will a amp eventually kill my battery or alternator?

Question

last night i was driving and my radio started cutting on and off and my lights went dim. so i pulled over and my car just died on the side of the street.i called a tow truck and picked it up and they say its the amp that caused the alternator to give out. i have had the amp hooked up for 4 months and its just now doing this. is the amp the cause or just a old alternator?

Answer 1

alternators just go out. it happens to everyone, amp or not. the tow truck guy is wrong.

Answer 2

There there very few amplifiers that provide enough current draw to kill your car in comparison to the number of amps that are available to have. Mostly likely your alternator at least went bad, or possibly died. If you have used the amp for 4 months exactly the same way with no problems, the problem is most likely your alternator. Which may be a good thing, a similar replacement alternator is probably cheaper than your amp was. So long as you can install it yourself.

Answer 3

Yes,
If the alternator isn't strong enough to keep the battery charged, it will over heat and burn out taking the battery with it. When the bass hits a drains the battery down a little every time, also depending on how many amps. The alternator is only a maintainer, which means it will only keep the battery charged under normal driving. If you leave the lights on and it drains the battery down more than half charge. the alternator will not charge the batter all the way. It will damage the alternator doing this also. The have capacitors (sometime called lighting caps) for amp systems that will allow the amp to draw power from this and not the battery or alternator. They cost about $70. or so and are worth it.

Answer 4

Yes, An amp can kill your Batt. and Alt.
When the car is made it is given an alternator with the amp's it will need to run the lights, locks, windows, etc.
No power eveything, smaller alt. get it?
There is no Sub amp figured into the amps for your factory alternator.
What kind of sub amp? What year car? if its a small amp,not really a problem.
If you have an older car, it maybe was ready to go anyway. Just get a new alternator.
Make sure when you get a new bat and alt. for your car.. Get a least a 1 fd. cap. It will hold power for you when your amp needs it on big bass notes.. so it won't try to drain you car's power. It runs inline from the car's bat. to the amp. real easy to hook up. Works great.

Answer 5

I think it is nothing more than just an old alternator! It would be a good idea to get a nice battery @ the same time as changing out the alternator!

Answer 6

Not really but if you have a monster amp your alternator could have trouble keeping up in which case a bigger alternator amperage may be needed and maybe a higher amp battery as well.

Answer 7

If you had alternator problems in the past then its prolly your alternator, but if you didnt have alternator problems then its prolly your amp. An amp will prolly kill of your battery more then your alternator because it needs so much juice from the battery to work.

Answer 8

Yeah, that "i'm gonna wreck down someplace" feeling fairly takes the relaxing out of an excellent style of conversions :( I actually have a feeling the alternator has on no account labored, because of the fact it became into connected incorrect. An older vehicle with a carburetor can run for countless hours on purely the battery. verify voltage someplace while the automobile is working. 12V=alternator no longer working. 14V = alternator working. I doubt the alternator by surprise went undesirable, nonetheless it ought to have long previous undesirable in the previous. Chevy vs Pontiac would not remember. GM automobiles use inner-regulator alternators, with a characteristic that lights a splash easy if the alternator is having issues. that's a reasonably uncomplicated layout and likewise a comparatively intelligent layout. There are 3 wires, and each is going to a reasonably diverse place. it relatively is achievable your guy miswired it. if your stereo is unquestionably one of those loud growth-growth jobs the toddlers these days use to atone for their caffeine-led to loss of gentlemanly prowess, then it probably attracts an excellent style of means. commonly i could say "It won't blow the alternator, it will blow the accessory fuse first", yet then, you probably did no longer twine it interior the path of the accessory circuit, did you? :) So i could take a troublesome seem on the radio wiring and notice if something dumb became into executed, like neglecting to place a fuse inline with the circuit. present day radios have 2 means lines. do no longer basically connect them mutually. One is going to "continually on", to maintain the clock and presets alive. the different is going to "ignition", meaning the radio won't manage to empty your battery. heavily. Your radio needs to alter on/off with the ignition. i comprehend you elect to hearken to it with the engine off, that's what the "accessory" place on the ignition change is for. you will thank me that chilly, wet night once you come out on your vehicle and discover it DOES commence because of the fact the radio did no longer drain the battery because of the fact it relatively is switched off with the ignition. If that's a extreme-amperage radio, evaluate a relay to means it (and a fuse on the relay line!!!) you elect computerized stuff like that. you in addition to could choose a gadget that is going "beeeeeeeep" once you go away your lights on with the door open. that's an fairly basic circuit which you additionally could make with $10 of areas at Radio Shack - a diode, a buzzer and a few crimp connects.

Answer 9

check alternator,but if amps to big that could happen you also might need a bigger fuse.

Answer 10

it is definetly the alternator. go get a new one and if possible upgrade to a higher wattage