Temperature Problem.

[Dobber 0]

Hey guys..im not really sure if this is the right section to put this in, so if its not fell free to move it.

Well tonight i got all my wires ran through my car for the new sub. We got everything ran, amp hooked up, sub hooked up, and it all worked perfect. The sub sounded fine. I went out for a little drive with a couple buddies, and we had the music up at a decent volume just to here how loud the bass could get. When we got back to my house we sat and listen to it for a little bit longer doing the same thing. Car was running the whole time. I went to get into the car to change to a different song and i noticed that my check gauges light was on, and that the temperature gauge was maxed out. Do you think that the car running that hot could have anything to do with the sub and amp at all? Im pretty lost on this whole thing so any and all ideas are welcome.

a litttle info on the car and system..

2001 Cavalier

12 inch Fi SSD D1

was running on an alpine MRP-M1000 at 2 ohms

4 guage Knu wires

completely stock electrical

Big 3 have not been done yet.

Thanks!

[jcarter1885 995]

I dont think you car running hot should affect the subs. Do you know why your car is running hot, has this happen before you put your subs in?

[Dobber 0]

nope..its never happened before tonight..i didnt really think that the sub would have anything to do with it, but just being that it started to happen right after we put them in kind of made it the first thing to pop into my head.

[icy_chris 18]

my car does the same thing once i putmy system in it runs hot after pounding for a long time if i leave the stereo off it doesnt do it i think its drawing to much power from the battery causing the computer to loose some funtion from loss of power maybe

[Dobber 0]

my car does the same thing once i putmy system in it runs hot after pounding for a long time if i leave the stereo off it doesnt do it i think its drawing to much power from the battery causing the computer to loose some funtion from loss of power maybe

alright..how hot does you car actually get? like hot enough to make the check gauges light come on? And does anyone else think that this is a reasonable thing to make it run so hot? or do you think its more something that could of went wrong engine wise..like a bad thermostat or something along those lines?thanks

[icy_chris 18]

i watch it and dont let it go in the red but like one needle length from the start of over heat i got a 98 sunfire i had mine check and nothing is wrong with the thurmo or anyting under the hood

[Dobber 0]

alright..well i guess i'll just have to mess with it a little more tommorow and see if it only does it with the subs turned up..if it still does it all the time would your first guess be the thermostat? or is there anything else i should look into too?thanks again.

[icy_chris 18]

yea thurmo or check your rad fan if it turns on or check if your rad fluid is low or needs replaced check if radt build up of dirt or other crap

[Rudeboy 152]

Were you running the A/C while parked with the engine running?

[Dobber 0]

Were you running the A/C while parked with the engine running?

No, the a/c wad not on. i was messing with it a little more today and i noticed that while i was driving it the temperature was fine, but when i got home i let it sit, running, and listen to some stuff and the temperature would slowly rise. I also noticed that when the bass would hit hard that the rpms would drop slightly. that makes me think that it would be more an electrical problem. am i on the right track thinking that, or am i totally wrong?

[ncacoates 104]

Have you ever considered at idle when your listening to music the alternator is putting a pretty heavy load on the motor especially with a small 4 cylinder. Every time the bass hits hard its taking that much more current thus your alternator strains the motor even more. Besides that check your thermostat and fluids.

[Dobber 0]

Have you ever considered at idle when your listening to music the alternator is putting a pretty heavy load on the motor especially with a small 4 cylinder. Every time the bass hits hard its taking that much more current thus your alternator strains the motor even more. Besides that check your thermostat and fluids.

yea..thats kind of what was going through my head..so is this pretty much just something that i'll have to deal with or is there something i can do to keep the car from getting so hot?

[icy_chris 18]

i'm waiting on a high output alternator to come in and hopfully that fixes my voltage drop and i will be getting a 2nd battery for the trunk for the stereo to run off of and i will let you know if that fixes it it should help alot id say atlest get a 2nd ba to draw it's power from if you have a voltage drop when you play it loud for extended periods of time. it will also help you amp with a better consistant flow of power

also a cold air help it out too

Edited August 13, 2010 by icy_chris

[stevemead08 752]

might be because it 1000 degree outside!

I really doubt it has anything to do with your system.

[icy_chris 18]

mine will do it when its like 10-15 degrees celseus the same as if it were 25-30

[Dobber 0]

i've got a voltage meter on the way so i'll be able to see if im having bad voltage drop pretty soon. And the cavy already has a cold air on it. I honestly believe that this has everything to do with the system now. This morning i woke up and went to football practice, bumping just as loud as i was when it was overheating, and it was totally fine. When i got home from practice, i let the car sit at idle and bumped at the same volume and the temperature slowly started to rise. And tonight after work i drove around for about a half hour doing that same thing and it ran at normal temperature the whole time. Im thinking that this is just something im going to have to deal with until i find a solution for it.

Icy, let me know if the alt and second battery help it out.

And also, would doing the big three make any noticeable difference with this? Im planning on doing it anyway, but im just curious if it could help with this problem even the slightest. Thanks for all the help guys

[jcarter1885 995]

Who knows if the Big 3 will help with this problem, but it will help with your system. The only way to tell is to do it and go from there, hope you get this resolved soon.

[Rudeboy 152]

Have you tried sitting parked in the car with the engine running and the system off? Maybe you never did that before? Is the fan working? It should kick on when the engine temp rises.

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

Have you tried sitting parked in the car with the engine running and the system off? Maybe you never did that before? Is the fan working? It should kick on when the engine temp rises.

I think Rudy is thinking the same thing as me. Your cars electrical system can't feed the electric fan enough amps to sufficantly cool the car, with the amplifier on and the car sitting still(no air flow).

Upgrading your electrical sounds like a good start.

[Rudeboy 152]

Have you tried sitting parked in the car with the engine running and the system off? Maybe you never did that before? Is the fan working? It should kick on when the engine temp rises.

I think Rudy is thinking the same thing as me. Your cars electrical system can't feed the electric fan enough amps to sufficantly cool the car, with the amplifier on and the car sitting still(no air flow).

Upgrading your electrical sounds like a good start.

Or the fan could be dead or the coolant temp sensor sensor that controls it could be bad. 4 cylinder cars can run cool enough when they are moving to not need the fan. I think I remember seeing that this is a Cavalier. A lot of GM 4 bangers from that era had sensor problems.

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

So run the car with system on and open the hood and visually confirm the fan is turning on when the temp rises.