Can capicitors be set sideways?

[Explorer94GV]

im running into a problem of where to put my cap with in the 18 inch area. i could put it close if i put it sideways. could i do this? i dont know since ive never used one of these. what exactly happens when these things are used out. the person i bought it from said that the top lets out some sort of fluid/steam? any help on info on capicitors would be nice. i have the rockford fosgate digital capictior 20 volt surge.

 

[rokke17]

Go ahead and put 'em on their side, mine have never had a problem and they have been on their sides for a long time.

 

[leenjen]

i have mine mounted sideways.

what he's talking about is if you wire it incorrectly (reverse the polarity). it lets out a fluid through the vent. then the capacitor is useless. but it's better then exploding

 

[Explorer94GV]

yes that is better than exploding. how exactly are they charged. i want to do it, but dont want to mess it up when it will only cost me $15 to get installed. i have all the wiring ready just not sure how it gets charged.

 

[rokke17]

If you have the Rockfords you should have gotten a little chip that you can connect to the cap and wire up to initially charge them. If you didnt get one then connect the ground of the cap to the ground wire, then take the power wire and tap it intermittantly against the power connection to charge the cap. You might blow a couple fuses doin this, well at least it tripped my breaker.

 

[leenjen]

i fit is a standard capacitor (w/out digital voltmeter), then use the resistor that came with it (most are 1/4 ohm) and attach it to the positive terminal and power wire. also have the ground wire connected and the vehicle running. check the alternator's voltage output, then attach the voltmeter to the cap and charge it till the voltage is the same as the alt. to get rid of the capacitor's charge if you are going to remove it, attach the resistor to both the + & - terminals on the cap.

 

[Explorer94GV]

ok i should of told you it is a digital one. and yes it came with the chip. what do i do different and what happens when i upgrade the altenator? how do i know how much voltage my altenator already is? the alt i have is the orignal one. i believe they are 85 amps. i am going to get the 200 amp alt you suggested leen soon. thxs for the help guys.

 

[leenjen]

you need to measure the voltage with your explorer running. that is how much your cap should be charged to.