First of all, I'm using a JL 500/1, 4 awg., and a 4 volt head unit. No cap. '93 Lesabre, 105 amp alternator.
**Please read All of this post, and reply if you have a serious, helpful opinion.** Thanks!
The other day I was making a short trip out of town, and midway, the voltage light came on. I pulled over to a parking lot, and automatically pulled the wire from the battery. I cleaned the terminals, and hooked the battery back up w/o the amp wire. At this point, it only clicked, but did not start. Battery voltage was clearly low. A gust of smoke also came from the alternator as it was "clicking".
I received a jump start, and the car started. I drove it to a dimmer place at the edge of the parking lot, and I noticed the headlights were extremely low. Most of the lights were lit on the dash (ie. check engine, abs, etc.). I immediately pulled it to park area, and at the same time, the car shut down. I then got a completely charged battery, and drove it home. The battery was losing power by the time I made it home, along w/ the speedometer going wild.
Okay, I know, clearly, my alternator was dead.
Mainly, I am looking for a few opinions. This is the second mid 90's LeSabre I have owned. I know that no two vehicles are the same, but in the previous LeSabre, I used a 81000d MTX amp and 1 farad Monster Cap. Also, a 105 amp alternator. I did not have one problem for two years.
The current LeSabre is pretty much all original - it has 77,xxx miles. The alternator could have been simply wore out. I do not want to upgrade to a HO alternator. Without upgrading, do you think I will have anymore problems after adding a capacitor? I have a used alternator I could put in... do you think I should just buy a new one instead? Thanks for any feedback.
**Please read All of this post, and reply if you have a serious, helpful opinion.** Thanks!
The other day I was making a short trip out of town, and midway, the voltage light came on. I pulled over to a parking lot, and automatically pulled the wire from the battery. I cleaned the terminals, and hooked the battery back up w/o the amp wire. At this point, it only clicked, but did not start. Battery voltage was clearly low. A gust of smoke also came from the alternator as it was "clicking".
I received a jump start, and the car started. I drove it to a dimmer place at the edge of the parking lot, and I noticed the headlights were extremely low. Most of the lights were lit on the dash (ie. check engine, abs, etc.). I immediately pulled it to park area, and at the same time, the car shut down. I then got a completely charged battery, and drove it home. The battery was losing power by the time I made it home, along w/ the speedometer going wild.
Okay, I know, clearly, my alternator was dead.
Mainly, I am looking for a few opinions. This is the second mid 90's LeSabre I have owned. I know that no two vehicles are the same, but in the previous LeSabre, I used a 81000d MTX amp and 1 farad Monster Cap. Also, a 105 amp alternator. I did not have one problem for two years.
The current LeSabre is pretty much all original - it has 77,xxx miles. The alternator could have been simply wore out. I do not want to upgrade to a HO alternator. Without upgrading, do you think I will have anymore problems after adding a capacitor? I have a used alternator I could put in... do you think I should just buy a new one instead? Thanks for any feedback.