We’ll start out by explaining exactly
why you’re doing this upgrade. As you should know, the bigger the power wire in your sound, video or lighting system, the better it will perform and you should experience less dimming and/or voltage drops. The Big 3 is..
1) Alternator Positive to Battery Positive (optional fuse)
2) Battery Negative to Chassis
3) Chassis to Engine Block
Replacing/adding larger wire to these three critical spots can reduce or rid your electrical system of dimming and voltage drops. Overall, giving your charging system a larger surface area to travel over, will stabilize power and relieve strain on the alternator and battery.
If you have little cash to spend on a High Output (HO) alternator at the moment.. and the thought of even buying a new/better battery is daunting to you, this is a cheap and quick solution for your voltage issues.
Each wire serves its own special purpose, so you need to upgrade/replace all three for maximum potential of this mod. The Alternator Positive to Battery Positive wire is pretty small on a stock electrical system, so quite obviously upgrading that particular wire will increase power flow from the alternator to the battery. In DC power systems, power flows negative to positive. So upgrading the main grounds is just as important as the main power wire is. And lastly, since the alternator is grounded to the engine block, you need a way to transfer that energy back into the system.
Items You Need
You’ll need a varying assortment of tools and supplies to successfully complete this job. Depending on how large your engine compartment is you’ll need between 5-10ft of wire. I recommend you use the absolute largest you can afford. 1/0awg is a very popular choice for completing this upgrade, although others have been known to use 4awg. Remember that anything over stock is still better, but while you’re under there... you might as well go big.
You’ll also need several crimps sized for whatever wire you use. A normal amount would be 6. If you upgrade your stock battery terminal to something with set screws, you’ll need one less crimp.
To get the crimps on the wire you can use several different methods. I prefer to use either a giant crimping tool or a table vice. Either one will work fine, and there are various other methods available as well. As long as the connection is secure and not moving about. Don’t fret it.
Also make sure that the whole thing is taped or covered with a rubber sleeve. To cut large wire, most wire cutters should be up to the task. If you don’t have a set, you can use a common hacksaw, a set of tin snips or a set of bolt cutters.
Again, however you cut it… just make sure that the wire has a clean edge.
If you decide to fuse the Alternator Positive to Battery Positive wire, you’ll need a fuse and fuse holder. Try to fuse for the maximum amperage of your wire.
Lastly, you’ll need an adjustable wrench, a good socket set or a few open-end wrenches to loosen any bolts or nuts that come your way.
Beginning the Project
1) Start out by disconnecting your
Battery Negative. This will interrupt power through the whole system allowing you to safely work on the vehicle without danger to you or the cars more fragile electronic devices. Also push the brake pedal in a few times until it is hard to drain the remaining power in the system.
2) Sand down the potential grounding point for the new
Chassis to
Battery Negative point. This should be shiny metal when you’re done. You want as clean of a connection as possible. If you use the existing ground point you may not have to drill a new hole for a screw. Sand around it to ensure a good connection, you may also want to smear some anti-oxidation grease on the uncoated metal to prevent rust. This connection must be tight and secure when you’re done.
3) Screw the new ground wire in place but
DO NOT reconnect it to the
Battery Negative yet. Lay it down on a piece of cloth or paper and wait to connect it till after you finish the other elements of the project.
4) It’s time to add onto the existing
Alternator Positive wire. This can be a bit tricky due to a small plastic collar around the positive lead coming off of the alt. It really only allows you to use one ring terminal terminated wire on the alt. That is perfectly fine though. Break off a little of the plastic if the extra wire refuses to fit. There should be a rubber gasket over the existing wire that will protect it.
Again, make sure that the wire is hooked snug on the terminal and not exposed to the elements.
5) Take the other end of the
Alternator Positive wire and if you so choose, run it through the fuse holder. If you’ve decided to not get a fuse holder, then run it straight to the battery positive.
6) Attach the wire along the way to something that won’t get too hot and that won’t vibrate too terribly. Go ahead and connect the wire to the positive battery terminal.
7) The last step is the
Chassis to
Engine Block wire. Remember to sand both points well, just like the when you did the
Battery Negative to
Chassis. All you need to do for this step is to find a non-essential bolt on the engine block to attach the wire to. Non-essentials are those that don’t hold a liquid in. For example… using the Oil Drain plug as an attachment point probably isn’t the smartest place.
8) Take the other end leading off of the engine block and sand a smooth place on the chassis. If you want to do more than one lead off of the block that would be fine as well. The more the merrier.
9) You’re just about done. Re-check all of the new and old connections you just fiddled with to ensure stability, safe connection and good contact. After you’ve made sure everything is safe, you may re-attach the
Battery Negative wire to the negative terminal on the battery.
Congratulations! You’ve just completed the cheapest and easiest upgrade to your electrical system that there is. If this doesn’t take care of your questions, please post them in this thread and we’ll try to answer them for you.
SRT4 Install Pictures (Thanks to 04ElectricBlue):
**Big 3 Pictures**
Picking out a fuse for the Bat to Alt (need 150a fuse so either 4awg or 0awg):
Real Car Audio Reviews
Source:
Official CarAudio.com Big 3 Thread - Car Audio Forum - CarAudio.com
*OFFICIAL* Big 3 Wiring Mod Thread
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