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Hey,

Here's my situation...

I have a 600W power inverter in my car that I sometimes forget to turn off. I've often killed the battery in my car, but can always charge it back up with a boost and some highway time.

But for the past 4 days it would drain within a matter of hours.

I did minimal troubleshooting by disconnecting the inverter, and the battery seemed to last a little longer, but still would die. I decided to buy an Optima Yellowtop since they are designed for heavy loads I'm told.

Well once I put the Yellowtop in, I boosted it once then drove it on the highway for 40 minutes to charge it up. I STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM.

MY MAIN QUESTIONS:

Is it possible that my alternator is caputs? I personally don't think so (but might be wrong) because my voltmeter shows that when I rev/drive, the voltage goes up.

Or could it be that a series of wires going to my amp which I electrical taped together somehow got partially free of the electrical tape, and now touching a piece of metal in my car? picture this =======(tape)========(tape)=======(loose tape)=====[AMP] - could this be my problem?

Can my battery still get voltage when the car is running even if my alternator is messed up? Like for example, could my alternator not be feeding the proper amperes into the battery??

Tonight, I'm testing it by having disconnected the fuse to my amplifier, but I was hoping I could get some serious advise here in case that doesn't do the job.

Currents running off my battery.
- A voltmeter (Always connected, but isn't lit up)
- A power inverter (Currently disconnected)
- My amplifier (Just disconnected it)

ANY IDEAS????!!!

 
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It could be a number of different things. There's just someplace in your car where something is drawing a load on the battery and you just have to figure out what it is.

 
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What voltage are you reading when you rev the engine and when it is idle and when the car is off?

 
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Optima yellow tops need to be charged for quite a while by a free standing charger before you put it back in the car for troubleshooting purposes. I would charge the battery overnight tonight and trouble shoot tomorrow morning. Those batterys are deep cycle but they need a good charge before you troubleshoot. This is just my opinion from troubleshooting optimas in car audio systems for 4 years now. Optima sales people will ask you if you charge the battery for 24 hours before you deem it defective. Just my experiance in the past.

 
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you car sounds getho

 
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^^^^^^
like he said!! Break down and buy yourself 15 feet of the correct gauge wire and run a solid piece from athe battery to a fuse holder then one SOLID piece to the amp. Having your wire like that is STUPID. It causes performance issues from your amp. Your system is only as good as your install!!!


Battery ===(fuse holder)===============================AMP

 
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lol, don't just give him a diagram though, explain that the fuse needs to be no father then like 12 inches from the battery. I'd buy a grounding kit if I were you by the way, contrary to popular disbelief it DOES give you some proformance gain and definately helps the electrical system flow.

 
Rep Power: 328

Buy an amp kit or 16 ft of wire (should be more than enough) and fuse holder. Before hooking it up, make a cut within 18 inches of the end to be connected to the battery. Install your fuse in this section. Then connect the remaining part of the wire (14.5 ft at most) to the opposite side of the fuse holder/fuse. Run to the rear of the car then hook your amp up. This will protect both the car and the amp.

 
Rep Power: 786

Well sounds like you have a drain somewhere if it only dies when the car is off... if everything is all well and good while the car is running, you have a good alt, but if the battery dies and the car shuts off while u are going down the road its your alt

 
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Well it turns out that all of my wiring is in excellent condition.

The vendor who sold me the battery I found out left it sitting on the cement floor the whole day until I picked it up, and used it as a foot rest. Apparantly, this is terrible for a battery - will drain the shiet out of it and possibly permanently damage it.

Anyways, Optima has honoured the exchange and forced the vendor to accept the battery back as defective in exchange for a good one.

Haven't put the new one in yet - nasty **** weather outside. BUT SOON!!!

 
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Full size optima or group 51?

 
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You never answered tbaleno's question. voltage reading? That is the most important thing, I've seen many peps buy new battery or alternator and all they needed was to tighten the alternator belt!

 
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The voltage would read anywhere from 12-15 when the car was running (after I had to use my booster pack), then when I'd shut it off, it would immediately idle at around 12volts (a little low).

The major problem was when I'd cranck my car, the battery couldn't withstand the draw. It was deffective, I had to send it back for that replacement and the new one is working great!

TIPS FOR NEW BATTERY BUYERS:
1) Never put batteries on cement. It is believed the reseller I bought the original Yellowtop battery from left it waiting for me all day long on cold cement. I read on the internet that you should never-ever place a car battery on cement.

2) Problems with charging or electrical, do an AVR test (Automotive Charging System and Battery Test).

3) Shop around and don't try never to believe a technician's advise. The ****ing mechanic at the garage I had perform the AVR test started giving me **** for re-engineering honda's electrical system. Started telling me that I couldn't use a deep cycle battery as a starting battery, let alone a battery to sustain a sound-system. http://www.optimabatteries.com/publi...eep_cycle.html

anyways, with my new and healthy Yellowtop battery in the car, I can happily say that this can be considered

[CASE CLOSED]

 
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He is right about the yellow top not being ideal for a starting battery. But it still works. In a single battery system you should probably use a red top. Yellow tops are best for dual battery systems. But as I said they still work just not as well.

The cement thing used to be true in the old days. I don't believe its that big of a deal thse days but most people I talk to still keep their batteries off cement floors just in case.

Glad your system is running well.

 
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whats the deal with the cement??

 
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No one realy knows.

 
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dam, im really curious

 
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You may want a relay in your inverter line that only sends power to the inverter when the ignition is on. It's easy to wire up...