Battery drain?? Can a sound system upgrade cause a battery problem?

[PR350z]

I am the proud owner of a 2004 Z.

About 6 months ago I up-graded the sound system that included the replacement of the inside stock speakers ( to Rockford Fostgate) and I also added two 10" Rock Ford subwoofers, two amps (one 600w the other 900w), a rockford capacitor and I also had a Viper alarm installed. The radio is a Piooner DVD/MP3 player that is hooked up to a vehicle dynamic processor (sweet up grade I must add - looks extremely cool althought it serves no purpose but for looks)...

The problem:The car is barely driven- I maybe turn the car on at least once a week. Some times I travel and it's almost two weeks before it get's turn on. The other day I tried to start the car and it was dead. I jumped it, and turn on fine. Let it charge a bit (about an hour) and turn it off - tried to turn it back on and it was fine. But, as soon as I leave it over night, the battery drains.I'm thinking a battery up grade to an Optima deep cycle would solve the problem. Everything in the car is shut off since it's going to parked most of time.Not sure if this is a bigger issue, or if any one has experienced the same thing - but before I go spend over 200 bucks on this optima, I thought I would do a lil more research.

People tell me it's because the factory battery is cheap and cannot keep up with the juicing that my new system produces.

Any ideas or comments?

The shop that installed the system says there is nothing wrong with the install, they beleive a change of battery would resolve the problem. I just want to ask people who know about these cars before I run off to spend $200.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[corey240]

well assuming how cold it is there then yea that is a factore in that one. id get another capacitor and probly an optima yellow top battery and it should fix the problem. also if you dont think your gona drive the car for so long then atleast start it every few days and let it idle for a few minutes to recharge the battery. if its draining the power durring driving then the capacitor should help but if its just draining when not driving then thats one of the problems...its not getting turned on and low outside temps drain batterys.

[joe603]

I'm sure you spent some bucks on the stereo...get the optima, you wont regret it.

Another solution would be to disconnect the main amp power wire from the battery. It should be a fused link. This will eliminate the current draw from the heavy power wire for the amps.

The capacitor is only for storing power for heavy amp loads (bass hit). It will not help with your power drain problem when the engine is off.

[PR350z]

It seems that the cold and high battery drain due to the sound system might be causing the problem. I jump started the car last night and it works fine (drove around for a bit) - the battery however does not hold it's charge and quickly looses it if I let it sit for an hour or so.

I'm planning on getting the Optima Yello Top... And maybe adding some sort of battery cut off - I saw something at an Autozone that allows you to disconnect power at the turn of a knob. The only thing I worry about it everything re-setting every time I do this.

Thanks for your input. I agree - the car should be turned on more often... I should avoid this problem... I didn't have problems for over 6 months, until the cold weather hit the car was barely driven.

[evildky]

start disconnecting all the aftermarket parts one by one till the problem stops, I had an illuminated toggle switch the tripped the relay fro my winch on my truck that was draining the battery if the truck set for more than 12-16 hours

[joe603]

Good idea on getting the yellow top! You shouldn't have to reset anything; that power wire is for your amps. It's 10-15' long, and probally at least a 4ga wire. Thats a lot of current draw, even when not powered up.

You could buy a quick disconnect fuse, or a relay setup...depending on how trick you want to go. If you get a relay, make sure it will handle the power!

[TrackReadyPerformance]

go with a yellow top, pick one with at least 1000 CCA and CA. think we sell them for around $150, also mae sure you get a brand new one with the packaging still around it. alot of auto stores sell returned batteries as new ones, so check it out

[350zSJD]

to be honest a battery upgrade and alternator would be key, I would check to see what is draining the battery overnite, sometimes a band ground, or a connection to a constant on, over 12hrs this would def. drain the battery.

yea i am a noob, but only in post count

[corey240]

yea man after thinking about this one you might need a new alternater. dont take my workd for that one but go get it tested at advanced auto or a place like that they do it for free and its worth it. and yea the yellow top optima is the one you want its like 150 or aorund there and its well worth it. you could probly get a battery shut off switch put up under your seat for easy acces and that would be hooked up to the electronics then just switch them off and on at will

[EW]

No modern car can sit for weeks at a time and still have a charged battery when you're ready to use it. There are multiple computers in the car constantly drawing current as well as the alarm. I don't drive my Cobra much anymore so I bought a Battery Tender Plus and leave it connected 24/7. The battery is always charged up but never over charged. Best $50 you can spend on a car that sits. Your only other option is to unhook the battery when the car is not in use.