150A ANL Fuse Melted!!
 

I have had an install done on a Chrysler Concorde 2002 LXi with 130a alternator. It is wired with 4AWG and no big 3 upgrade has been done yet, and it doesn't really look to be necessary.

- Alpine M1000 (1000w RMS Monoblock)
- Alpine F600 (150w RMS x 4 Channel)
- (2) Alpine Type Rs 6x9s and (2) 6 1/2s, each is 100w RMS
- (2) Alpine Type R 10-inch Subs (500rms each)
- Alpine 9886 HU with 4v preouts

Now the fuse recommendation for the monoblock is 100a and 75a for the multi ch. So technically 175a should be used from what I understand. Recently the ANL 150a fuse melted. It is located near the battery and fuse box under the hood, not close to heat sources.

So why did it melt? Not enough amps on the fuse?

I will be replacing this soon, and I would like to know if going with a 200a fuse would solve the problem. Any other recommendations/ tips are welcome :)

Also, since my HU has 4V preouts, shouldn't my Amplifiers' gain be set to match this voltage? They are currently set at "normal" levels and don't distort. Matching to 4V would mean the gain is set to the minimum position... this doesn't seem right.

Thanks in advance!

let me guess, your amps are grounded somewhere to the frame in the trunk of the car? if so, that's why your fuse melted.

4 gauge is also a part of the problem. Your amps are trying to pull the current they cant get.

200amp fuse wont melt, but that's not where your problem really is.

Thats interesting.

I'm running about the same wattage (about 1800 RATED) so probably 50% of that at any given moment, if that even. 4 awg runs (one to each amp) and grounds underneath the seat bolts. Fuses are 60 amp in lines, one per run, (lower rated fuses will never hurt you btw).

130 amp alt, about 70 to 80 at idle.

Currently putting a second batt in. I'm going to ignore all this battery matching stuff because with the second batt 20 feet away, its never going to match anyway. Using 1 OUGHT power & ground, full pos & neg runs. Moving amps to second batt obviously. I'll still use 4awg to the amps, but the run will be less than a foot from the distro block.

So YULI...once my amps get back there, where SHOULD I ground them? Or will grounding them back there be ok because the second batt is only a foot away?

Thank You

John

The amps are grounded to the sanded bare metal frame of the trunk, why would this be a problem?

Also, this 4AWG is rated to something like 3000W and everyone has said this is fine. Could you enlighten me please :)

Its not so much the fuse melting, its the fuse casing which is made of plastic. This accompanied by the black residue that comes from the high temperature.

Isn't the main problem that the fuse is 150A, where the minimum I should be using as recommended by the manufacturer 175A.

I'd like to understand this problem a bit more if you could explain it, I'm somewhat new to this and its my first build.

The ground wire is the most important wire in the vehicle. If you are attempting to ground through the glued together and spot welded panels of todays unibody cars, expect all sorts of issues with power delivery. Current flows from negative to positive, get the ground done as good as you possibly can, to the battery and ideally alternator if you must. The alternator runs the whole show, give it the love it deserves. I would have the big 3 (or 4) done in 0 gauge and make the flow of current as efficient as possible.

When you have a longer run of wire, the resistance in it also builds. You can also have a dead short in the power line somewhere between the fuse and the back of the car. You always fuse the wire, not the amps. The amps already (for the most part) have their own fusing in them. The wire though, it depends on the guage, the length of it and the quality (or Kwality) of the wire that you are using.

Everything else aside for the moment, I'm a bit confused now. Did the fuse blow (melt away) or did it just get so hot it melted the case? Or both?

i did that with 4 runs of 1/0 and 2 100 amp amp fuses, i melted the holders and all, on 2000Ws ish. did it before with a normal fuse holder on my first stereo to that was 1000ws ish 1 run of 4 and grounded in the trunk... i ditched that pretty fast

The fuse under the hood has absolutely nothing to do with Alternators or amplifiers, it is there to protect the car from burning to the ground in the event of a short and should be matched to the power wire.

4awg wire has a max fuse size of 125amp, if you're amps (potentially)draw more than that, you need to upgrade your power wire and get the appropriate bigger fuse to match it, the fuses either on the amps or the distro block in the trunk (or wherever) are the ones that should match the amps recommended fuse rating.

as for why the fuse melted, I can't help much.

A wire/cables amperage capacity is in direct relation to the AWG like you said, but also the length of the wire. (As an example, I would speculate a 6" piece of 4AWG can pass 500 amps without problem).

Strand count and the type of insulation also play a factor.

and how is your battery grounded to the frame of the car? with the factory 10 gauge wire?

im also confused now as to what's happening with your fuse? did it melt, did the casing melt? wtf bro. you want help, be specific. or were you just trying to show off with the improper install?