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yea!!! get to change my oil by myself for the first time friday.

M

MikeMike

Lifer
yes, i know how to do it, im 17, and have seen and helped my dad many times. now hmmm, i think ill spend some extra time and grease every fitting, give it a good washing.

then maybe see if i can figure out the wires in my engine compartment so i can upgrade what is called the "big 3" in car audio. alt to batt, batt to ground, alt to ground. i just gotta figure out where my alt and batt ground are at, and wtf is goin on with my alt to batt power, it looks like its spliced into but im not sure.

i will be upgradeing it to 1/0 awg power wire 😀. i think this will keep my lights from dimming with my 1600 watts of power lol, right now i only have 1200 of it running, and they dim very little when im idle, but never when driving, however when i put my other 400 watts into it i think i will need this upgrade a little.

MIKE
 
wrenches on oil filter? nevar!!!!

hot oil might hurt a bit, but it is easiest and i hope it just all goes well. and nothing hits my 2 stitches on my left index finger

o yea, i helped my dad do my brakes too, and im still alive, i did 3 of them, he showed me how on the first 😀

MIKE
 
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
wrenches on oil filter? nevar!!!!

hot oil might hurt a bit, but it is easiest and i hope it just all goes well. and nothing hits my 2 stitches on my left index finger

o yea, i helped my dad do my brakes too, and im still alive, i did 3 of them, he showed me how on the first 😀

MIKE
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Yes, i can confirm that hot oil does indeed hurt. Especially when it spews out all over your face and chest. Do not underestimate the distance the engine can shoot oil. Go along, have fun now...
 
wear latex gloves (or whatever, dishwashing gloves work good) if you have stitches. No sense getting an infection

And don't worry if you do blow something up. That's normal, really.
 
Originally posted by: Staley8
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Just don't use an oil filter wrench to TIGHTEN the filter on like I did the first time 🙂
Click to expand...

Why not?
Click to expand...

It can compress the gasket too far and cause major leaking problems, or just make it a PITA to get off at best.
 
Originally posted by: Staley8
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Just don't use an oil filter wrench to TIGHTEN the filter on like I did the first time 🙂
Click to expand...

Why not?
Click to expand...
Because you won't be able to get it off again. You don't want to screw the threads up either, you'd be screwed.

 
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
yes, i know how to do it, im 17, and have seen and helped my dad many times. now hmmm, i think ill spend some extra time and grease every fitting, give it a good washing.

then maybe see if i can figure out the wires in my engine compartment so i can upgrade what is called the "big 3" in car audio. alt to batt, batt to ground, alt to ground. i just gotta figure out where my alt and batt ground are at, and wtf is goin on with my alt to batt power, it looks like its spliced into but im not sure.

i will be upgradeing it to 1/0 awg power wire 😀. i think this will keep my lights from dimming with my 1600 watts of power lol, right now i only have 1200 of it running, and they dim very little when im idle, but never when driving, however when i put my other 400 watts into it i think i will need this upgrade a little.

MIKE
Click to expand...

Why do your lights dim at idle? Sounds to me like your alternator isn't up to the task. If you have a power hungry audio system you might want to upgrade your alternator.
 
i dont have the money to do that right now. i will upgrade it if i get the money and if the upgrade of the power wires does not solve this problem. or if it decides to die, however i might get a different battery instead of new alt first. it is a 120 amp alt. and i can pull 150 amps max when i have both amps hooked up.

its just so much cheaper to change it by yourself.

MIKE
 
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
i dont have the money to do that right now. i will upgrade it if i get the money and if the upgrade of the power wires does not solve this problem. or if it decides to die, however i might get a different battery instead of new alt first. it is a 120 amp alt. and i can pull 150 amps max when i have both amps hooked up.

its just so much cheaper to change it by yourself.

MIKE
Click to expand...

Well, if your audio system is pulling more power than your alternator puts out a bigger wire isn't going to solve your problem. When your lights dim like that it is because your alternator isn't putting out enough power and you are draining your battery. You will go through batteries like crazy until you upgrade your alternator.
 
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
yes, i know how to do it, im 17, and have seen and helped my dad many times. now hmmm, i think ill spend some extra time and grease every fitting, give it a good washing.

then maybe see if i can figure out the wires in my engine compartment so i can upgrade what is called the "big 3" in car audio. alt to batt, batt to ground, alt to ground. i just gotta figure out where my alt and batt ground are at, and wtf is goin on with my alt to batt power, it looks like its spliced into but im not sure.

i will be upgradeing it to 1/0 awg power wire 😀. i think this will keep my lights from dimming with my 1600 watts of power lol, right now i only have 1200 of it running, and they dim very little when im idle, but never when driving, however when i put my other 400 watts into it i think i will need this upgrade a little.

MIKE
Click to expand...

Why do your lights dim at idle? Sounds to me like your alternator isn't up to the task. If you have a power hungry audio system you might want to upgrade your alternator.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing... new cables aren't going to do anything unless the ones you have now you took out of a 1977 Bronco that was sitting in a field for 14 years and has a tree growing up through the engine compartment and a family of racoons living in it.
 
no, the problem with the wires could be that they are to small. they look no bigger than 12 ga. wires from my alt to batt.

also, if i upgraded the battery, to like an optima yellow top, it should keep my lights from dimming, but thats only if i take my battery and kill it, or dont feel like using the warranty from walmart on their batteries (hey, i kill them, they replace for free 😀). and even with my stereo off, i can see that my lights seem to dim a lil when idle, not just like intermittently, but just a drop in brightness, although this may be because my alt is a refurb'd one, and was prolly rewound, and might not put out as much power as it should at idle.

MIKE
 
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
no, the problem with the wires could be that they are to small. they look no bigger than 12 ga. wires from my alt to batt.

also, if i upgraded the battery, to like an optima yellow top, it should keep my lights from dimming, but thats only if i take my battery and kill it, or dont feel like using the warranty from walmart on their batteries (hey, i kill them, they replace for free 😀). and even with my stereo off, i can see that my lights seem to dim a lil when idle, not just like intermittently, but just a drop in brightness, although this may be because my alt is a refurb'd one, and was prolly rewound, and might not put out as much power as it should at idle.

MIKE
Click to expand...

That's definitely an alternator problem. If you get a new battery it will appear to be fine for a while but that's because the battery is running your lights at idle. How much would a good alternator set you back? Probably a better investment up front than all the time, money and hassle spent replacing wires and batteries.

One other thought, do you have aftermarket pulleys installed on the car? This can underdrive your alternator at idle with the same results. What kind of car do you have?
 
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
no, the problem with the wires could be that they are to small. they look no bigger than 12 ga. wires from my alt to batt.

also, if i upgraded the battery, to like an optima yellow top, it should keep my lights from dimming, but thats only if i take my battery and kill it, or dont feel like using the warranty from walmart on their batteries (hey, i kill them, they replace for free 😀). and even with my stereo off, i can see that my lights seem to dim a lil when idle, not just like intermittently, but just a drop in brightness, although this may be because my alt is a refurb'd one, and was prolly rewound, and might not put out as much power as it should at idle.

MIKE
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So it's a result of a crappy alternator and a crappy isntallation of the stereo... I'd go back to the place that installed it and demand they fix the problem.
 
its a 98 jimmy, not a ricemobile if thats what your thinking 😉

i have been told by people who are in the car audio hobby, that upgrading the wires can help, although it might just mask it, i like masking it, rather than having it. its not like i need to go out and buy more wire, i already have about 10' of 1/0 awg wire laying around my house, and a good amount of 1/0 connectors. all i would need to get is split loom.

also, a new battery, such as the yellow top, is a deep cycle, putting out a good amt of cca's and should be able to keep up the load, and shouldnt be damaged by my car pulling all the power out of it.

jeff, i installed it, i have 1/0 running from my batt to a distro, with a dual run of 8 goin from there to my 1200 watt amp, and a run of 1/0 to my ground for the amp. and then a run of 8 ga to my 400 watt amp, and 8 ga. to ground. i am talking about from my alternator to battery. its an aftermarket, stock alt.

MIKE
 
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
its a 98 jimmy, not a ricemobile if thats what your thinking 😉

i have been told by people who are in the car audio hobby, that upgrading the wires can help, although it might just mask it, i like masking it, rather than having it. its not like i need to go out and buy more wire, i already have about 10' of 1/0 awg wire laying around my house, and a good amount of 1/0 connectors. all i would need to get is split loom.

also, a new battery, such as the yellow top, is a deep cycle, putting out a good amt of cca's and should be able to keep up the load, and shouldnt be damaged by my car pulling all the power out of it.

jeff, i installed it, i have 1/0 running from my batt to a distro, with a dual run of 8 goin from there to my 1200 watt amp, and a run of 1/0 to my ground for the amp. and then a run of 8 ga to my 400 watt amp, and 8 ga. to ground. i am talking about from my alternator to battery. its an aftermarket, stock alt.

MIKE
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Not at all. I had a '94 Mustang with underdrive pulleys on it and the lights would dim at idle. I had stock stereo in it too. I went through 3 batteries in the 4 years I owned that car and I know it was because of the pulleys. A battery should last at least 3-4 years especially in Southern California!

I'm not sure but could you damage your audio components if they don't get the juice they need?
 
the lowest i have seen my volt guage on my car drop is to right under 14 when running. and it stays around 12 volts when powered off.

MIKE
 
jeff, i installed it, i have 1/0 running from my batt to a distro, with a dual run of 8 goin from there to my 1200 watt amp, and a run of 1/0 to my ground for the amp. and then a run of 8 ga to my 400 watt amp, and 8 ga. to ground. i am talking about from my alternator to battery. its an aftermarket, stock alt.
Click to expand...

The biggest mistake people make with "phat systems" is not using the correct guage wire. Anything that carries current for the stereo needs to be upgraded when you have a 1200 watt amp like your's. In my 18 months at college, I made about $3500 installing, and correcting the installation of stereos in cars at about $100 a pop... and this was at an automotive college!
I can't tell you how many idiots rigged it up to get their stereo working not considering any negative side effects... I've seen pieces of bent metal used in places of fuses, I've seen fuse taps with a 2 inch length of wire used to bypass a blown fuse, I've seen wires stuck to the firewall because the insulation melted, I've seen carpet melted where a wire ran underneath it, I've seen wires that were soldered together melt the solder and break the connection.
I'm not calling you an idiot, but it's insane what people try to get away with... I was always tought to do things right, or don't do them at all... never half ass something. You SHOULD have changed all the wiring that carries current to your amp... but since you didn't, you should now =)
 
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