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Old 07-28-2012, 11:36 AM
BigMac76 BigMac76 is offline
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Default Battery drain

Ok guys, so 99.9% sure that I've found out why my battery has this voltage drop/drain but need some other ideas here. This is what the car the car is doing:

First of all, I have an alarm system and a pretty large audio system installed in it (800+ watts). The car also has a smaller 6v battery tied into it to help with the audio system demands, adding a mspaint diagram to illustrate it. Now when the car has nothing tied into it, 6v battery or the alarm system, it's fine. The alarm system tied back onto the electrical loop seems to not have any adverse effect on the battery. Haven't been able to let the car sit a few days at a time here because I've been working 6-7 days a week. But now, when disconnecting the alarm and only having the 6v battery to the system and not starting the car for a few days, causes it to drain the battery, even with the ground disconnected. So it seems like there is either a dead cell in the 6v battery, or it's pulling current from the 12v battery constantly. I haven't pulled it, or put a load tester on it yet either. Guess I could rip it out and take it down and have it tested, but have been too busy to do it. I don't want to send the fiance down to have it done because as soon as they see a girl walk into the store with a battery I know they're all going to be running around like schoolgirls trying to sell her on buying everything. All grounds are tied into a body ground location in the rear of the car, and it's verified as a really good ground. So I know that's not the part of the issue.


Now I was wondering if replacing the 6v battery would help power the audio system, or if it would constantly have an adverse effect on the electrical system causing it to drain? I'd like to have the extra power for when the bass hits hard, but is it worth it? I guess I could add a cap or two to help instead of the battery, but wanted to see what you guys think.

Any comments would be appreciated, thanks!
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Old 07-29-2012, 05:34 PM
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still wondering why a 6v battery would be a good idea? Unless it was hooked in with a regulator. Your going to try and run the 6v batt at 14.5. Causing it to over heat the 6v cells. If it was regged then it would be fine. But again 6v on a 12v system will always be a drain. And I don't see how it could add any power to the system. Atleast in parallel. Id have to see power drop across the terminals in a series wiring to see if that would even work. I doubt it.
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Old 07-29-2012, 06:11 PM
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I would run a 1 farad compacitor not a 6v battery if it were me
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Old 07-29-2012, 06:56 PM
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i think your issue is running a 6v battery in a 12v system. thats never a good idea.
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Old 07-29-2012, 11:05 PM
BigMac76 BigMac76 is offline
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Yeah, previous owner had it hooked up. Since the post I've removed it and am looking for a few caps to run inline. Not 100% sure the reason why it was there in the first place other than possibly for the extra power for the system that's in there.
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Old 07-29-2012, 11:39 PM
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as far as ohms law goes it would draw not add. wierd. i think i have a half ferrad cap digital. just sitting new in a box.

i think more then one ferrad cap on an 800watt system is not needed.
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Old 07-29-2012, 11:44 PM
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quick google search

"How Do You Know if You Need a Power Capacitor?

The first way most people know if their system is in trouble is headlights dimming. To most car audio enthusiasts with a passing knowledge of electrical systems this means a capacitor is needed. Headlights dimming? Get a cap. And that's a pretty good guess but not always true and certainly not a guaranteed cure. A power capacitor can only do so much. If your electrical system only has a scrape it's a good band-aid but if it's really bleeding you need stitches. And stitches come in the form of an upgraded alternator and battery. If the headlight dimming only occurs at idle then it probably isn't much to worry about and a power capacitor may help. An idling vehicle puts out much less current from the alternator while the current draw from the audio system remains the same.

What Size Car Audio Power Capacitor Do You Need?

Since the beginning of car audio power capacitor time (late 1980's) the accepted rule has been one Farad of capacitance per 1,000 watts of power with a minimum of one Farad (that last part is often forgotten). This value was determined experimentally by Richard Clark (of Autosound 2000 and Buick Grand National fame). More isn't necessarily better but it doesn't hurt either."
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Old 07-30-2012, 12:55 PM
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Thanks for all the info, Mike. Yeah I definitely get a bit of drain at higher rpm when the bass hits hard (Like a G6), but don't always have it cranked past 25 when doing 65-70mph down the road either. Just let the car sit all day yesterday and half of saturday after getting home and it was fine with the alarm hooked up to it and the 6v removed from the system. It was definitely causing a drain and haven't noticed anything since that would suggest otherwise.
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