Dead battery charging system possibly caused by stereo amps

GOKU87

MEMBER
GMC

Long story short: [i:dfbba0c5f3]Dead battery charging system possibly caused by stereo amps[/i:dfbba0c5f3]
If you think you can help: [i:dfbba0c5f3]a list of events telling what exactly happened follows[/i:dfbba0c5f3]

Car: Chevy/Cavalier
Year: 1996
Miles: 93K

i have two amps for my stereo: a 220W four-channel and a 400W mono. Not a lot of power. However, I was driving down the road in the middle of nowhere with my stereo really loud and the battery light came on.

i, being a curious individual, flipped through my instruction manual from my glove compartment. It said there was something wrong with my battery charging system.

i had driven for about 20 more minutes when I noticed that all the intereior lights had gotten considerably fainter. My cd player was also doing this funky scratchy sound. After about another 10-15 seconds, the cd player died, but everything else was working. By this time I have gotten back to a sligthly populated area so there were now street lights. Thus I turned my head lights off and turned on my hazards.

by the time I reached the interstate, about a mile further, my car had died 2 times already from having to slow down at stop lights. Luckily, I was able to clutch-start it before it lost too much momentum. I did try to turn over the ignition via the key, but it made a familiar clicking sound that happeneds when your battery is dead or close to it.

after I got on the interstate, I tried to turn on my head lights and they didnt turn on. Right when I turned the switch, though, my car died again. I clutch-started it yet another time, and this time nothing came on. The engine was running but I could tell it was very weak. No lights worked, except for the "check engine" light. Not even the battery light, turn signals, or the dome light.

i know my amps draw power from the alternator if the battery doesnt have enough power to run them, but I was running off the battery all the way home. Also, these amps have been in my car for a good year now, and this has never happened before. Is it possible that I just fried my alternator, and I just need a new one with more amperage to handle my stereo amps?

also, aside from wearing out the clutch faster, could any other damage have been caused during my clutch-starts?

1 Reply

MVANNESSJR

MECHANIC
223 POSTS

It is entirely possible that your alternator needs to be replaced. The battery is used to start the car and the alternator keeps all of the systems running from that point on. If the alternator is defective it will not be able to provide enough power to keep it running. If your alternator is older to begin with then adding stereo amps to your car will dig an early grave for your alternator. You are not running enough wattage to require any high performance alternator.

Once you break 1000W it is recommended to use a higher rated alternator.

My suggestion would be to replace the alternator and you should be good to go for some time.