seeing as my car kinda died electronically, im not sure if there was a short or if i was trying to squeeze too much out of it. was running my cd player, and its internal amp for speakers, then an 820w amp for 2 subs.

also curious about the s4 alternator, i got one used from someone, and when i installed it, the volt meter jumped up high, then fell after i started driving, do i need to do something about a resistor, i thought it was just direct bolt in.

 

The jumping up high could of been an indication that the battery was somewhat discharged and then as you drove it started to charge it to full. There is no resistor or anything else needed when using the S4 alternator.

Need more info as far as "Died Electronically"?

 

As for your amp, it isnt big enought to kill the elect system, unless it is a high current amp. I am running a 1400W amp with no problems (this is on a stock S3 alt). I do suggest a compacitor though.

 

I wouldn't really recommend a large stereo system on the stock alternator, but you can always upgrade to a FD alt.

On a different note did everything electrical stop working? I had the same problem because my battery cable turned to dust the whole way through, are you sure you battery cables are good?

 

I was running a fc alt with 2 12" jl audio's and a 300 ppi amp and a 400 ppi amp with no problems for 5 years. And no capaciter.

 

well thats good to know, i cant tell you much more, because it happened just as winter started to hit, then the rebuild began and the turbo work began. i just wanted to know what kind of things i can expect when it gets going again. im assuming the battery was starting to die out along with the cable decay a bit

 

There is the fuseable link box mounted on the driver side shock tower, the middle wire is for the alternator,get a piece of wire (solid copper core) about 12 gauge (i think it was) and use the original terminals that are for it because they are a odd size,carefully undo the terminals from the wire,and use fatter wire. I had the same problem on mine and did this,never had a prob again...I had a pair of dvc 15's and a 1200watt amp.

 

Im sorry but thats a bad tip. What you just suggested in my eyes is a fire hazard. The fusible links aren't just there to not work properly... They function by melting/burning when there is too much current flowing through them. Therefore they are a safety item and should not be bypassed or else this could be a serious fire hazard.

What you suggested is essentially like replacing a fuse with a larger amperage fuse because the lower amperage fuse keeps blowing... You will find your problem in a hurry, and your car will probally light on fire at the same time...

 

The factory alt with the AC, headlights, and wipers on is pretty much taxed out. You need more amps for that large of a stereo system.

Get yourself a GM alt. and never worry about it again. I went with the 140amp. Obviously I have no more voltage drops... IMO I'd go with the 105 amp GM alt swap instead. I went over kill, it's a diease I have...

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=alternator

 

well i figure if i get the 70amp to work from the fc it should be what i need. i only need about 15 to run the rms for the amp, giving an extra 5 over stock for whatever tiny amp i use to run the front speakers, turn off the internal amp on the cd player and i figure itll just balance out. i dont have it in me right now to go through the headache of the gm alt swap yet, maybe next summer.

 

This is extremely bad advice, on 2 counts. The middle fusible link is the main, meaning it handles all of the electical loads except the headlights, not just the alt. The other nono is the purpose of the links. They are designed to burn out/fail, to protect the rest of the wiring system. I don't know if you have ever seen a car burn to the ground due an electrical failure, but it is not a pretty sight.

Your 'solution' is as stupid as a homeowner putting a copper penny in place of the old style Buss screw in fuses in the service panel, then wondering why his house burnt to the ground due to and electrical fire, instead of fixing the problem in the first place.