Ins1ghtXb

THis is about the 3rd time in 3 weeks that my battery has died after 1 day of not driving it and I even have to manually turn off my dvd/cd player everytime. So the only thing that could really be running off the battery is my alarm and the 650w amp and 10" sub. Are there any solutions to this problem because I am ready to just go buy an optima yellow top.

dgHotLava

just buying a new battery will not fix it...it will go dead too.

find out what is causing it to go dead.

disconnect the amp for a day or two (just pull the fuse by the battery)
if it still goes dead, try the alarm...might be that...

go through one by one till you find the drain.

YourMainParadox

I work at Circuit City in the car stereo shop. I see it all the time. You have something drawing current while the car is off. If you have a voltage meter try seeing what is pulling current while there are not keys in the ignition or try disconecting everything you added on and then adding them back one at a time over a period of a few days. That will be able to tell you what the issue is.

Ins1ghtXb

I am kind of leading towards a weak battery because I mean how else can a 650w amp drain it after 1 day of not driving it but thank you for the replies keep em coming!!!

OldYeller

I needed a new alternator after less than 5,000 miles--and that is with no Audio upgrades. Take it in and get it checked out.........

YourMainParadox

while not driving or having the keys in it an amp no matter what the size should not be pulling current. I have a 1,200 watt rms kicker amp with no issues besides lights dimming like crazy untill i get a better alternator.

dgHotLava

even a dome light left on overnight is enough to kill a battery.

do a quick test for a drain. have the alt checked for proper charging.

let us know what the cause is. we might want to watch for this problem to show up on other cars.

YourMainParadox

Since my car was in the accident the dome light never cut off for 3 or so days and the car started right up and was able to be moved without a jump starter or anything.

Wheellug

What changes or add on's have you made just prior to the batteries draining?

Need to check the wiring.. YourMainParadox explained it very well.

zinker

By the way yourmainparadox all you need is a capacitor if you work at circuit you should know that they store power so when you need extra it sends it instead of pulling off the battery and if you dont have the remote hooked up or its wrong you would pull power when the battery is off and your alarm isnt doing it it could go off for around 12 hours before itd kill the battery look at the systyem take it in and see if there are wiring probs

YourMainParadox

If there is a wireing issue a capasitor will not help with the battery going dead in it. That just lets some of the stress off your charging system in your car while it is running. And Alarms can run on a car for a long time without killing the battery. My XB has gone 2 or 3 weeks without being started and it will start without a problem even with amps and subs in it and even with an alarm. (unless the alarm goes off.... ALOT it is all good)

hotbox05

stock batteries are weak , mine sucks pretty badly but it will still start after 3 weeks of being gone , and that's with both my voltage stabilizer and headlight flasher leds constanly blinking.

SCI_TC_GUY

No, he DOES need an alternator.... lights will dim when the bass hits because there isn't enough amperage coming from your charging system to allow your amplifier to do its job correctly..... Capicitors DONT allow extra amperage... yes, they charge and discharge quickly and can aid in SLIGHT TRANSIENT SPIKES, but they won't fix any problems with your lights dimming due to insufficient charging system....


The whole capacitor hype is all a marketing ploy for manufacturers to make more $$$.... just like the "Triple stacked, 600oz. strontium magnet" or whatever..... point is, there are ALOT more ins and outs than 95% of people with a "stereo system" understand.....

Gothbox

I agree, a capacitor is just like a bandaid to a bigger prob.

YourMainParadox

His problem was the battery draining while the car was off.... which is a wiring issue... granted i am not a fan of capacitors because they do not do enough for big issues but even a better alternator would not help wire issues. I use a bat cap (still a capacitor even if it is a big one.... ) to help with my 1200watt amp but my battery does not drain at all even over weeks of not being started. and my lights dim very little now with bass hits.. I am actually looking for a stock fit high amp alternator for it when i get my other stuff fixed on it.

oneslowxa

get a multi meter, put it to the highest amperage setting allowed, put the leads in series with your battery, and check for amperage draw...

anything more then a 500 ma draw will kill your battery overnight...

if it's 250ma - 700 ma, then you might have a couple of relays stuck open,

if it's 2 volts plus you might have some light still on some where...


sci tc guy is right, caps, they are bandaids... an alternator is the heart of your charging system, but will not help if your car dies by it sitting still...

You wouldn't happen to play your system with the car off would you?

SCI_TC_GUY

just to clarify, I wasn't saying the OP needed an alternator... it was an OT post...

saylor

the 1 farad capacitor is a huge huge (huge) storage of power on reserve basically. I saw em in the store the other day for 2 bills. Wha happens is your amp needs big power to make that bass, more than your stock system can give it right at that instant. When it draws a certain amount too much over, that capacitor discharges its stored current, providing the power to the amp that the electrical system could not provide by itself.

I have never messed with one of these (yet) but I'd imagine there is an amount of time (milliseconds probably) for the thing to re-charge itself.... and I'd guess further if you touched the leads with something metal on this thing it might pop you one,, I dunno.
If its a capacitor like whats in electronics, it can kill you. And they can hold a charge even when unhooked, for a LONG time. Remember its job is to STORE power, and release it instantly.

To give you another idea of how huge it is - they are generally measured in micro-farads (on electronic PCBs), except when dealing with big ones for lots of power...

mfenske

Yes a capacitor does all of this stuff but the folks that recommended the alternator to be upgraded on a system with a large current draw are the most correct. Think about it like this. If your system is 2000 watts at 14.4 volts it will draw approximately 139 amps of current (assuming 100% efficency) but the stock alternator is what 80 amps? A capacitor won't magically generate extra amps of current so your lights will dim. This is why TC was right in saying they're a band-aid. They work great in systems that are slightly over the capacity of the stock alternator but for serious power an alternator or alternators is the way to roll. BTW for Ins1ghtXb there is definitely some sort of current draw going on here. Your amp (unless it's wired so it's always on) wouldn't draw current unless the key is in the "ON" position. An alarm can kill a battery but it's unlikely unless there is an issue with either the product or more likely the install. Mark

saylor

ya i agree he needs a bigger alternator (or 2 alts), and possibly dedicated batteries even for the stereo system. A capacitor is mostly instant burst power, not sustained draw.

But - like you said - he's got an electrical drain somewhere. I've been there too many times on old cars - at least you can assume the wiring harness is not dry rotted or eaten by critters yet. I don't so much think it's a device that is left on by accident or something, but perhaps a hot wire that is rubbing metal somewhere on the body/frame or rubbing a ground wire terminal at a device/switch/endpoint. Check everyplace you've spliced in or terminated since this started happening, and if you wove a wire thru a firewall or body panel hole the insulation could get a nick in it. Also places where you had to bend/poke/force or otherwise had a hard time passing a wire thru.

I do not envy your situation.

Rotsa Ruck.