Audio/Visual & Electronics - Car off - Amp still draws power. Plz Help...

I just found out that's what was killing my battery almost daily.

I checked the amp wiring - Everything seems to be in order.

Remote wire works. Amp power led lights up when car starts. Light goes out when car shuts off. But it continues to sap power for some reason.

The ground was on painted metal. I scraped the paint and connector, then reattached the ground. Power drain is still present.



Is there a product that can block the amp from the battery until the car has been started?

That's what your remote wire does. I wonder if your amp is malfunctioning IF you are sure you connected the remote wire correctly.

It's possible. I've heard some amps have that problem. RE The remote wire being connected properly: I couldn't say for sure. I had it installed at a stereo/alarm shop.

ide check the remote wire but it its still a big deal u could get a battery changer and that is like a switch that u can make it so it would cut the + power

The remote wire SHOULD be connected behind the cd player to a blue wire. What cd player make/nodel do you have?

with a simple 12volt light tester or multimeter check the remote turn on wire and see if it has power when the car is off.... if so your remote wire is not hooked up correctly... just because a stereo shop did it doesnt mean they did right... small shops are lazy as hell! they could have easily ran the wires and shorted the remote wire onto the power wire somewhere under a trim panel cuting the two wires.....


but if you really want your amplifiers power wire killed then go buy a solenoid any auto shop will have them. i know they use them on fords around the 80s.....

or try a audio shop for them....
heres a example...
http://www.oznium.com/relay80
but they are out of stock right now..... you wire that up next to the battery AFTER the main fuse and run a small remote wire either off the radios remote turn on wire OR just to the ignitions ACC position..... either will work fine. BUT if your remote wire is still geting power then something is either BAD or shorted on some metal somewhere....

easiest way for you is go back to stereo shop and complain your @SS OFF!!!!!!!! and make them fix it free of charge!

ORIGINAL: addiction2bass

with a simple 12volt light tester or multimeter check the remote turn on wire and see if it has power when the car is off.... if so your remote wire is not hooked up correctly... just because a stereo shop did it doesnt mean they did right... small shops are lazy as hell! they could have easily ran the wires and shorted the remote wire onto the power wire somewhere under a trim panel cuting the two wires.....


but if you really want your amplifiers power wire killed then go buy a solenoid any auto shop will have them. i know they use them on fords around the 80s.....

or try a audio shop for them....
heres a example...
http://www.oznium.com/relay80
but they are out of stock right now..... you wire that up next to the battery AFTER the main fuse and run a small remote wire either off the radios remote turn on wire OR just to the ignitions ACC position..... either will work fine. BUT if your remote wire is still geting power then something is either BAD or shorted on some metal somewhere....

easiest way for you is go back to stereo shop and complain your @SS OFF!!!!!!!! and make them fix it free of charge!



^+1
Make the shop make it right.

Disconnect the remote wire entirely at the amp. Then if it's still drawing power the amp is defective.

ORIGINAL: danomatic93

The remote wire SHOULD be connected behind the cd player to a blue wire. What cd player make/nodel do you have?

The head unit is a Sony. I forget the model number, but it's the one with the flip-down screen that goes stealth black when the car is turned off (the MP3 version). I checked the blue remote wire. It's connected where it should be on the HU.ORIGINAL: macbeth18288

ORIGINAL: addiction2bass

with a simple 12volt light tester or multimeter check the remote turn on wire and see if it has power when the car is off.... if so your remote wire is not hooked up correctly... just because a stereo shop did it doesnt mean they did right... small shops are lazy as hell! they could have easily ran the wires and shorted the remote wire onto the power wire somewhere under a trim panel cuting the two wires.....


but if you really want your amplifiers power wire killed then go buy a solenoid any auto shop will have them. i know they use them on fords around the 80s.....

or try a audio shop for them....
heres a example...
http://www.oznium.com/relay80
but they are out of stock right now..... you wire that up next to the battery AFTER the main fuse and run a small remote wire either off the radios remote turn on wire OR just to the ignitions ACC position..... either will work fine. BUT if your remote wire is still geting power then something is either BAD or shorted on some metal somewhere....

easiest way for you is go back to stereo shop and complain your @SS OFF!!!!!!!! and make them fix it free of charge!



^+1
Make the shop make it right.


This may come as a shock, but those suckers closed down. lol
ORIGINAL: mk378

Disconnect the remote wire entirely at the amp. Then if it's still drawing power the amp is defective.
Bingo! Disconnected and still drawing power. I guess I have one of those faulty amps that was mentioned earlier. Other than murdering batteries it works great.

addiction2bass...Thanks for the link. I'll be getting me a relay soon. And thanks for all the help, fellas.

ya thats why these small shops are not worth saving cash by using... they all go under so quick or they SUPOSEDLY have a new owner and change there name so any old warentes they might have SAID are good are GONE...
ill stick with ebay or direct ;) sellers ratings on ebay are harder to get higher. the higher the better seller.

I wouldnt even touch it if I were you, id just bring it back to the shop and tell them whats up.

ORIGINAL: civicn00b

I wouldnt even touch it if I were you, id just bring it back to the shop and tell them whats up.


looks like you missed what he said
"This may come as a shock, but those suckers closed down."

If you really like that amp, you can unplug the negative cable when you get out of your car and just plug it in when your gonna use it. You will be fine as long as you dont touch the positive cable

ORIGINAL: civicn00b

I wouldnt even touch it if I were you, id just bring it back to the shop and tell them whats up.
I've actually had the amp for over 5 years. Didn't buy it from that shop. They only handled the install. Shoddily, I might add. ORIGINAL: cyberx32

If you really like that amp, you can unplug the negative cable when you get out of your car and just plug it in when your gonna use it. You will be fine as long as you dont touch the positive cable
You mean the negative battery cable? A bit too much effort for my lazy arse. lol

Either way, it seems that a $20 relay will solve my prob. Laziness FTW!

Tell me the amp model/make
I could probably tell you how to fix the amp...
but near 100% guarantee what happens is a metal bridge inside the amp heats up to a point that solder melts, creating a straight connection b/w power and negative terminals.
http://i12.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/e9/80/965b_1.JPG
as can be seen terminals are often very close together
even the mosfets shown on the sides are close, but this isn't harmful
another possibility is the relay powered by the remote wire could also have done the same or fried

+1 for addiction2bass for suggesting relay

ORIGINAL: imshirazy

Tell me the amp model/make

It's the MTX Thunder 4160.

Have you tried getting warranty service direct from the manufacturer or another dealer?

Not really. But I'm confident that addiction2bass and imshirazy are spot on with their assessments. If I can find the relay at Best Buy, I believe they'll install it for free (if that policy is still in effect). Otherwise, I'll just have to install it solo. If I can install a tach, a relay shouldn't be to tough.

na best buy probably wont have these larger relays... try a special automotive radio shop...

but unhook the remote wire and see if it still drains the battery. if it does than thats what it needs....

a simply 12volt light tester can help ya out a bunch..... costs like 10bucks or less any automotive or even walmart has them. simply ground the clamp on the tester and probe the remote wire with the power off and on the amplifier with it removed....

if you remove the remote wire and it has power in the wire itself then its something wrong with the power source powering the remote wire.... that can be simply fixed by cuting it off the radios remote turn on wire and wire it up into the fuse box on a wire that only has power when the key is in the ACCessory and run position.... just be sure to pop a small fuse inline of that wire.

and if the light tester shows power on the amplifiers terminal with the remote wire removed then its a problem internaly and definatly needs that large relay....

i asume that amplifier is pretty small so a 80amp relay solonoid should be large enough.


but if you do have to use a relay for it its actualy quite easy..... simple hook up, cut the main power wire after the FUSE block and then crimp on a ring terminal to fit the solonoid terminal, and another ring terminal on the other cut end and just put the solonoid inline of the power wire, then run a remote wire from the fuse boxes accessory wire thru the firewall ALSO FUSED next to the power source... and run it to the solonoid. you may have to ground the relay but not sure..... i know most that ive used use a mounting point for the ground on them.
not to difficult.