Audio Systems: car audio, jumper cables, how to use a voltmeter

Question
i have a 2006 dodge stratus (sedan) with a 800 watt amp and a 3.0 compacitor and a 0 gage wiring kit or ( the thickest they make), my lights still dim looking like strobe lights and night time once the bass is up, how do i fix that problem?

Answer
An 800 watt amp should not be drawing enough current to cause a great loading on the car electrical system.  So, there must be something going on such as a shorted speaker wire on the output of the amp or the power cap doing something crazy.

Look, you can check this very easily.  Do you know how to use a voltmeter?  You can get a good automobile type voltmeter at Walmart or Home Depot for under $10.  Then take the voltage at the terminals of the car battery when the volume is turned up.

If you have jumper cables and know how to use them carefully you can jumper from another car to add the two batteries together to see if this changes the dynamics of the loading.  For, it is possible your battery has a bad cell which is causing high impedance to the delivery system.

So, bottom line you must find out if the amp is really drawing too much current or if the car battery and alternator is not living up to their delivery needs.  

Need more? Let me know.