I have a Kenwood excelonHD deck with two 5x7 Hertz door speakers(off the deck) and a single JL 10" w3v3 4 ohm subwoofer and a pioneer amp ( i know i need a better one). I'm using 2 ga welding wire for all my hot and cold wires. I did the big 3 except the engine ground, YET. Otherwise its all been done. I get lights dimming on hard bass hits (obviously) esp when i have the amp at 6db and the deck at 5 to 15db. I dont know if i should get an high output alternator or a second battery. I've also read that i could just swap out my stock battery and be ok..?? Any thoughts please let me know. Perferably from someone who knows Rangers and Car Audio. Thanks fell'as

 

A 500w sub shouldn't be putting that much of a strain on the factory electrical system. The engine ground is the most important one of the big three since it grounds the alternator. If you only do two of the big three, it's fairly unproductive, since you still have the stock restriction at one point. I'd finish up that last part and see where that gets you. If your lights are still dimming, I'd look into a high current Optima or Kinetik Battery.

 

Replace stock batt with a xs power batt, kinetik is ok but its worth the extra money to get a xs power batt

 

Depending on your $$$, both is the best route and the "big three grounding" is the way to go.
Also, HD cabling for the alternator will help.

There was a high output alternator on this site for sale, $300 or so.

Chk it out.

https://www.ranger-forums.com/interi...tor-ky-134461/

 

that wont fit a 4.0L, thats the whole point of him selling the alternator...

 

First thing first, have your battery load tested. Your battery may be at the end of its life. This causes the alternator to have to pour more current into it in order to charge it, which leaves less for the rest of the system.

The dimming is due to voltage drop caused when the alternators max output is reached, the battery then kicks in and at its slightly less voltage to pick up the slack.

I'm pretty sure everyone here is aware that the alternator powers the truck when it is running.
The battery charges and provides no power until the load becomes too great for the alt. at this point the alternator drops its voltage in favor of providing more current. If the voltage drops down to the battery's resting charge level then the current will begin flowing from the battery, meanwhile the alternator is being stressed trying to keep up with the system load and trying to keep the battery charged at the same time. This causes the rectifier diodes and voltage regulator in the alternator to heat up and eventually fail.

The best option is to beef up the alternator.
the "big 3" should be completed before installing the HO alt. due to the higher current potential. otherwise the big 3 is basically a patch job for corroded ground cables.

Your other option is to buy a bunch of batteries and pray that you have enough a residual charge leftover at the higher voltage to get you through to the next music peak not likely to happen and can be very costly.

Some things you can do in the mean time while your waiting for the alt or battery.
-Turn the music/bass down while idling. this will prolong the life of your alt and batt.
-Use a subsonic filter if you have one, turn it up to the point where you can just barely hear the effects from it, then back it down just slightly. this will prevent your amp from wasting precious current on inaudible tones.
-Relax the bass boost some if your using it. its the biggest current hog in the system.

 

Didn’t think of the motor…


singlecam4dr
How’s this working out ?

 

Thanks to all of you!!!! I really appreciate the feed back! I turned the bass boost off and it A LOT better. I will finish the Big three tonight and see if that eliminates it. Otherwise I thin a new battery would be first as I'm guessing it the stock org.

I am wondering though how does one "Load Test" a battery??!?!

I got rid of my capacitor as it took a **** and I don't want to create any issues I've heard they can have.