srabin

For those of you that remember, I had a new amplifier/soundsystem installed and my battery keeps dying. The stereo place doesn't seem to think they did anything wrong, but it started only after the install, so you do the math.

At any rate, I have the yellow top battery in there and it now died too after sitting for only 3 days. The car couldn't even be jump started, so I went and purchased a battery charger.

Here is where it gets interesting....

I made all the connections with the battery still in the car. Positive to positive, negative to ground/bolts, etc... at no point while the battery was in the car would the battery accept the charge. ( I also disconnected the hot feed to the amps from the positive terminal)

I took out the battery and made the connections as follows-

Positive to positive, negative connected through a jumper cable to the negative on the battery (as instructed).

The battery takes the charge.

so my question is this- Given that the battery wouldn't accept the charge while still connected in the car but does when outside of the car, what does that tell us about the amp connections or head unit connections?

Does this prove that the amp isn't properly grounded and if fixed, that will solve my persistent dead battery issue?

Thoughts...

Thanks,
Steve

johnodrake

Isolate the new amp and see what happens. Like you, I think the new system is the likely culprit.

ByByBMW

phileaglesfan

srabin

My question more or less is about the fact that the battery wont even charge even with the amp power disconnected from the battery.

I'm not an electrician, but does that indicate what may be wrong?

FortMorganAl

You state that you connected it correctly while in the car (negative to a bolt). There is often a problem getting a good connection to a bolt and I've found the C6 is harder than most. With a dead battery and a charger (not a tender) you should be getting a spark when you make the second connection. How many amps was the charger putting out? If more than a couple and the battery wouldn't charge then you have a pretty heavy short. I've never seen a properly connected charger fail to put some charge into a good battery with good connections even with a short in the system. A 2 amp short is going to get hot quickly. I'm thinking you just didn't have a good ground for the charger when in the car especially since you disconnected the new amp.

srabin

It is a 2amp slow charger. I made the connections before I plugged it in.

Call me nuts, but i'm a bit afraid of electricity. I respect it too much I guess.

I tried the bold on by the fuse box and the bolt near the front wheel well.

You could be right, perhaps neither worked.

THanks,

Steve

CH-Z51

You might also try pulling the fuse that powers the new sound system and see if that helps. After you get the battery charged!

srabin

First thing I'm doing is bringing it back to the audio store and having them check the ground on the amp. They said they could also install some sort of switch that would turn the power to the amps off if I was going to leave it sit for more than a day or so.

Tom_Slick

I'd turn it off when the car is off(alt not charging the battery)... The battery doesn't have to drop far( or be dead) before you're unable to start your car. I had a problem after installing a Lock Pick. Per the tech @ a local dealer it was drawing 3amp/hr after the iPod was removed and the car was shut off.... something about a module not timing out/ going to sleep... result dead battery within hours! Must be somekind of design flaw in the electrical system... Could be its maxed out from the factory and adding accessories like this are more than it can handle? I'm sure the dealer would give me a good deal on one of their stock piled CD changers?

davekp78

This is really stupid. The power to the amp should ALWAYS be turned off when the ignition is off! I'd find a new audio installer.

AORoads

You mean the amp was left on when you turn off the ignition?

eboggs_jkvl