Dual Battery Setup Recommendations

[WiCKeD 5.9L 10+ year member]

My Jeep has been chewing through batteries like a rabid dog since I added the aftermarket setup. It just wasted another battery and left me temporarily stranded.

This is what I am running currently:

-150A Alternator

-600w amp

-200w sub

-200w PC

-140w pump

-10000w gremlins

Alternator checks out and is holding voltage steady in drive. It is not a huge amount of load, so I think the parasitic drain of everything else is what is killing things.

What size/kind of batteries would you recommend running? I am not looking to spend a bundle. Also, any advice to help chase down the gremlins?

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[SicAudio 5,000+ posts]

check your wiring for all the aftermarket equipment, make sure your amps are off when the key is off. if it didnt do it b4 it was installed then something new ( remote line is the most likely bet ) is constantly drawing current. it sounds to me like you have the amp remote lead constantly powered on.

until you find the problem a new battery wont help at all.

do you know how to check for a parasitic draw?

remove the negative battery cable and set your dmm to 10 amp setting and connect it between the neg cable and the neg terminal on the battery. anything higher than .5 amps is way too much. start pulling fuses til the draw drops below .2 amps. that will tell you what circuit it is. and you can go from there to find it exactly.

 

[WiCKeD 5.9L 10+ year member]

My amps have indicators lights for power status and they do go off, but I have done many other electrical mods that could be causing problems.

do you know how to check for a parasitic draw?remove the negative battery cable and set your dmm to 10 amp setting and connect it between the neg cable and the neg terminal on the battery. anything higher than .5 amps is way too much. start pulling fuses til the draw drops below .2 amps. that will tell you what circuit it is. and you can go from there to find it exactly.

Thanks for your advice! So it looks like 12.5v / 5.5 Ohms is bad...

 

[wesl56 10+ year member]

My amps have indicators lights for power status and they do go off, but I have done many other electrical mods that could be causing problems.Thanks for your advice! So it looks like 12.5v / 5.5 Ohms is bad...

what are you talking about here?