I had a similar problem a while ago and it was the alternator. It's pretty easy to gom an alternator up with mud and dirt with it being on the bottom of the motor and all.

 

Drove it to work today. Same thing is still happening... IDK what to do now... replace the alternator? Wouldn't I have more problems other than my amps not working if my alternator was bad? LOL.

Any other ideas guys?

 

Could be that your voltage regulator is bad. That would mean your pcm needs replaced. But before assuming that, bring the alternator to a auto parts store and have them check it. Also check and clean battery, battery terminals and alternator connections.

 

Is te voltage regulator located on the pcm? not on the alternator?
And I already cleaned all connections. No dice.

 

The regulator unfortunately is in the pcm. I say unfortunately because i cant customize it to put out a higher voltage. Reason being my jeep is setup for audio. So far my upgrades are a 220a alt charging an optima top and side post yellow top 78. A big three upgrade is also a must after an alt with h/o is installed. Mine is done with 1 awg pure copper welding cable. When audio comes into play it is epecially important because it doesnt matter if you have a 2/0 awg to your amps if you only have a 6awg ground back to your battery. This is the main reason for voltage drop loud systems. Ive got 2400 rms no problem. Ive also got a 40 farad power cap. Also another wiring tip, do not split a 4 awg into 2 4 awg. A 4awg cable should be split into 2 8awg or at most 6awg. not reducing guage size in that way is just adding extra resistance especially at higher loads.

 

This is EXACTTY what i Thought the problem was in the first place... But then a bunch of people on another forum sent me on a wild goose chase after 40 different things it could probably be... It's got to be down to the volt regulator, the alternator, or the starting wire being too small...

 

Try a big three upgrade first to ensure perfect connections, if your into audio that is. There is a possibility that your chassis ground is a culprit. You say your amps shut off and i beleive you said your guages dimmed. These are ground back to the battery through chassis ground. Engine stays running fine? That has a seperate ground. These reasons would make me look at battery cables first. Starting wire is no issue. No new high output starter then no starter cable nessesary. Jeeps are also known to get voltage drops due to debris getting into the alt during wheeling

 

gauges dont dim.

But new development now my amps don't even turn on at all.

 

Are you sure your remote wire is working?

 

Not now... lol. before the amps would turn on fine... now they dont turn on at all... lol Ill check it out after work.

 

Now check this **** out...

Just went out and redid the remote wire. Its wired fine. Now... I do some experimenting. I re-did both grounds AGAIN. And tried a few things by pulling the fuses in the dist block:

Tried both amps connected key on jeep NOT started: light on speaker amp light turns on for a split second then turns off, light on sub amp does nothing

Tried speaker only amp connected key on jeep NOT started: same thing

Tried Both amps connected, Jeep STARTED: same thing

Tried speaker only amp connected jeep started: Amp light comes on and intermittently flickers/dims, but stays on... telling ME that the current is too low to run it constantly...

This points to a junk alternator or voltage regulator no?

 

A bad alt is most likely going to charge low if its bad. A bad voltage regulator can cause the fluctuation. The amp issue i feel must be an issue witg your wiring. As long as the are connected to a good battery tge only things that coukd be wrong are, high resistance in your power wire or break in that wire. A bad ground is more likely to put it into protect mode. Id check voltage at the alt while u have a issue if its possible also current output. If you load the alt while its running and it shuts off its probably the alt. Keep in mind your amps could be bad. You should test bench them to see if they in fact do work

 

Now, I let the jeep sit for 4 days... started it up and the amps were working fine for about 5-10 minutes, then the music started getting ''staticy" then just stopped. Both amps were off...

WTF?!

 

any ideas?