Im running two 10"W6 JL in ported bass cannon tubes (I replacd the bazooka subs with JL subs) kicker 350.2 bridged to one channel for subs and kicker 350.4 for top end, my headlights are dimming when my system plays so I want to add a capacitor but I need some capacitor hookup help to try fix this problem, do I hookup up the capacitor before the power distribution box that goes to both my amps or do I hookup the capacitor to only subs amp. What additional hardware needs to be purchased in order to hookup a capacitor, also does a amp draw more power from the battery when it is bridged. I just purchased a 600.1 mono block kicker that I plan to hookup if bridging the 350.2 might be adding to my power draw problems.

 

A little help please.

 

if you havent bought the capacitor yet DONT!!!!!!!

your best bet is to first upgrade your ground wires to AT LEAST 4gauge!!!! the factory wire is only like 6-8gauge and your amplifier kit is 4gauge most likely... so obviously you need to upgrade the ground wires to at least 4gauge.
its called the big 3 upgrade.
upgrade the ground wire from the battery to the body, then from the body to the tranny, and then from the radiator support to the front block..
second upgrade is upgrade alternators charging wire to 4gauge also.

other things you can do is well the easiest... buy a better battery!
and another way is get 2 batteries both brand new and put the second battery in the trunk sealed in a box if not a sealed battery.

but the ONLY WAY TO FIX THE REAL PROBLEM IS "UPGRADE YOUR ALTERNATOR TO A HIGH POWER UNIT"!!!!!



a capacitor sucks. it only slightly hides the issue while starving your amplifier while recharging. a cap can charge and discharge instantly but its still crap. only newbies use capacitors... not to be rude just letting you know caps are crap! please dont waste your money on one!!!!!!!!

your lights are dimming because 1st of all your stock wires are not large enough to handle the extra electronics you add to the vehicle. if you upgrade the charging and ground wires that will typicaly help alot of dimming!!!!!
and if thats not enough and you dont want to buy a expensive high power alternator then its best to upgrade the battery to something with more power.... alot of the time it could be your battery is just old and cannt hold that much power.... or its just cheap and has a low cranking power/reserve. and for the price of a capacitor you could buy a second battery which will give you more reserve power... it should help from dimming as much depending on how much power your using...
but best way is to really fix the problem..... buy a high power alternator along with your wire upgrades. that will cure the true problem!

remember your stock alternator is only like 70amps..... and that was designed for the cars factory electronics and not much more.....

 

Would a yellow or red top optima battery fix this problem if I didnt upgrade my ground and alternator wires. Im looking for a quick instant fix, I would upgrade my ground wires later.

 

well not sure what year civic you have BUT i know for a 96-00 civic a yellow top D34/78 will fit in stock location with alittle modification... very minor 2 slices on the battery case, and flip over the plastic tray or something since the battery is larger than the battery case
i just flipped mine and havent had any problem.




the two small cuts on both sides of the battery is to clear the AC lines on the firewall and the front one is to clear the upper control arm bolt. very easy and battery is still sealed. i love this battery. my old one lasted about 5years even with repeatedly FULLY DRAINING THE BATTERY... old truck with alarm system parked for along time with it always using power.. i bought another one earilier this year.... when it went bad. still works great.

BUT if you dont upgrade the ground wiring at least it wont do any good!!!!!! try slaping a tiny power wire on your amplifier and seeing how good the amplifier works that way... trust me it wont work to well! upgrade the main ground wire at least!!!! to at least 4gauge wire.... 4gauge amplfiier wire works just fine. just buy a amplifier wire or what not and buy a cheap battery terminal and hook it up.

ive upgraded mine ALOT tho it was not cheap.... thats some fat @ss 1/0gauge wire! i got ruffly 150bucks in just battery terminals... not including the wires cost... if your trying to be cheap buy some welding cable.... its just plain black but works just fine.


BUT if you want to cheap out and looks dont matter to you. you can always do it cheap


and yes i have reversed my battery terminals... the factory ground is on the outter passenger side. i only switched it because i didnt like the sticker on the battery upsidedown.

 

im a little more impressed with u after seeing this addiction.

To the original poster - Make sure that your grounds on your amps are good in the first place, thats the first place to look. as the last poster said, big 3 is a good way to go and a better battery, i prefer kenetic, will be even better. Kenetic batteries actually have a built in cap and are made for the purpose of car electronics. 2 batteries isnt easy to do, and high output alternator is the best thing u could do if u are serious, but if u do get a high output alternator, u might as well do the big 3 and get a better battery. reason being, same thing with speaker wire, if u have these great speakers and u have a great amp.... dont run 50 gage wire to your speakers, duhhhh.

Caps - forever i thought caps were complete crap, i didnt believe in them... but recently i had a rep from MTX come in and talk to me and he explained to me that inside of amps.... are a TON of caps...... at the very least, they are good for a back up, they dont hurt. i dont have one in my car.

just your grounds and make sure they are solid if u do wana use a cap, it will go between your distribution block and your amp for your sub. your lights dim only because ur sup and the massive spikes in power they create when they pull for those big notes.

 

I replaced my stock 1997 civic battery with a Kinetik HC 1400 and only did 2 of the Big 3, grounds only. I figured the stock wire from the alternator to the battery should be enough to handle the maximum amperage the alternator can deliver to the electrical system anyhow. When the alternator craps out, I will replace it with a HO alternator, even though I really don't need it and upgrade the charging wire while I am at it.

Then again, I am only running 750 watts RMS in my Civic and after I swap out the amp on my highs, it will be closer to 840. Regardless, replacing the battery and just doing the grounds with 1/0 wire made a HUGE difference because I get no dimming at night!

My cousin wants to give me his 1 farad cap, even though I really have no use for it. Since it is free, I may use it just for the giggles effect. Also, I will have the BS factor on my side with a cap

 

This what I plan on running when it's all said and done
1997 Civic Ex

Kenwood Mp-335 head Unit
2-Pioneer 12" DVC Subs @ 400 rms each
Pioneer 6x9 4-way @ 50 rms
Kenwood 6.5 3 way @ 40 rms
Kicker 1200.1 Class D Mono
Kicker 350.4 @ 60 rms

 

if you dont want any dimming. then upgrade ground wires, and alternator.
if its not a huge deal about dimming. then ground wires and a bettery battery.

and a second battery really isnt that hard to do... just takes a T block to T the power off and a additional inline fuse next to that battery. and just ground the battery to anything metal.
you dont need those battery isolators at all.... only reason some people use them is because there 2 batteries are not the same or not the same age... because if the smaller/older battery cannt hold as much of a charge it will slightly drain the good battery alittle... some people swear it will make your batteries die but come on... look at every electric golfcart out there.LOL they have ruffly 6+ 6v batteries all wired in series together. some people think batteries last forever.LOL when they really dont. they go bad all the time.
just be sure you fuse both batteries right next to the battery and youll be great.... if you want to protect your amplifier alittle better than use a 3rd fuse for the amplifiers fuse rating... but most amplifiers have external fuses in the side anyways so its not a big deal...

best upgrade is those ground wires and a high output alternator. for your 1200watt amp id guess a 150 amp alternator should be enough as long as you upgrade the ground wires, the alternator wire and have a decent battery. any autoparts store should be able to test your battery with it in the car to see if its good or weak or bad easily.

 

dont forget that if u put that other battery in the trunk.... u gotta run another cable inside your vehicle.