Sundown SAE-1000D & Headlight Dimming

[SilkySmoove 0]

Hello all,

I have a Sundown SAE-1000D powering a 12" AA Havoc and a 4-channel Kenwood eXcelon powering my mids and highs. With this setup I was having a little headlight dimming at high volumes. Now even after adding the Kinetik HC600 in the trunk I still have the same dimming problem; no better or worse. I am pretty sure I have it wired properly with the 2-gauge run from the battery fused at the battery running to another fuse within 18" of the HC600 then from there to the distro block. Both fuses are 150A ANL's. The only wiring difference I have from the suggested wiring in the manual is that I have it grounded to the chassis in the back as opposed to having a ground run all the way from the negative terminal of the battery. Why isn't the HC600 taking care of the little dimming I am having????

Any insight on this issue would be more than appreciated. This is all in a 2008 Altima 3.5SE with a Duralast Gold under the hood and 2-gauge fosgate power wire. The little headlight dimming does not bother me too much per say, but I was just trying to correct it so my light dimming does not affect others while I am bumping down the road at night.

[dtcharneski 0]

the second battery still has to be charged by the same alt as the battery under the hood. so it adds more of a load for the alt. have you done the big 3? if not try that it may help.

[justin smith 0]

have you done your big three? in 0ga?

[SilkySmoove 0]

No, I have not done the Big 3. The car is fairly new, 2008, and I am not to keen on doing anything invasive if it can be avoided. And as for the second battery placing additional strain on the alternator, the Kinetik batteries have very low ESR's which places a very minimal load on the charging system compared to regular wet cell 12V batteries. Also, as stated before the dimming condition has neither improved OR gotten worse with the addition of the power cell. Anyone who has experience with Kinetik power cells please chime in.

[SilkySmoove 0]

By the way the stock alternator is 130A.

[saltonasnail 0]

The Big 3 isn't invasive..... at the very least run another power cable from the negative battery post to the frame of your car, that alone has gotten rid of the light dimming in almost all of the cars I've worked on with that problem. Its the cheapest and easiest fix, so start with that first.

Edited December 21, 2008 by saltonasnail

[Echo42987 0]

Do the big 3. It's very easy and you don't need to make holes, etc. in your new car. Or your just gonna keep getting the whole dimming problem.

-Nick-

[helotaxi 46]

As mentioned several times above, at this point you've addressed the power supply issue, so your problem lies in the power delivery. Your wiring must be up to snuff, otherwise any other upgrades you do are going to be wasted.

[akjay907 0]

Yeah. get the most out of it, with what you have. do the BIG 3!!!!!!