Electrical messed up

[i3eal2sfan]

i got a 97 tj and bought it used a few months back and i just got a pioneer headpiece in and aftermarket speakers. now on bass notes the whole dash and headpiece lights flicker, with just speakers, no subs or anything. does this mean my battery or alternator is messed? the gauge says its good at 14 volts but my friend did a startup test and it said that its only cranken 9 volts. :confused:

[ 12-26-2003, 08:19 AM: Message edited by: Hoosier Daddy ]

[Mark]

Ahhhh you are going to get a drop in volts when cranking. That is normal.

Battery and alternator sounds fine since you said you are getting 14 volts. The guage cluster may be loose. Have you tried putting a little pressure on it while it is flickering to see if it stops. Some TJ have a problem with the connections in the back. You could also have a loose wire under the dash or a bad ground or maybe a wire is pinched or broken in the insulation.

[i3eal2sfan]

i have no idea how old the battery is and i left my lights on for a couple of hours before. how often are u suppose to replace batteries?

[Jerry Bransford]

What is your stereo's power and ground lead connected to?

[jeepinidaho]

if it's an amplified Pioneer head unit, it will slightly flicker the lights. Low frequencies (bass) draw more power than higher frequencies. Speaker impedance, as well as wiring can be checked, but it sounds normal (I saw it many times when I worked for Pioneer)...don't sweat it...

[i3eal2sfan]

its a 200 watt headunit. but if i get subs will it fry my alternator or anything?

[jeepinidaho]

nope...you'll be fine...just make sure everything is wired correctly

[edudley]

Jerry probably hit it. Check ALL grounds. Battery to motor, motor to cab, stereo to cab. Loosen and clean each ground. And yes ours does the same thing when the bass is cranked up. We have two batteries and a 140 amp alt. Merry Christmas

[Jerry Bransford]

Originally posted by edudley:
Jerry probably hit it. Check ALL grounds. Battery to motor, motor to cab, stereo to cab. Loosen and clean each ground. And yes ours does the same thing when the bass is cranked up. We have two batteries and a 140 amp alt. Merry Christmas In addition to the ground, the + lead should not simply be wired into some power lead under the dash. Run a 12 gauge wire right to the battery and get the headunit's +12 volts from there... in addition to making sure it has an excellent ground as well.

[i3eal2sfan]

thanks guys ill check the wiring out tomorrow but prolly get a new battery anyway cause its old and i think ill be getting subs soon. does anyone have the center sub counsel for a tj? im wonderen if i should get that or get a 10 in the trunk.... :confused: