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iNeon
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| Parasitic Electrical Drain
Shlomo's new battery(1 week old) was dead when I went to start him last night.
There *is* aftermarket stereo equipment that I will unhook first, but I thought that the amplifier only turned on when the radio gets juice when the key is on? It is wired to only do that, but I could have done it incorrectly too.
Where are other places that can contribute to a car never holding juice?
The alternator charges 14 volts when the aux fan is not on, 13.6 when it is-- around 12.5 at idle, so it is not at fault.
It is driving me nuts, and I only have 30 dollars left in my repair budget. Make the fixes be cheap ones. |
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Nutz
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location:
Vehicle(s):
Posts: 2026
| Re: Parasitic Electrical Drain
In regards to your amp; Do you have the remote turn on lead from the head unit connected to the amp? (blue with white stripe) If the light is still on the amp when you turn off the stereo then it's wired wrong. |
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iNeon
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| Re: Parasitic Electrical Drain
Yeah, I think it is wired incorrectly-- I went out to play with it earlier-- the light does stay on on the amplifier.
Futzing with the ground made the light not stay on anymore.. Which leads me to...
Where is the best place to ground an amplifier that is mounted right below where the first-aid kit is supposed to be?
I have the wire run around the plastic liner on the the side, it has an eyelet on the end that I bolted to wherever the drivers-side taillight mounts.
Messing with it when it was on tripped the amps safety circuit and the light turned red, but i screwed it back in, and the light turned back green and the light was not on anymore whenever the car was off.
Would it hurt if I grounded it to the fuel tank's upper bolt? hahaha I'm so glad it's a diesel! I wouldn't ask that question if it were a gasoline-powered car! |
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Boneheaddoctor
W123 Host
Date registered: Jun 2006
Location: Hells half acre (Northern VA)
Vehicle(s): '79 300SD, '83 300D, '75 Harley-Davidson Chopper
Posts: 310
| RE: Parasitic Electrical Drain
Any place on the chassis back here is good. scrape paint away if ther is any , and after its bolted up you can dab it with paint or grease to hold off rust.
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iNeon
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| Re: Parasitic Electrical Drain
After having messed with the ground and driven the car a measure to recharge the battery, I popped the faceplate and left it for a day and a half, when I opened the door last night at midnight...
!!!THE DOME LIGHT WORKED, AND WAS BRIGHT!!!
I also unplugged the thermometer/voltmeter from the cigar lighter, but I'm not sure that even works when the car is off!
One final note: Don't buy a voltmeter for your car.. they fluctuate wildly and it only adds one more thing to worry about. If the dome light is bright when you open the door-- the car will start. It's as good a voltmeter as you'll ever need. |
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jdc1244
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| RE: Parasitic Electrical Drain
Glad you got it figured out. Tracking down a battery drain is a PITA.  |
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Boneheaddoctor
W123 Host
Date registered: Jun 2006
Location: Hells half acre (Northern VA)
Vehicle(s): '79 300SD, '83 300D, '75 Harley-Davidson Chopper
Posts: 310
| Re: Parasitic Electrical Drain
Have you determined if it was an improperly wired radio...or a defect in the radio? |
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BenzDieselTuner
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| Re: Parasitic Electrical Drain
i would think so...... |
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