i have a 2001 chevy blazer 4dr 4.3, my question is how many watts rms are you running on your alternator? is your alternator stock if not stock how many amps does it put out? the reason i ask is because i have (1)08zx 750.1 kicker mono amp powering (1) 12 inch L7 kicker and (1) cadence xenith xa125.2 amp powering my front stage cdt audio components. The problem im having is voltage drop and my sub is cutting out when the volume is raised while the car is at idol. I just want to know if you guys have bigger wattage systems with stock alternators so i can know if i need a bigger alternator or what my problem can be. under the hood is 1 optimal red top when your old and i have done the big 3 upgrade using 1/0 awg ofc power wire. my grounds for my amps are on the passanger side rear seats on the two bolts where the panel flips up and down and i did sand the area before placing the crown. Its appreciated

 

im runnin a sony 1000 watt and have no problems with it idk what your issue might be. btw im running factory alternator and just a regular lead acid battery

 

Running a JL 1000/1 for subs and a 300/4 for speakers on stock alt and regular battery without any problems. I also have a 5 farad cap.

 

Check the alternator voltage output at idle with teh amps off then with the amps on if there is a noticible drop in voltage you have a couple things to check - 1) is the alternator failing (aka not generating enough juice at idle rotational speed), 2) are the amps working within manufacturer tolerance (ohm load and input voltage level) - I don't know off the top of my head what the class is on those amps, a class D drawn less current than a class A for instance

Just my 2 cents

 

How can i check my alternators output?? Using a dmm do i just place dmm cables to alternators posative and ground it or is there a different procedure to do this... My kicker amp puts out 375 at 4ohm and 750 at 2ohm and is class D and my cadence is class AB and puts out 125 at 2ohm and 80@4ohm and my components are 4ohm. My sub is dvc 4ohm wired to 2ohm.

 

if ya have a multimeter put the positive on the positive of the battery and the negative on the negative while the car is running it will show you the alternators voltage input to the battery it should be between 13.8 and 14.8V i think

 

That will tell you voltage, but not amperage. You need a shunt to test amperage output and a way to push the alternator to max output.

 

i have about 1500wrms right now, only slight dimming, all 1/0 wiring and 2 yellow tops in the back.

 

Blazerguy22 is on the right path

swartlkk is right on the part about not telling you the amperage, but this is a simple test to see what the load does to the charging system, if the current draw is above what the alternator can produce you should see a voltage drop with the amps on (this is what a cap in the system is suppose to help with) - basiccaly here's what happens - alternator should be producing around 14.4v and up to 195 amps (depending on year and model) the battery produces 12.x volts, so if the charging system is working correctly you shouldn't see a dip in the voltage as the alternator should be producing enough current to not require the battery to supplement (might see a tiny quick spike when the amps turn on tho). If the charging system has to resort to the battery with the amps just turned on there is something wrong - period. If you want to add a third step - play something loud and watch what happens to the voltage.

 

I'm running a Targa 600w and don't even get a power dip lol