Official CarAudio.com Big 3 Thread

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

If i have 4ga wire for my system can i use 4 ga for the big 3?or do i have to use 2 ga or 0 gauge?its for a 2000 monte carlo alt amp is 110 and i have a 5500 watt rms amp but i change it constantly to diff amps.so am i ok with runing 4ga and 4ga?

your amp is not running at 5500rms if you are using 4awg:fyi:

 

[DADEZSS 10+ year member]

I understand that.Thats why i said i constantly change my amps and i just wanted to know if i can use 4ga for the big 3 since i have 4ga for system wire.

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

I understand that.Thats why i said i constantly change my amps and i just wanted to know if i can use 4ga for the big 3 since i have 4ga for system wire.

meh....no reason why not

 

[DADEZSS 10+ year member]

ok thanks appreciate the help

 

[Franklinnn 10+ year member]

how important is a fuse on the alt to bat +? and of so of what amperage?

and are there any big brand names to avoid and go for?

is audio pipe good wire?

EDIT:

errr my amp is rated at 85a so would a 150a be good?

would 1/0 gauge do any better than 4 in my case? i have a 500w amp and another 150w from the HU max. i already have a 150a fuse and holder for a 1/0 or 4 awg so either way i should be okay.

 

[Plottin4success 10+ year member]

Got a question on the Battery to Alt positive wire. I have a 2004 Silverado. There is a red box (circled in orange) that the battery positive runs too. A wire from the alt connects to the red box also. Is it OK when running the wire, to go directly from the bat to alt. The picture below shows what Im talking about... Also, is my radiator support a good ground? This is how I want to run my wires. The red is the bat to alt cable, and the green would be the chassis ground...

 

[Plottin4success 10+ year member]

how important is a fuse on the alt to bat +? and of so of what amperage?

and are there any big brand names to avoid and go for?

is audio pipe good wire?

EDIT:

errr my amp is rated at 85a so would a 150a be good?

would 1/0 gauge do any better than 4 in my case? i have a 500w amp and another 150w from the HU max. i already have a 150a fuse and holder for a 1/0 or 4 awg so either way i should be okay.

Use the biggest fuse your wire can take. The fuse between the battery and alt is a safety precaution. It will help keep your truck from burning down incase of an electrical mishap. Its a $20 well spent.

 

[xguntherc 10+ year member]

So i actually never did the big 3. got some supplies but never did..

i have a spare 4 awg 20 ft of rockford fosgate wire with a inline fuse holder.. Id use that from the alt to battery, and the rest of it to do the other 2.. Is 4 awg ok.. Im running the polk audio 600.1 and im about to add a 4 channel 70w rms amp for my doors.. the lights dont dim yet, but they might with the new amp.

Should I find some 1 or 2 awg, or is that rockford 4awg good enough.. it might even be a 2 awg. and what size fuze would i throw inside there??

 

[Chrispy 10+ year member]

If your car is running and your Alt+ to Batt+ was to short wouldn't you need 2 fuses, one at the batt and one at the alt...? If you only had the batt fused then that would blow but if your alt is still running then power is still flowing through that wire because it is now grounded through the short and therefore a fuse at the alt would be needed. Or am I missing something here.

 

[ummduh 10+ year member]

the alt will short out and stop working at the first spark, probably even before the battery fuse pops. Voltage regulators hate shorts. So in essence, the alt itself is its own fuse. (an expensive one)

 

[ccab 10+ year member]

okay I didnt read all the posts on this thread but basically what were getting at here is (cuz im probably doing this tomorrow)

alternator to battery goes from the alternator to the positive on batter and engine block ground AND chassis ground goes to battery negative. correct?

 

[xguntherc 10+ year member]

Correct ccab.

I have a question for everyone. unless I'm not seeing a farther under where I can't see wire, the stock Positive on my truck (chevy Colorado) alternator is a very small wire. like smaller than 20 gauge. there might be something else somewhere. but it's TINY, and it's added to a clip that plugs into the ALT, or is that something else?

what is the easiest way to add the FAT wire to the tiny wire on my ALT? Thanks for any input guys!

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

Correct ccab.
I have a question for everyone. unless I'm not seeing a farther under where I can't see wire, the stock Positive on my truck (chevy Colorado) alternator is a very small wire. like smaller than 20 gauge. there might be something else somewhere. but it's TINY, and it's added to a clip that plugs into the ALT, or is that something else?

what is the easiest way to add the FAT wire to the tiny wire on my ALT? Thanks for any input guys!

That wire IS something else...it is the wire that goes to your PCM (Powertrain Control Module). That is NOT the wire you want to mess with. There should be a 4 or 8 gauge wire that is connected to your alternator via a bolt and nut, typically located under a rubber boot. That would be the wire that runs to either the positive on your battery or to a fuse that then connects to the positive on your battery. I have an '08 Silverado, so I am familiar with the electrical as I replaced ALL of the stock wire when I performed the Big 3 on my truck.

 

[xguntherc 10+ year member]

Thanks jkbauemont. I appreciate the response. its going to my Fuze box, not my battery. could I run the new one from alt to fuze positive terminal like the old, or is it better to go directly to the battery?

Also if ur silverado is similar where was the wire at, was it more on the bottom or under side. Im going from memory so dont remember seing any other wires, but I will check tomorrow while doing my gains and hopefully finish the BIG 3 also

Thanks

 

[AcuraCL98 10+ year member]

Did the big 3 today on my 07 dodge ram 1500. Bat to alt was easy,just had to take the air box out, - bat to frame was easy and finally engine block to body was kind of a pain in the ass but easy to get to. I had access to a bay which made it helpful having the car jacked up but the bolt to the block was a pain to get to and a pain to get back on the bolt on the frame is inside the fender so its easy to get to. My voltage before doing the big 3 was 13.4 at volume 15, now, its at a constant 14.7-14.4ish at the battery and the same at the amp. It also has solved my minor dimming problems I'm happy with the gains Ive gotten from doing the big 3, now its time to buy a h/o alternator and i am thinking about changing my ia 187 series 10 out for 2 dc audio level 3 10s and a sundown 1500d.