after big three less voltage

[mmacleod1983]

Lights were dimming during bass, been like this since I installed 2nd amp for subs

checked alt and was getting 14.10-14.21 volts several months ago

when radio and a/c were on it dropped between 13.78-14.01 volts

had some 2 awg welding lead and did the big three upgrade today

noticed battery had fluid coming out of fill caps and quite a bit of corrosion on the negative terminal

cleaned it all up took to autozone battery tested fine and showed 975 cranking amps

now my battery indicator on my dash has slowly been pointing more towards negative

not much but it used to point more towards positive

bass seems to distort at volume levels it used to play fine at.

I checked the voltage with accessories off and get 13.78- 13.90 volts

no voltage drop with radio on or accessories

but why am I not getting the 14.41 I used to get?

This is a 2004 ram with the 136 amp stock alternator

running 1000 watts rms on subs and 300 watts rms on highs

Is my alternator on the fritz?

I have been wanting to upgrade to a 275 amp alt I found on ebay but figured i'd wait to see if the big three would solve problem

maybe ive done this alternator in by beating on it too long???

The battery is a cheap mastercraft battery, but I think its the battery not getting enough juice from the alternator.

Any suggestions are appreciated before I drop the $300 to upgrade alternator and battery

thanks in advance

[reedal]

Did you or anyone else put some distilled water into the battery to replace the fluid lost?

Alternator could be going. It wouldn't hurt getting a larger alt that is more likely to supply the current your truck and aftermarket equipment need together, but it might not be your fix.

I think it's your battery. I'd replace that, grab a new alt, and I'd think your voltage would be around 14.4 again. When you did your big 3, did you add the welding wire to the existing connections, or remove the old stuff and replace it with the welding wire?

[mmacleod1983]

I added wire to alternator one ground to engine block and one ground to side of truck frame near battery

so added 2 grounds to existing electrical and 1 positve to existing where positive bolts onto alternator

and he checked fluid levels with bulb type baster looking thing and said levels were fine

and my alternator may be having voltage surges which could cause the fluid to boil over

but mastercraft batteries were known for this

so it probably is the battery, but he assured me it was fine and the alternator was fine

but what does he know about car stereos?

NOTHING!

[reedal]

I don't trust autozone for shit except cleaning supplies, because they're cheaper there but the people who work at every auto zone I've been to either don't know shit, or only know how to change the oil which is enough to make them store manager. I'd either fill that battery up, or get a new one (I'd get the new one personally, an AGM, that way no more spills)

[SnowDrifter]

Voltage went down after cleaning your battery?

To verify your before/after readings were carried out at the alt, correct?

[kandiman71874]

Voltage output on your alternator will also decrease as the thermal temp of your alt goes up FYI.

[mmacleod1983]

the voltage was tested in several places

showed the same voltage

between 13.78- 13.91 roughly

I turned on A/C and cranked the system and voltage stayed the same

Several months ago I tested the system after installing my second amp and voltage showed 14.01-14.11 respectively...

My lights began to dim and dash lights would dim on my way to work and in the afternoon after work and after a hot afternoon with no lights my system seemed to distort at the same volume

this is when I noticed that my voltage indicator on my dash began pointing slightly toward the "L" rather than the "H'

not much but it always pointed about an 1/8th of an inch toward a positive charge

now it stays about an 1/8th of an inch pointed towards the negative

So I decided to do the big three today hoping I would see a voltage increase on the dash

After the upgrade I checked voltage at amp, at battery and at the alternator

all showed less than 14 volts which never used to happen. even with the stereo at full volume

I am still getting a charge from my alternator but only around 13.78-13.91 volts

I havent driven the truck at night yet to see if my lights are dimming but I can definitely tell that my amp is clipping at the normal volume I play my system at

My amps are rated for 500 watts rms each and my subs handle 350 rms so its obviously having a voltage drop somewhere because the subs are clipping without a change to my gain settings. which are currently set about 1/3 of the way up.

my highs are not as crisp and mid bass response has gone to shit.

I know 1-2 volts doenst seem like much but it has to be the alternator or my battery in my opinion

Voltage output on your alternator will also decrease as the thermal temp of your alt goes up FYI.

[mmacleod1983]

I don't trust autozone for shit except cleaning supplies, because they're cheaper there but the people who work at every auto zone I've been to either don't know shit, or only know how to change the oil which is enough to make them store manager. I'd either fill that battery up, or get a new one (I'd get the new one personally, an AGM, that way no more spills)

what battery do you suggest?

I am not interested in spending $300 for a battery.

a 250 amp alternator is $135 on Ebay for my model

so I would like to spend $165 on a battery

Any suggestions?

I told the wife it was going to be a $300 fix so that is my budget

[mmacleod1983]

This is what I was looking to replace my current battery and alternator with...

Its only two 10's and three amps. total rms output around 1300-1500 watts rms

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Kinetik-HC1200-BLU-1200-Watt-12V-High-Current-AGM-Car-Battery-Power-Cell-/291556252996?hash=item43e21b5d44&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alternator-Dodge-Ram-Durango-250-AMP-Generator-3-7-4-7-NEW-/252124060023?vxp=mtr

[Lakeshow94]

This is what I was looking to replace my current battery and alternator with...

Its only two 10's and three amps. total rms output around 1300-1500 watts rms

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Kinetik-HC1200-BLU-1200-Watt-12V-High-Current-AGM-Car-Battery-Power-Cell-/291556252996?hash=item43e21b5d44&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alternator-Dodge-Ram-Durango-250-AMP-Generator-3-7-4-7-NEW-/252124060023?vxp=mtr

No 250 amp alternator is that cheap. Not a quality one anyways. If it does do rated output it will probably be around 3000 rpms. Look at brands such as dc, singer, mechman. You'd probably be better off buying a new stock alt vs a cheap "ho". As for the battery kinetik isn't bad, they are good for the price