Hey,
Installed my system about 8 months ago. Not until the past 2 months have I been having the problem where my amp is constantly drawing power even when the car is shut off. The power light will go out but when me and my dad checked the voltage being drawn, the amp was still drawing power. Any suggestions on what I should do? Oh by the way it is a power aucoustik amp (1600 watts), that powers 2 12" infinity reference subs. Thanks again.
Replies (13)
Munchiesyumm on 01/27/2004 20:31:42
Possibly something to do with the Remote Power Wire?
It is a small wire that comes from your head unit that connects to the amplifer and it is suppose to tell the amp when to turn on and when to turn off. It may have something to do with this. Or it could be that either the amplifier or Head Unit is not working properly.
I would check the wiring coming from both the head unit and the amplifer make sure nothing is touching anything it shouldn't be.
hopfully this helps and I haven't made too much a fool of my self!
alanjlamore on 01/27/2004 20:41:32
He's got a good point. The remote wire is supposed to be connected to a +12v source that shuts off when the ignition is off, but there is also a +12v wire very close to the other one that stays on all the time (for the clock, cigarette lighter...).
You should check to see if the HU is wired correctly.
I just re-read your post, and realized that you weren't having this problem at first so...
Where is your dad checking for +12V? If he checks the power wire right at the amp, with the other test lead to ground, then yes you'd have a +12V showing on the multimeter or voltmeter, but that doesn't mean that the amp is still on. This would be the same as testing your positive terminal of your batterie (power wire is wired directly to it), to the negative terminal (body of car is wired directly to this). No power would be drawn, except for a tiny bit for the short period that the meter is on it.
Plus if the power LED is off then the amp should be off as well, especially if the LED works when the car is on. That should be the first thing that any power goes through in the amp since it's only purpose is to tell you if there's power or not.
I might be way off, it all depends on where you're checking for the voltage.
Hope this helped :)
bigd7788 on 01/28/2004 06:38:39
OK, my dad checked put the tester on the baterry and the wire coming off the battery. About .01 was drawing when the whole car was turned off and the amp was unplugged. Once I plugged in the amp, the voltage jumped to about .35 (which is bad). I know I have my remote wire correctly installed because when I do run power to the amp, when I turn off the car, the LED will go out and the amp will appear to be off. If I don't disconnect the power wire to the amp though, my car won't start the next morning because of the amp drawing so much power over night, even though the LED is off.
riceman on 01/28/2004 17:30:51
disconnect the remote wire from the amp and with a test light hooked to ground see if the test light comes touching the end of the remote wire coming from the hu if it does come on with the hu off then the hu might not be grounded properly in that case ground the chasis of the hu direct to ground . hopefull that might help.
bigd7788 on 02/5/2004 13:43:31
Again tried that but nothing is working....THIS SUCKS! Hopefully the amp isn't blown cuz I really don't have the money to drop into that, but whatever. Anymore ideas?
cplkittle on 02/5/2004 13:52:59
you could always go with a power wire on a switch to a relay. Kinda ghetto, but if the relay in the amp isn't working properly, this is a much cheaper solution than purchasing another amplifier.
bigd7788 on 02/9/2004 16:09:02
OK, If i were to go with the ghetto route....probably will for now cuz i'm a poor high school student...uhh how exactly would I pull that one off? Buy just a random switch, but a relay and.....I'm completely lost from there. Any help? Thanks in advance.
ttocs on 02/9/2004 21:20:24
Were you testing voltage, or current? To test for current you will need to disconnect the ground, and insert an amp meter in the circuit. If your testing voltage, there will be a spike when you connect or disconnect the amp, as the internal capacitors charge and discharge. I have to agree that if the led is off, the amp is off. It is possible that this is not the case this time as I have seen some strange stuff. I had a similar incedent where a customers cd changer shuffled cd's after his car was shut off(ferrari 355 spyder). In any case you will need to test the current draw on the vehicle. Try pulling individual fuses to see if you can find a current drop.
bigd7788 on 02/25/2004 15:18:02
Alright, still no help, come on guys let's put our heads together. I don't want to buy a friggin new amp. Uhh so anyway to putch a switch or something so i can just turn off the power flow to the amp with a flip of the switch?
uochronos on 02/25/2004 16:45:13
putting in a switch is easy but its deffinatly the ghetto way of doing it. alls you should need though is a relay capable of handling the power and a switch just wire them into the power wire.
honestly though seems like this could be the beggining of a bigger problem because obviously something is not working right.... even if you install a switch i would keep trying to find out what is wrong. it seems to me even .3 volts should not drain your battery over night unless your battery has a very poor charge to start with. i have left my dome light on before for 24 hours or so and my car still well start.
bigd7788 on 02/25/2004 17:34:17
Yuh, ok I started driving the car everyday and the problem isn't noticable. When I do let my car sit for a weekend or so when I go on a trip for hockey, I get back and my car is DEAD!! It's still a problem.
uochronos on 02/25/2004 17:47:04
hmm i was thinking its a pretty big amp you have there what alternator do you have? how many amps is it?
this is what i was thinking someone correct me if i'm totaly off base. this problem gradualy started months after the amp was installed. well maybe your alternator is just barly keep up with the amplifier forinstance yours pulling 105amps and have a 100amp alternator but its able to most the time keep it charged but slowly over time your battery became depleted and now your battery is so low that the little power the amp if pulling is killing the battery. this is just a theory it doesnt explain why your amp is drawing a little power but does explain why all of a sudden it started happening.
if i'm off base here someone let me know but this scenerio makes since to me.
also it may be hard for you to find a large enough relay the largest one i can find is 30amp. i well keep looking for one though
swez on 02/25/2004 19:03:43
May I suggest you have your ALT and BATT tested at a good auto parts store. This service is usually free and will tell you the general health of your ALT & BAT.
A typical wet cell battery will last 3-4 winters and slowly poops out. If the battery gets to low charge conditions more than a few times, it usually will die in short order. Lead acid batteries are not designed to take full dischages to many times. Sometimes a "hot shot" (40-60A charge cycle for a few minutes) will perk them up. But then trickle charge it to full capacity for a day or so.
Also, you may have a circuit in the car that is not shutting off when the key is pulled. Look for obvious things like dome lights, trunk lamps, under hood light, glove box etc. They draw small amounts of power, but if left on due to a faulty switch, can kill your battery over a day or two.
You can trace this one by pulling the hot wire on battery, installing an ammeter between wire and battery and observe current readings. If you get a reading above 1 or 2A., something is pulling power. I'd say 1 -2 A. is not bad as you have a clock and radio getting some power to maintain station presets and clock time. The ECM (Engine control Module) may also monitor certain functions too,
Finally, The theory Chronos offered is plausable. This is especially true if you drive mostly at night with heater/A/C, lights, defogger and your tunes machine going. These are all heavy current devices and the ALT will have to work pretty hard to supply all that current demand. This leaves very little reserves for recharging your battery. Have your electrical system checked out first... once that data is in, you'll have a basedline to work off of.
Swez
PS Welcome to CK !
Installed my system about 8 months ago. Not until the past 2 months have I been having the problem where my amp is constantly drawing power even when the car is shut off. The power light will go out but when me and my dad checked the voltage being drawn, the amp was still drawing power. Any suggestions on what I should do? Oh by the way it is a power aucoustik amp (1600 watts), that powers 2 12" infinity reference subs. Thanks again.
Replies (13)
Munchiesyumm on 01/27/2004 20:31:42
Possibly something to do with the Remote Power Wire?
It is a small wire that comes from your head unit that connects to the amplifer and it is suppose to tell the amp when to turn on and when to turn off. It may have something to do with this. Or it could be that either the amplifier or Head Unit is not working properly.
I would check the wiring coming from both the head unit and the amplifer make sure nothing is touching anything it shouldn't be.
hopfully this helps and I haven't made too much a fool of my self!
alanjlamore on 01/27/2004 20:41:32
He's got a good point. The remote wire is supposed to be connected to a +12v source that shuts off when the ignition is off, but there is also a +12v wire very close to the other one that stays on all the time (for the clock, cigarette lighter...).
You should check to see if the HU is wired correctly.
I just re-read your post, and realized that you weren't having this problem at first so...
Where is your dad checking for +12V? If he checks the power wire right at the amp, with the other test lead to ground, then yes you'd have a +12V showing on the multimeter or voltmeter, but that doesn't mean that the amp is still on. This would be the same as testing your positive terminal of your batterie (power wire is wired directly to it), to the negative terminal (body of car is wired directly to this). No power would be drawn, except for a tiny bit for the short period that the meter is on it.
Plus if the power LED is off then the amp should be off as well, especially if the LED works when the car is on. That should be the first thing that any power goes through in the amp since it's only purpose is to tell you if there's power or not.
I might be way off, it all depends on where you're checking for the voltage.
Hope this helped :)
bigd7788 on 01/28/2004 06:38:39
OK, my dad checked put the tester on the baterry and the wire coming off the battery. About .01 was drawing when the whole car was turned off and the amp was unplugged. Once I plugged in the amp, the voltage jumped to about .35 (which is bad). I know I have my remote wire correctly installed because when I do run power to the amp, when I turn off the car, the LED will go out and the amp will appear to be off. If I don't disconnect the power wire to the amp though, my car won't start the next morning because of the amp drawing so much power over night, even though the LED is off.
riceman on 01/28/2004 17:30:51
disconnect the remote wire from the amp and with a test light hooked to ground see if the test light comes touching the end of the remote wire coming from the hu if it does come on with the hu off then the hu might not be grounded properly in that case ground the chasis of the hu direct to ground . hopefull that might help.
bigd7788 on 02/5/2004 13:43:31
Again tried that but nothing is working....THIS SUCKS! Hopefully the amp isn't blown cuz I really don't have the money to drop into that, but whatever. Anymore ideas?
cplkittle on 02/5/2004 13:52:59
you could always go with a power wire on a switch to a relay. Kinda ghetto, but if the relay in the amp isn't working properly, this is a much cheaper solution than purchasing another amplifier.
bigd7788 on 02/9/2004 16:09:02
OK, If i were to go with the ghetto route....probably will for now cuz i'm a poor high school student...uhh how exactly would I pull that one off? Buy just a random switch, but a relay and.....I'm completely lost from there. Any help? Thanks in advance.
ttocs on 02/9/2004 21:20:24
Were you testing voltage, or current? To test for current you will need to disconnect the ground, and insert an amp meter in the circuit. If your testing voltage, there will be a spike when you connect or disconnect the amp, as the internal capacitors charge and discharge. I have to agree that if the led is off, the amp is off. It is possible that this is not the case this time as I have seen some strange stuff. I had a similar incedent where a customers cd changer shuffled cd's after his car was shut off(ferrari 355 spyder). In any case you will need to test the current draw on the vehicle. Try pulling individual fuses to see if you can find a current drop.
bigd7788 on 02/25/2004 15:18:02
Alright, still no help, come on guys let's put our heads together. I don't want to buy a friggin new amp. Uhh so anyway to putch a switch or something so i can just turn off the power flow to the amp with a flip of the switch?
uochronos on 02/25/2004 16:45:13
putting in a switch is easy but its deffinatly the ghetto way of doing it. alls you should need though is a relay capable of handling the power and a switch just wire them into the power wire.
honestly though seems like this could be the beggining of a bigger problem because obviously something is not working right.... even if you install a switch i would keep trying to find out what is wrong. it seems to me even .3 volts should not drain your battery over night unless your battery has a very poor charge to start with. i have left my dome light on before for 24 hours or so and my car still well start.
bigd7788 on 02/25/2004 17:34:17
Yuh, ok I started driving the car everyday and the problem isn't noticable. When I do let my car sit for a weekend or so when I go on a trip for hockey, I get back and my car is DEAD!! It's still a problem.
uochronos on 02/25/2004 17:47:04
hmm i was thinking its a pretty big amp you have there what alternator do you have? how many amps is it?
this is what i was thinking someone correct me if i'm totaly off base. this problem gradualy started months after the amp was installed. well maybe your alternator is just barly keep up with the amplifier forinstance yours pulling 105amps and have a 100amp alternator but its able to most the time keep it charged but slowly over time your battery became depleted and now your battery is so low that the little power the amp if pulling is killing the battery. this is just a theory it doesnt explain why your amp is drawing a little power but does explain why all of a sudden it started happening.
if i'm off base here someone let me know but this scenerio makes since to me.
also it may be hard for you to find a large enough relay the largest one i can find is 30amp. i well keep looking for one though
swez on 02/25/2004 19:03:43
May I suggest you have your ALT and BATT tested at a good auto parts store. This service is usually free and will tell you the general health of your ALT & BAT.
A typical wet cell battery will last 3-4 winters and slowly poops out. If the battery gets to low charge conditions more than a few times, it usually will die in short order. Lead acid batteries are not designed to take full dischages to many times. Sometimes a "hot shot" (40-60A charge cycle for a few minutes) will perk them up. But then trickle charge it to full capacity for a day or so.
Also, you may have a circuit in the car that is not shutting off when the key is pulled. Look for obvious things like dome lights, trunk lamps, under hood light, glove box etc. They draw small amounts of power, but if left on due to a faulty switch, can kill your battery over a day or two.
You can trace this one by pulling the hot wire on battery, installing an ammeter between wire and battery and observe current readings. If you get a reading above 1 or 2A., something is pulling power. I'd say 1 -2 A. is not bad as you have a clock and radio getting some power to maintain station presets and clock time. The ECM (Engine control Module) may also monitor certain functions too,
Finally, The theory Chronos offered is plausable. This is especially true if you drive mostly at night with heater/A/C, lights, defogger and your tunes machine going. These are all heavy current devices and the ALT will have to work pretty hard to supply all that current demand. This leaves very little reserves for recharging your battery. Have your electrical system checked out first... once that data is in, you'll have a basedline to work off of.
Swez
PS Welcome to CK !
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