down any paint so its metal on metal connection, with an earth cable that is fairly short and is of a thickness that is capable of doing the job).

Mind you the amp isnt exactly powerful and should be causing any issues. Any mates got a different amp you coud try, as this may eliminate or highlight amp issues.

I would say that moving this thread or asking the ICE section will likely lead to more informative answers.

I also presume that you have used the appropriate remote wires etc so its not on all the time.

 

[shox]

Yeah i had some dimming on the previous car as well, but the other car didnt popup fault messages coz there was no ECU

The earth connection comes from the default subwoofer ground cable. shortened even more than the default lenth and attached to the seatbelt metal "holder" which is pure metal. I had the same setup in the other car as well. I have tried setting a screw down the chassis but then i got errors from the ECU for intermittent power , thats when i moved it to the seatbelt holder.

The sub is pre-amped, and im using an the default front speakers and 2 extra back speakers (150W each).
Ive never used an amp.

Wires are all default sub cables (came with the sub) and fused properly...

 

[shox]

ok i got the capacitor in today. Gonna install it tonight.

found this guide: http://www.squidoo.com/caraudiocapacitor

you guys think its good? anything else i should know?

thanks!

 

[shox]

Installed the cap today:

Now let see what happens!

 

[Rittzy]

I run a 1800 watt kenwood amp and two pioneer subs in mine and only really dims my light when car sitting on idle. I have a capacitor but they don't really do much but do look kinda cool!

Amp is rated max 60 amps, 1.2 ibiza is something like 44amps an hour thats with running fuel injectors and other things. I can only put my amp up a certain level before it cuts off because it cant recieve enough power but i dont need it any louder.

Look into the alternator and battery, its all ok to say what volts its putting out but check its ampage too just to make sure it wouldnt be the wiring because if the wiring was too small then the amp wouldnt get anough power resulting in the lights not dimming.

Good luck

 

[shox]

I run a 1800 watt kenwood amp and two pioneer subs in mine and only really dims my light when car sitting on idle. I have a capacitor but they don't really do much but do look kinda cool!

Amp is rated max 60 amps, 1.2 ibiza is something like 44amps an hour thats with running fuel injectors and other things. I can only put my amp up a certain level before it cuts off because it cant recieve enough power but i dont need it any louder.

Look into the alternator and battery, its all ok to say what volts its putting out but check its ampage too just to make sure it wouldnt be the wiring because if the wiring was too small then the amp wouldnt get anough power resulting in the lights not dimming.

Good luck

thanks for the advice. Yeah the lights are going dimmy when im idle not when im moving. So far i have no problems, but who nows lets wait and see!

 

[mouse1989]

im running a £4000 soundsystem which goes in excess of 140db and my car is starting to feel the pain.

also got standard battery atm, which is ok since increasing the power, i now have to leave the car running otherwise it just dies.

also, the alternater kicks in quite abit so need to replace that at some point.

power caps dont do alot tbh.. when i was running my old system with not so much power it was good. but now the power cap is useless.

 

[shox]

im running a £4000 soundsystem which goes in excess of 140db and my car is starting to feel the pain.

also got standard battery atm, which is ok since increasing the power, i now have to leave the car running otherwise it just dies.

also, the alternater kicks in quite abit so need to replace that at some point.

power caps dont do alot tbh.. when i was running my old system with not so much power it was good. but now the power cap is useless.

have you considered an extra battery??

 

[mouse1989]

yup.. looking at red tops and yellow tops at the moment. any experience with these batteries before?

 

[shox]

yup.. looking at red tops and yellow tops at the moment. any experience with these batteries before?

nop, not really. Someone else around here prolly does tho =)

 

[mouse1989]

ahh ok. well ill try and find some info, but iv heard that you'll notice a big difference staright away.

probably shoud of got a better battery in the first place. oops

 

[Lazy Jack]

Usually light dimming is down to earths.

My car is standard but I still notice the lights dimming sometimes.

To fix this you need to do "The Big 3" in your engine bay. I can't remember what connections it is exactly but upgrading these with thicker wires should get rid of the dimming.

Also make sure your amp earth is suitable.

If you need more help pop over to the talkaudio forums (google it) and they will help you out with all the audio information you could ever need.

 

[xpa]

Lights dimming is just the alternator 'catching up' with the surge in power. I hate to put this so bluntly but if 60W RMS is doing that to your car i would get the batter and alternator checked, halfords will do it for free. A standard alt/batt setup can normally take around 1000W RMS before starting to have issues, so you really shouldnt be having any issues there.
As for upgrading cables, really, dont as you will not need to lol. If the issue is solved by the cap then fair enough, put that may just be masking up the real problem by helping surges.
I would get it checked though..

xpa

 

[shox]

thanks for the advice guys. i will have the bat and alternator checked to make sure.

 

[shox]

update:

had the problem appearing again today. Vag-com'd the car and here are the fault codes:

Control Module Part Number: 036 906 034 DG
Component and/or Version: MARELLI 4MV G 5953
Software Coding: 00071
Work Shop Code: WSC 06402
Additional Info: VSSZZZ6LZ7R020747 SEZ7Z0F3492471

2 Faults Found:
17550 - Load Calculation Cross Check: Lower Limit Exceeded
P1142 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
17961 - Barometric / Manifold Pressure Signals: Implausible Correlation
P1553 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent

Control Module Part Number: 6Q0 907 379 AF
Component and/or Version: ABS 8.0 front H04 0002
Software Coding: 0002181
Work Shop Code: WSC 06402
2 Faults Found:
01314 - Engine Control Module
013 - Check DTC Memory - Intermittent
18265 - Load Signal: Error Message from ECU
P1857 - 000 - - - Intermittent

Anyone??