VW 73 bettle power problem

[araizacarlos]

hi guys i have a problem with my new sound system the thing is that it seems that the generator doesn`t send enough power to handle the ligths, 2 subs, 4 speakers and 2 amps cause when i turn it on i sounds really great but my battery(optima yellow top) runs out in 1 day(if i dont turn the sound system on it runs like a baby day and night but its a waste have the system and not being able to listend to it at all) so i was wondering if anyone in here has ever own a classic bettle and how did you handle the power supply for it some people have told me that i should get an alternator convertion kit cause normally the generator only gives 30 amps and the alternator gives 55 amps that could help a lot i think, the other thing is getting a cap but some people have told me they are useless, so, any suggestions???

thanks

[Brandish]

I'm surprised your equipment works at all, seeing as how generators aren't normally regulated, so the voltage raises and drops with engine RPMs. It's probably not creating enough potential to charge the battery. In your case, I'd say the alternator conversion is your best bet. A cap won't do anything to help your problem.

[AndonD454]

i owned a 1970 beetle, but i never put a system in it. the only thing i could suggest is to do the alternator conversion, but instead of buying a complete kit with a 55 amp alternator, see if you can find just the brackets for an alternator and then find one with more amps that will fit. if you cant find one that fits thats more in the 100 amp or above range, then take it to a shop that rebuilds alternators and have them build you one or rebuild the one in the kit for higher power.

what kind of amp (brand/model/specs) do you have? the amount of power your alternator needs to produce will depend on the current draw of your amplifier. An easy way to figure this out i think is adding the fuse ratings on the outside of your amp.

also tell us if you had any luck finding a better alternator.

[araizacarlos]

hi guys i allready found another alternator its a bosch 75 amps alt at chirco.com i think that should be enough
its not much what ive got
1 pioneer 4 ch 400 rms and one pioneer 1 ch 1000 rms for the two subs
its not much but i rather having the biggest alt possible just in case
thanks for your comments

[AndonD454]

well good luck.. hopefully 75 is enough, hoewver i would upgrade the elec. power wires at the alternator and battery and upgrade the grounds as well and ground them to the chassis if they are grounded to the block to ensure that youre getting as much as you can from the alternator. i definately would not suggest much more power than you have right now, i think youre gonna be about at your max.

However, you will more than double your charging power so hopefully you wont have any more porblems.

[araizacarlos]

thank you very much but what do you mean by this ?
i definately would not suggest much more power than you have right now, i think youre gonna be about at your max.

[AndonD454]

oh, well i think if youre gonna be pushing 1400 watts rms off of a 75 amp alternator, i dont think that alternators gonna be able to handle much more power, so i wouldnt buy a bigger amp in the near future for your subs or speakers because i think about 1400 is probably all that 75 amps in a beetle can handle

[araizacarlos]

got it ill keep that in mind
thanks