Subs draining TOO much power...

[botchla90393]

alrighty ill give that a whirl as well as investing in a new battery...see how that goes.

no one can explain the water temp rising though... :S

 

[Stretchomatic]

no idea man...has the temp risen since or often.

 

[botchla90393]

since then, nop. probably because im too chicken to turn up the volume again! haha

 

[commsirac]

things did revert back to normal once the head unit was swiched off, but not instantaneously. took about 3-4 minutes before all the lights 'clicked' back on properly. i revved the engine during this stage to try and re charge the battery more but it did nothing. .

I can only think of three possibilities here:

1. The large current draw continued after switching off the stereo
2. The regulator on the alternator took its time in switching to charge mode and or other problem in the alternator.

All fuses are intact and nothing blew. i dont really think it would be an amp problem because the head unit power dropped and thats why the music stopped.

What is the rating on the fuses ? Do the cables for the amps lead directly from the battery and how far are the fuses from the battery.
Indeed it may not be an amp problem, however, the head unit switching off is most likely evidence that the voltage dropped below 10V due to a large untypical current draw and certainly I wouldnt rule out the amps being the source of that.

 

[commsirac]

alrighty ill give that a whirl as well as investing in a new battery...see how that goes.

no one can explain the water temp rising though... :S

Is there something wrong with the battery? If not, id leave that last on your list of things to try.

no one can explain the water temp rising though... :S

Possibly the power to the electric fans was also affected too.

Loose fan belt would also cause poor water circulation and alternator performance. I doubt this would be your problem though as it would be doing a lot of squealing when the revs are increased.

 

[commsirac]

i dunno how much of a difference it makes but alot of the guys that do sound systems around here tell me my lights dim when bass hits because my negative cable isnt big enough.
kinda makes sense considering theres a 8 and 4 guage power and large ground cables from the amps earthing out to the chassis, so its gotta get back in somehow.

A lot of it would make its way back through the drive train and engine and through the -ve cable going from the block to the battery, however, as suggested, it would be prudent to have a substantial additionaly cable going from the -ve terminal of the battery to a good chassis earth at the front of the car.

 

[botchla90393]

I can only think of three possibilities here:

What is the rating on the fuses ? Do the cables for the amps lead directly from the battery and how far are the fuses from the battery.
Indeed it may not be an amp problem, however, the head unit switching off is most likely evidence that the voltage dropped below 10V due to a large untypical current draw and certainly I wouldnt rule out the amps being the source of that.

yes the power cables lead directly to the battery and there isnt any distribution blocks or anything like that used. the fuses are located merely inches from the battery and rated at 60A for both.

and i dont think id rule out my battery as it is pretty ****ty and old...i cant even play music with my car off otherwise the battery will drain within 1 minute of playing music....loud or not.

thanks for the replys

 

[kopper69]

You can roughly check the condition of your battery and charging circuit using nothing more than a $14 multimeter. If you dont have one, get one. Available from just about anywhere. Once you know how to use it you will save yourself a lot of trouble. Could be your battery, could be your alternator, could be a bad connection on the battery or alternator. Check all the connections, give them a pull and make sure they are all rock solid. Fix any that arent. Get the multimeter and let me know and we can run through testing to find your fault.

I always recommended replacing batteries at two years, simply because thats when their warranties expire. Battery companies know that the battery will last two years and if you replace it every two years you are pretty much sure that you will never have a problem because of the battery. If you do, its the car that is causing it. However, I see that some batteries are now offering a three year warranty, and so I would recommend three years from these batteries. How long they will last though depends on how they are treated. If you leave the lights on or stereo to the point that you cant start the car, you have done damage to the battery that will affect its capacity and life.

If you are sus of the battery, replace it. For something so critical is sad that some people simply refuse to blame it. Really, the cost isnt huge for the role that it plays. Its a starting point anyway. I wouldnt be too surprised if it was your alternator though from the problems that you are describing.

 

[SAV_117]

hahaah $14 mulitmeter mate if my tafe lecturer heard that hahaha i just bought a 500 dollar one i think its best to get battry and alternator at least checked first it takes 2 seconds even if its not them it rules them out

 

[commsirac]

and i dont think id rule out my battery as it is pretty ****ty and old...i cant even play music with my car off otherwise the battery will drain within 1 minute of playing music....loud or not.

thanks for the replys

Well, if the battery is that far gone it could cause problems.......how can you even start the car with it if wont power the stereo after a minute?