Battery keeps Dying

[Horsemanwill 10+ year member]

i've said many of times in other cap posts that caps are a hit/miss install. some ppl they help others they don't do nothing. but as i've said and i will continue saying it, "IF the cap is not defective it WILL NOT drain a battery!!!!!". now with that said OP did you connect the cap also or just the dblock? if both just do one first. then try the other. and when you had it all disconnected did you also check the voltage or did you just start the car?

 

[brian84corvette 10+ year member]

some one had asked if I have to manualy turn on the electrical cut off switches I have.

= yes I do.

all 4 of them. - 2 are under the hood - and 2 are right near my amps / rear battery.

I could easily wire in some relays, that would do the same thing, save for me having to manualy turn them on and off, and I would wire them in to a single toggle switch on the dash

but I dont feel like spending 50$ on each one right now.

I have every single electrical thing in my car on a cut off switch.

factory cpu - all fuze boxes , ignition, head unit... amps, batterys are seperated by switches. all of it is wired so incase of something crazy happening,

I can "kill" all 4 switches and completely turn off all of the cars electricity.

I also carry a "chemical" fire extingusher right in front of my pasnger seat.

for the just incase times.

have seen too many pictures of older c4 corvettes that have burned to the ground

due to something stupid as bad wire hiding somewheres.

 

[beema04 10+ year member]

with just the d/block connected nothing else-11.8-11.4 in 4 hrs

with just the cap nothing else 11.8-11.3 in 4 hrs

nothing connected - no change in 4 hrs

so it looks like they are both taking very slight charge out. and if left for a day or 2 probably enough to drain the batt beyond starting the car?

as for discarding the cap. if it isn't defective then i'm not going to just throw it out. regardless of the argument whether i need it or not, or if anyone needs them or not.

for the guys helping, any ideas now?

thanks again

 

[Horsemanwill 10+ year member]

i'm not sure maybe combined threre's a constant small draw but it shouldn't kill a battery.

 

[Big Red 10+ year member]

ok seen this once before! under the battery is the ground strap one the few steal parts in the car! check that ground !

 

[beema04 10+ year member]

so installing a switch should stop the cap and d/block from draining any charge at all.

if i did this i'd like to have it up front, i don't wanna have to pop the boot everytime i wanna turn them off.

any help on this, i don't really wanna run 2 new 2gauge lines back to the dash... but if i reduce the size of the power wire that will reduce the flow right?

 

[Horsemanwill 10+ year member]

don't wanna do that. then your stereo will suffer. what kind of car is this?

 

[beema04 10+ year member]

1992 bmw 318i.

2 alpine amps and 2 type R subs. the cap and d/block are respone. from an electronics shop called Jaycar.

 

[brian84corvette 10+ year member]

is it possible that in some way,

a single strand of copper wire is hanging out of your d block

and managing to ground it self or something crazy like that ?

i say go with the cut off switch.

or.

find a relay, that you can wire in to a toggle switch up front

that uses small wire to run it. then the relay is what takes the big wire

and you can even hook it up under the hood or in the trunk.

im not real big on relays,

call it the caveman in me, but, the $15 electrical cut off switch works 100% for me.

 

[Horsemanwill 10+ year member]

if it was a shop that put it in maybe you should have them look at it? if not the batt disconnect i guess would be the way to go.