for2pulse

Hello all

the last couple of days, since we are staying home more, I noticed that the battery would die if the car is parked for 2-3 days. After doing a test with my multimeter I found out that the Fuse 29 if I'm not wrong, fusebox in the engine compartment, which is for the amplifier, was causing the issue. With the car off I had 400 milliampere parasitic draw. When I removed the fuse 29 it went down to 80 milliampere. I read that those amps can cause issues, but did anyone had that issue before? Any suggestions on how to solve it? I was thinking to install a switch in the car so anytime I turn off the car I'll turn off the amp too and vice versa. Did anyone replaced the original amp with aftermarket?
Thanks a lot and stay safe

swfla

iTrader: (1)

A lot of battery postings the past few weeks. Apparently the computer systems in the modern cars continue to draw small amounts of current. But what has also come up often is batteries that are over three-four years old. The standard answer is to make sure the battery is fully charged and then go to an auto parts store where they will load test your battery for free. If it's weak or close to being worn out, they'll install a battery at no charge, just the cost of the battery, about $125 US. I think a dead battery in two - three days is a combination of old battery and excessive draw. One solution is to replace the battery, if it's weak and see how it performs. Next step could be to add a trickle charger that you plug in when garaged. 400 ma is a big draw. I'm pretty sure from reading here that the amps are very specific to the car (proprietary) and you can't just pick up an aftermarket amp. There are two places in the US that specialize in Mark Levinson repair. One is in Washington state. Are there any symptoms like clicking, buzzing, weak sound when the music is playing? Can you spray some electrical contact cleaner in the fuse sockets and q-tips to clean the area up? So many computers talking to each other, you may be inviting more trouble if you put a switch in. Hopefully there will be a few more folks chiming in. Good luck.

for2pulse

Actually the battery is brand new, I replace the old one 2 months ago, because was already 4 years old and the winters we have in Canada are pretty tough. Since I did the test with multimeter, i tested every single fuse, i saw huge drop only when I pull out the amplifier fuse. Tomorrow I'll check behind the rear seats to see maybe the amp plugs have corrosion, but I doubt that this is the issue. I read that some people they had issues with the radio volume caused by a dead amp. So I dont know if I should replace the amp, since are pretty expensive, or try to find another way. If anyone has any idea or happened to him please help guys.

ps: I think I have the pioneer amplifier and not the mark levinson since I dont have the center speaker on the dashboard and my unit doesnt say mark levinson

Thanks

for2pulse

So after checking my amp behind the seats I noticed this aftermarket box that takes power from amplifier and has the ground on the the screw as you can see. Removed that and boom no more parasitic draw. Do you have any idea what this thing could be? Thanks

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Great that you found the cause Good job! I'm not a big audio guy but maybe this is a homemade capacitor setup to help boost subwoofer thumps. If everything works OK with this removed, you're good to go. Unwrap it and tell us what you find. We like to learn.

Margate330

What the heck is that?

Yeah that'll do it.
Maybe someone put a gps tracker on a cheater spouse. lol

swfla

iTrader: (1)

The piece that your thumb is touching looks like a Li battery, the type used in RC cars and drones based on the appearance of the end. Whether capacitor (usually round) or fast discharge battery, both would help with the brief high current demands of a lone woofer. do the wires lead to the lone sub woofer/speaker?

for2pulse

I bought the car last year but since I was driving it every day I never noticed the battery issue. Now though since I started working from home I realized that I have a problem. It looks to me as you said guys like a lithium battery or capacitor (is heavy actually) and it has 2 wires (the positive is leading into the OEM wires that feed the amp and the ground as I said was on a bolt). Since I removed the ground wire 2 days ago, I started the car to day and voila no issue. Checked with the multimeter the voltage and the battery was 12.1 V

mandyfig

In the meantime get a trickle charger and hook the car when not in use.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Good to hear that the drain is no longer a problem. If you decide to unwrap the device and see what the components are, I'll be cheering you on. I doubt there will be any issues when/if you snip the other wire leading to the amp. Does the stereo system sound OK still?

matts6887

thats interesting and seems kinda odd that a stereo system component of all things; would be the culprit to this. Who'd of thought? go figure on it being something like that lol

Margate330

+1 OP was smart to pull fuses one by one to track it down.
Buried under back seat under carpet Impossible for anyone to find without pulling back seat to look for it.

Just curious can you please tell us what your normal parasitic draw is with hood closed and doors locked?

for2pulse

2 months since I removed that black box which I believe is a resistor for the amp installed by previous owner, the car starts right away even if I let sit for 4 days +

the parasitic draw I have right now is around 70 to 80 milliamps when car is locked which is ok

swfla

iTrader: (1)

A wildcard of an issue, an owner installed item that isn't readily identifiable. (you said you "believe" it's a resistor, that sounds uncertain and unlikely based on my electronics experience). If you still have it, unwrap it and post photos. If not, I'm glad you solved this mystery.