Hey does anyone know a typical ampere rating for a 94 civic ex? I can't seem to find it. I need to know because I'm trying to determine how big of an amp I can put in to power front components and rear 4-ways.

I need the ampere to do the following (from Crutchfield.com)

"To calculate the current draw of an amplifier, multiply the number of channels by the RMS watts per channel (a 2 channel amp rated at 300 watts RMS per channel would be 600 watts). Double it to account for amplifier inefficiency (600 watts X 2 = 1200 watts), then divide by the average output Voltage of an alternator, 13.8 volts (1200 divided by 13.8 = 87 amps). Since the average music signal requires about 1/3rd of the average power in a test tone, divide by 3 (87 amps divided by 3 = 29 amps). The result is the amplifier's approximate average current draw."

Then I can determine if the amp will draw too much from the primary battery.

 

no the amp wont draw too much even if u have like a 500 true wattage amp

 

no, but for your alternator it may

 

yea that is what I'm worried about - using the battery power faster than the alternator can recharge it during regular use.

 

actually you're misunderstanding.

With the car running, the amp will draw the power from the alternator, and at the same time the battery will draw power from the alternator since at that point the battery is a load (Read that as in since the alternator is putting out ~14.4 volts, and the battery is only at most going to put out ~12.6, the alternator will be feeding power into the battery, and the power from the battery will *not* be used until the demand on the alternator is more than it can supply. at that point will the power from your battery start to be pulled).

Anyhow, Civic alternators aren't all that big. You might wear it out faster. You can always get your alternator tested at like Pep boys or something to see the condition of it. If it's older and/or worn some, you can get it either rebuilt, or just buy a replacement unit