Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio Prob with new System (kinda long)

the amps seem to loose power with a very noticeable drop in volume. It is temporary but VERY anoying to me,not to mention possibly damageing. I have a capacitor and am wondering if it is possible that it is not chargin properly. After a while of running everthing seems fine. Any help would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks
Mike A

My friend had the same problem with his capacitor and it turned out it was not grounded properly. I would make sure that the amp and the capacitor and grouned well, HTH.

Thanks, that is a definate possibility. I am going to check the ground and all my soldered areas tomorrow. I hope that takes care of it, it is soooooo frustrating to me.
Mike A

------------------
'99 SE Duratec with 5spd
DTM muffler (sorry guys)
Resonator removed
3 JL 10W0s driven with Fosgate 500a2
Boston Acoustics RC520 components up front with Boston Coaxial in back driven with RF 400aIV
ST200 wheels still waiting on tires

Mike, it may be worth checking the battery. I understand you have a 99 but you never know. Check the connections at the battery too. I have a battery in the trunk along with the one in the OE spot and have NO problems. A cap is perfect for your setup but I have much more electrical stuff, which is why I need it. I love it as I can jump big trucks from the front or the rear.

HTH John

i redid my ground today, it looked kind of bad. It seemed to eliminate the problem until I drove with the rear defroster on. It caused similiar things to happen and with it one led to the volume drop with slight throttle. Maybe a new optima battery or check some more connections?
Thanks ya'll
any more ideas would be great!

------------------
'99 SE Duratec with 5spd
DTM muffler (sorry guys)
Resonator removed
3 JL 10W0s driven with Fosgate 500a2
Boston Acoustics RC520 components up front with Boston Coaxial in back driven with RF 400aIV
ST200 wheels still waiting on tires

HOW ABOUT A BIGGER ALTERNATOR?

What size power wire are you using? What size fuses? Are the wires hot after extended use? What about the amps? Ground should definitly be checked. Use an ohm meter to check the resistance between the ground on your distribution block to a chassis ground point (like a seat mount bolt or something). Should be minimal resistance. What size cap?

I am running 4awg from the battery to my cap and then more 4 gage from the cap to the distribution block. 8 gage is then run to each amp and from the amps to ground. My ground is slightly unconventional. From the cap to the ground DB I have 4 gage. Grounding the DB is two 8 gage wires that come together at one large ground lug. Would it be better to use the 4 gage to groudn the DB and the 8 gage to gorund the cap? The current fuse is a 60 amp glass fuse. I hope this is a clear explanation.
You guys are helping alot, I appreciate all the responses.
Thanks
Mike

------------------
'99 SE Duratec with 5spd
DTM muffler (sorry guys)
Resonator removed
3 JL 10W0s driven with Fosgate 500a2
Boston Acoustics RC520 components up front with Boston Coaxial in back both pairs driven with RF 400aIV with a lightening audio cap
ST200 wheels still waiting on tires

Did you charge the cap before using it? Ground is just as important as power wire, it is neccesary to keep the power flowing. If you are using 4G to the cap then use 4G as the ground. If it still doesn't work, get the battery checked (check the acid strength level and the water level) If the problem persists, get the amp looked at too.

The Honkeytonk
Monkey

I did charge the cap before I installed. I am starting to think that I did not solder my ring terminals well enough. I was just using a regular iron instead of a high wattage soldering gun. I did however use the high power gun to solder my ring terminal to the main power wire.
In the future I will be using some non soldering type, most likely the center pin style, I would suggest the same to anyone else building a system.
Thanks again for all the help guys, I really need it.
Mike

------------------
'99 SE Duratec with 5spd
DTM muffler (sorry guys)
Resonator removed
3 JL 10W0s driven with Fosgate 500a2
Boston Acoustics RC520 components up front with Boston Coaxial in back both pairs driven with RF 400aIV with a lightening audio cap
ST200 wheels still waiting on tires