Saleen150

My battery gets drain...to where my car wont start the next day.....I have a pretty big car audio system with 2 capacitors..auto start alarm...and i have the yelllow top optima battery for some reason every day when i stop usin the car it dies....what might be the cause???? i havent had the optima no more than 1 year...also when im listenin to my music loud while drivin my battery flickkers.....do i need to upgrade my alternator??? or am i gonna need more capacitors???? i believe it might not be the battery because i havent had it more than 8 months.....Some advice would be nice thanks.

draymer

Basic electric theory -- if you are taking out more than the system is putting back, the battery will go flat (but you know this). What is the output rating of your alternator? Is it more than the car normally draws (without your stereo) plus the draw of the stereo? if it is, you need a new alternator. Capitors build charge and release it when tapped, they won't provide you more or less current than is available in the system; adding more capacitors will not help if you are drawing more power than the charging system is putting back.

If you are getting battery light flicker, does it happen with the stereo on and off, or just when the stereo is on? Are you sure that when you turn the car off, none of the stereo components are drawing power?

-- dave

Saleen150

I still have the stock alternator....THe lights flicker when i put more volume to the radio....it starts flickering...now...i dont know if i might have a car equipment dranin the battery while off? how can i tell???? [sm=smiley13.gif]

97targa

If you have two capacitors and your lights flicker or dim, then either your capacitors are junk or they just aren't big enough. You really need atleat 1 farad for every 500watts!!! As for your Battery dying, I bet your amps aren't turning off. You might want to check your remote line and possibly put in a toggle switch to turn the amps on and off through the remote line. My truck was doing the same thing and I spliced in a toggle switch.

draymer

97Targa seems to have the stereo side of this conversation covered (which is good, because I pay people to do that, I always screw something up), and to be honest my thought from the beginning was that your amps werent turning off. Its unlikely its the car drawing power off the battery -- but its not impossible.

Did you do the install on the stereo? if not, take the car back to the folks that did and tell them to fix it (as per 97Targa's advice).


As far as determining the problem, use calculatus eliminatus. Do your amps have a light on them of some kind? Does it turn off when you turn the car off? When you turn the radio off? If not then disconnect the power to the amps, let the car sit overnight and see if the problem goes away. If it doesn't well, then you know its not the amps. In lieu of disconnectiong the power, put the switch on the remote line (as 97Targa suggests), flip the switch, and if you get up in the morning and have power, you know its the amps.

Saleen150

My bro installed my amps....and subs so ima see if the amps are turnnin off yea i have a light on the amps.......so ima see that and ima check my capacitors see how many farads they are.........and if their not weak.....lol THanks alot guys hopefully is the amps like u guys are saying...