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I decided to do the Big 3. $22 dollars worth of 4gauge and a few hours later it was complete. I was happy...until I went to test. I knew something was wrong when the system first came on and I put it up; the lights were still dimming.

I took it to an empty parking lot and tested the voltages at the amps again. 13.8v with the system off...used to be 14v. I knew what was coming, so I turned it up and watched the voltage fluctuate from 13.7 to 12.5 like usual.

So what the hell, how did everything end up worse? I have to be missing something, but I'm pretty sure I did everything correctly..

1. Alternator positive to battery positive
2. Engine Block to Chasis
3. Battery negative to chasis

Engine block and battery negative both share the same screw, with the paint scraped away. Theres no fuse between the alternator and battery positive, but that can't be what's causing the problem.

What else could it be? The only reason I'm so confused is because things actually got worse (idle dropping from 14v to 13.8) when the old wires looked like they were 16gauge at best...If anything the voltages should have stayed the same

Did you get a HO alternator? There is no reason to upgrade the big three unless you got a HO alternator.

What did you use to reconnect the new wire? Typically circuts lose voltage over a connection, which is why you want to avoid moving them around.

Did you clean the old contact points? Corrosion could be a big factor in this as well, if you didn't clean out old connection points.

Did you get a HO alternator? Just upgrading wiring isn't going to give you more power unless the wire size is smaller than the alternator needs. Stock wiring with a stock alt is as good as it will get, upgrading wiring is a waste of money and time unless you get a bigger alternator.

err, everyone I've talked to (including talks I've seen here) said to do the big 3 because it was a cheap way to get more out of the stock alternator. It seemed to make sense because the wiring that's already is pretty sad. From what I seen while poking around it looked thinner than my 12gauge speaker wire, which can't handle the 70+ amps an alternator can put out. Of course now that I've done it, you two are saying it wouldn't help at all? Yay for conflicting reports after the fact I guess I'm just confused as to why I'm having problems in the first place. Currently I should only be needing about 50amps for my system, and my alternator is rated at 80amp.
I've already looked into HO alternators and they are waaaayy too expensive ($250+) when I'm not even trying to push out 1000w or more RMS. It just seems like a waste

By the way...will the bouncing voltages harm my amps? I've already had one amp die on me (5 chan Soundstream) and I never found out what did it. This could be it, but I'm not sure...I know the Cadence amp is spec'd for 12-15v operation, but I'm unsure about my JBL BP600.1

Have you upgraded your battery? That will make a big difference.

You should have had a small increase with the big 3. Maybe your wires were already large enough.

Yes, the system only requires 50 amps, but the car requires amperage, too! And 30 amps isn't enough to run any car! What kind of car is it?

Changing the wiring wont give you more of anything. It just makes it easier for the current to flow. Thats the bottom line.

Your loss of .2 volts is minimal. It may be due to a crimp connection, bad solder joint or as others have listed above.

With a 50 amp maximum draw and an 80 amp alt its just not big enough.

the 'big three' myth doesn't do anything for you if the car is newer or in good shape with a stock electrical system.
on oldercars it helps because often the stock wiring is corroded and worn, and thus unable to carry the current it should.
Stock systems use cable sufficient to handle the peak output of the stock alternator, and your audio system isn't going to be able to draw any more current than the car can provide via that alternator and battery.
If you upgrade the alternator and battery, then sure, you'll need to upgrade wiring to compensate for the increased current capacity of the system.

Anyone who tells you to just upgrade the "big three" and it'll fix all of your problems, is seriously misguided and just passing along their misinformation to you.

If your lights are dimming while you're driving the car, you need a larger alternator, less volume, or a smaller audio system. Only one or a combination of those three things is going to help you with your problem.

speaking of dimming lights...kiki would you direct me in the...direction of that topic about how cap's do nothing. I tried explaining this to a friend, and he argued with me. I figured I'd point him to it.

Link to Kikis site:

http://www.wickedcases.com/caraudio/capacitors.html