I am running a 500 jl audio amp to my subs and my lights dim constantly with everything turned up. If i change out my charging wires on my 05 lt that should fix it right? well has anyone done this to their montes? and how did it turn out for you? ALSO does anyone happen to know what the stock wire gauge is aleady on the 00-05 montes?

 

i have done the big 3 in 0 gage and that does help get cleaner power for your system. I would suggest getting a optima yellow top battery and doing the big 3 that should fix the dimming problem all together.

 

i was just comparing a yellow top optima to a gold-duralast battery.. honestly i compared them and they are just about the same battery.. granted the duralast battery is not a dry cell but it will only set my back about 100 dollars or so.. i have college comming up so i cant be dishin out a ton of money anymore like i used to be able too haha

 

cool man the Optioma is a little more for sure $$$ but it is designed more of the demands that a system will put on the cars charging system if you can do it but if you can't thats cool the big three will help for sure here is some info that you may or may not know .


Car Electrical System

A vehicle's electrical consists of many parts but the ones we're interested in are the battery, the alternator, and the power wiring. A vehicle electrical system is a 12 volt DC system. The primary source of power when the vehicle is NOT running is the battery. The primary source of power when the vehicle IS running is the alternator. This is a very important point to remember. The primary functions of the battery are to start the vehicle and provide power when the vehicle is not running. Because the battery's stored power is so great it is important to treat it with respect. It's the automotive equivalent of a loaded gun. It has the power to stop your heart and can burn your vehicle up if an unfused power wire is shorted to ground. Always remember to disconnect the negative battery cable before doing any work on a stereo system. NOTE: If your radio has a security feature that requires a secret code to be input after power has been disconnected make sure you know this code before you begin (ie Delco-Loc, Eclipse ESN).
Depending on your vehicle's factory electrical system, you may not have enough power to run your aftermarket stereo system. You probably do unless you have a multi-megawatt system or an extremely tiny alternator. If your battery goes dead often after the installation of your new stereo you may have an electrical system problem. Have your battery and electrical system tested by a qualified technician. If everything checks out then you probably are in need of an upgrade. Here are some of the common problems and their likely cures.
Adding a Second Battery

Many people are under the impression that adding a second battery will cure their electrical problems. If one battery is good then two must be better. Wrong. Remember that the function of a battery is to start the vehicle and to provide power when the vehicle is not running. The only thing a second battery will help you with is "parking lot" listening time. Basically it will provide you the additional capacity to run your stereo longer without starting the vehicle. After the vehicle is started the second battery becomes another load on an already overworked alternator. If you do replace your battery I would recommend getting one from Optima.
Upgrading Your Alternator

Frequent dead batteries are a good indication that your electrical system isn't keeping up and you may need to upgrade your alternator. Doing so will give you more juice to run all of your electrical components, including your stereo system, without looking to the battery for help. The problem is your alternator is undersized for your new electrical requirements and has to look to the battery to provide the extra power, resulting in shortened battery life. Have a qualified technician verify this before investing in a larger alternator. Hopefully you can find a larger alternator from your vehicle's manufacturer that will interface with your existing system. Consult the manufacturer or the local dealer to find out about this. If not then you can look to the aftermarket manufacturers to see what is available. Check with Ohio Generator, Stinger or one of the many other manufacturers for high output models.

 

I dont know what guage the stock wire is but if you're gonna do the big 3 (which is a mod that gets mixed results from car to car) then I suggest you use the largest wire you can afford and nothing less than 4ga. 0ga would be the ideal size to use. Another thing, how is your amp wired and what size power wire are you running to it? keep in mind that your electrical is only as strong as your weakest link. Simply upgrading your big 3 wont get any cleaner power to the amp, lol, it will just allow more current to travel through said wires, but if you do 0ga for your big3 and have 4ga power and ground to your amps then the current capacity will be limited to what can be carried across the smaller wire. Just the same, if the stock power/ground wires are 8ga, you can run as many 0ga runs to the amp as you'd like but your ceiling will be the current capacity of the smaller wires.

So you would need to make sure that your big 3 wires and the amp power/ground wires are all the same size to ensure max current capacity. Seems kinda odd though cause I know a few people who have 1000-2200 watt setups in their MC with little to no dimming. You know, could be a weak battery too, have you had it tested lately?

 

Ok in this pic (7th gen not 6th)
I did mine a little different. I ran power and ground from alt to POSITIVE BATTERY and BODY GROUND

THe other was from ENGINE GROUND (on trannie) to body GROUND.

 

Well i had everything professionally installed, but i know for sure that amp is wired into the fuse box it look like. it doesnt have a wire running from the battery terminal. i have an ac delco battery and i think those are **** to begin with, at least thats what i have been told time and time again.

 

The fuse box under the hood? Can u take some pics? I asked a lot of questions and you only answered one so I'm not gonna be able to help you until I get those answers. So ill leave with this, there is no reason a 500 watt amp should cause noticeable dimming in your car so long as your wiring is on point and your battery and alternator are functioning properly. Jaws is running about 2k rms and he said he has no dimming, 04montels is running 1900+rms and he has a video up showing he has no dimming.

 

Get a new alternator 140 to 200 amp, and a atleast a 1 farad cap. I had a escort with a Phoenix gold 140amp and about 400 watts and could jump a semitruck that had a dead battery and the lights never dimmed. Make sure that the ground to the amp is going to the frame and is the shortest run possible.

 

I guarantee a h/o alt isnt necessary for a 500 watt amp and a cap is a waste of money.