Stiffening capacitor for car's audio system???? How long........

How long will a stiffening capacitor last and how will you know when it has gone bad?

Electrolytic caps consumer grade usually last 6-10 years, they are in failure mode as when they are out of specification for the job they are handling (fail is not black & white). I've got a radio purchased 35 years ago and I'm sure the electrolytic caps are dead dry... but the circuit still holds up and my ears can no longer tell the difference between a new set and this one :) age has it's compensations.

OTH: a buddy of mine goes into his computer MB every five years and switches them all out after he lost a beloved set-up to a leaker on a 6 layer board.

Electrolytic caps consumer grade usually last 6-10 years, they are in failure mode as when they are out of specification for the job they are handling (fail is not black & white). I've got a radio purchased 35 years ago and I'm sure the electrolytic caps are dead dry... but the circuit still holds up and my ears can no longer tell the difference between a new set and this one :) age has it's compensations.

OTH: a buddy of mine goes into his computer MB every five years and switches them all out after he lost a beloved set-up to a leaker on a 6 layer board.

Nah im talking about stiffening cap capacitors for audio systems. Start out as .5 farad, then 1 farad , and i think goes up to a 3 farad

Those are also Electrolytic caps.

If the capacitors are underrated for voltage (i.e. they don't have at least 20% margin), they will wear out more quickly due to internal heating, or if the temperature is elevated in their environment (say, stuck up inside the dash near a heat vent or under the carpet on the floor).

Aside from that, they should last for many years--I have audio equipment that is over 25 years old and still works and sounds great.

If the capacitors are underrated for voltage (i.e. they don't have at least 20% margin), they will wear out more quickly due to internal heating, or if the temperature is elevated in their environment (say, stuck up inside the dash near a heat vent or under the carpet on the floor).

Aside from that, they should last for many years--I have audio equipment that is over 25 years old and still works and sounds great.

oh ok sounds good and yeah had mine in since 96

You will know if they're bad as you'll get more noise in your audio--not 60Hz hum (which doesn't exist in a car), but impulse noise from the ignition and other electrical loads in the car. Actually, with electronic ignition on cars these days and coil-on-spark-plug--you might not get ignition noise any more.

OTH: a buddy of mine goes into his computer MB every five years and switches them all out after he lost a beloved set-up to a leaker on a 6 layer board.

OMG !!
:rolleyes:

OMG !!
:rolleyes:You must have downed a stiff capacitor once or twice too

He could replace them with Tantalum caps--they explode and catch fire when they fail!

He could replace them with Tantalum caps--they explode and catch fire when they fail!At least he would know they were bad.