Connected subwoofer; battery died

[Hezi]

Hello y'all! Total noob here. I connected an active subwoofer in my car.

I connected the yellow power wire directly to the positive battery terminal; the black ground wire directly to the negative terminal; and the blue power-on wire to the blue/white remote wire behind my head unit. Since the blue/white wire was connected on both sides to the harness, I spliced into it.

Everything was fine for 3 days, and then the battery was DEAD.

Interestingly, the battery wasn't found dead after a long night, but rather after a 20-minute drive. But mainly: can it possibly be that the woofer was drawing power from the battery, despite the power-on wire?! The woofer has a power indicator light. I made sure 100% that the light goes on only when the head unit is on.

So was it all just a freak coincidence? Was there another electrical problem in my car that killed my battery? The battery BTW is relatively new and hasn't yet shown any symptoms whatsoever.

Thanks in advance!

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[akheathen Premium Member]

you said the blue wire "on both ends" are you saying that you tapped into some factory wire for the remote turn-on? what size wire did you use for ground and power? what model active sub? its possible that a poor connection or undersized wire could have damaged the power section in the amp, which will often draw constant power till it blows a fuse or pathway. same thing can happen to the alternator. on another side of things, the alternator is fused, so if you draw power from the wrong place, it could blow the fuse and stop charging. theres pretty much guaranteed a charge warning if you pay attention, but 20min is plenty time to kill your battery if the alternator isnt charging while you drive.

 

[Hezi]

you said the blue wire "on both ends" are you saying that you tapped into some factory wire for the remote turn-on? what size wire did you use for ground and power? what model active sub? its possible that a poor connection or undersized wire could have damaged the power section in the amp, which will often draw constant power till it blows a fuse or pathway. same thing can happen to the alternator. on another side of things, the alternator is fused, so if you draw power from the wrong place, it could blow the fuse and stop charging. theres pretty much guaranteed a charge warning if you pay attention, but 20min is plenty time to kill your battery if the alternator isnt charging while you drive.

The wires came with the subwoofer (Pioneer TS-R1750S), so I don't suspect there's anything wrong with them. Also, no poor connection -- everything nicely secured.

The alternator seems to be just fine. After I jump-started the car, everything was, fine, radio and lights are working, and now, two days later (with the subwoofer disconnected, of course), no detrimental symptoms of any kind.

Yes, I "tapped into some factory wire for the remote turn-on". It was the blue/white wire, which is supposed to be just that. I tested it before wiring and saw that indeed it gets power only when the radio is on.

 

[akheathen Premium Member]

what vehicle is this?

 

[akheathen Premium Member]

im also assuming aftermarket head unit. you dont generally find factory blue remote turn on wires, but you do often find data wires or other signal wires that could be for other things and can function enough to turn on and off performing a function other than power switching, but only on when the car is on, ig you know what i mean.

 

[akheathen Premium Member]

that model number comes back as coaxial speakers, not a powered sub

 

[Hezi]

that model number comes back as coaxial speakers, not a powered sub

Oops, I meant: Pioneer TS-WX130EA.

Yes, aftermarket head unit (JVC), and the car is a European Ram Promaster.