Headlights flicker when audio is turned up.

[zoiks]

Should I be replacing the battery or upgrading to a beefier alternator? The flickering is mostly caused by the bass of the subwoofer. I have a 1Farad cap somewhere at home that I could install but I think that probably isn't the solution. Any ideas?

 

[ehhhh]

You can upgrade the alternator but the point of the capacitor is to stop the dimming during heavy power usage. Install the cap and see how it goes.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: zoiks
Should I be replacing the battery or upgrading to a beefier alternator? The flickering is mostly caused by the bass of the subwoofer. I have a 1Farad cap somewhere at home that I could install but I think that probably isn't the solution. Any ideas?

Probably your alternator crapping out due to too much stress. A good battery *might* help, but if the battery is already good, you should think about getting a beefier alt.

The cap is just going to give the alternator something else to charge, putting even more load on it.

You could change the alternator out for something beefier, or even follow the "Big Three" method to see if it helps.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: zoiks
Should I be replacing the battery or upgrading to a beefier alternator? The flickering is mostly caused by the bass of the subwoofer. I have a 1Farad cap somewhere at home that I could install but I think that probably isn't the solution. Any ideas?

Probably your alternator crapping out due to too much stress. A good battery *might* help, but if the battery is already good, you should think about getting a beefier alt.

The cap is just going to give the alternator something else to charge, putting even more load on it.

You could change the alternator out for something beefier, or even follow the "Big Three" method to see if it helps.

I'll do take some readings on my DMM to figure it out. Dunno if I'll ending up changing the alternator though. I'm in the mood of replacing my Mazda6 with another car.

 

[ehhhh]

Is this a factory system or aftermarket?

 

[BlackTigers]

I came in here to recommend the Big Three. Should only run you $25 at most, and did a world of wonders for me. I don't dim now unless I have the car off. 😛

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: ehhhh
Is this a factory system or aftermarket?

Aftermarket. I added 2 amps, a sub, a new head unit and bluetooth.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: BlackTigers
I came in here to recommend the Big Three. Should only run you $25 at most, and did a world of wonders for me. I don't dim now unless I have the car off. 😛

Thanks for verifying the hack. Since I'm having the clutch changed soon, I'll have my mechanic do it for me. I'll get the wire however.

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

The cap is just going to give the alternator something else to charge, putting even more load on it.

A capacitor works sort of like a resivoir for current, allowing the occasional 20A pulses required by the amp to be powered by a continuous 2A from the alternator. Unless the capacitor has an unusually low DCR or wasn't built properly, it can't do any harm.

That said, if your lights are dimming continuously, it sounds like you either need better wiring or, more likely, a bigger alternator. Or you could perhaps consider moving to a more efficient subwoofer that makes the same noise with less power.

 

[SoulAssassin]

cap, if they are flickering when it's turned up as you say then your peak draw is too high, the cap will fix it and you already have it so why not?