2007 honda element.

factory head unit.. desmond DEI alarm. 2 10" W3's, and a highfonics amp, with a high/low converter.

ok.. so today i went to get in my car this morning (sitting for 3 days), and the battery was dead. and now that i think about it, every monring, or every time its sat overnight, it cranks slow, but is normal after running for a short distant (recharged).

so, with the dead battery, i imagine i had a amp draw. after hooking my ammeter in series i have a 150MA draw. i was told by a seasoned mechanic, a average 50MA draw was acceptable with today electrical systems.

removing EVERY fuse both under the hood, and the dash, nothing changed. the alarm wasn't armed while it sat for 3 days since it was in my garage. so i had to look into my aftermarket amp and sub. when i removed the fuse from the amp source, the draw dropped from 150MA, down to 28MA. thats pretty drastic.

so my question.. the amp has a good ground. and if i started it every day, i prolly wouldn't have a problem with dead batteries. but why am i getting that much draw from my amplifier, when its off? is that acceptable?

here's the link of the fluke, and the fuse being removed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlXPbu8s1Vo

and here's a link of the amm increase from the alarm being armed. only 5/6am increase. bouncing up and down because of the LED indicator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cclM6uDVquw

sorry for the poor quality, it was my camera phone, and i think at the shittest quality.. lol

 

Replace or have the amp repaired, sounds to me like the amp has a "leaky" cap in it's power supply.

If you have an off-board cap disconnect it and check for draw again. 94

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fcm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Replace or have the amp repaired, sounds to me like the amp has a "leaky" cap in it's power supply.

If you have an off-board cap disconnect it and check for draw again. 94</TD></TR></TABLE>



thats my culprit. im pretty good with soldering, is it possible to get a new one, and change it my self? i live in an area that is really flooded with shitty, low poverty untrustworthy stereo shops, and i'll never take my car to buy any stereo equipment from them...

 

OP - were you able to repair the cap? i think i have the same problem with an Alpine V-12 amp.

 

i haven't looked into sending it out.. i live in an area that is just waiting to take customers for everything they have... so i'll have to send it somewhere reputable.