Help with power loss

[64fairlane]

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Okay, so I have a 460-watt amp, a 10-farad capacitor, two subs, four speakers, and a Pioneer head unit hooked up to my 1964 Ford Fairlane. I know next to nothing about car audio, so hopefully this'll be less of a problem than I think it is. Here's the deal:

I bought the capacitor (and switched my generator out for an alternator) in hopes of ending my initial problem, which was that my battery would basically slowly wither and die if I kept my audio running.

My problem now is that if I don't start the car up every 24-48 hours, the battery is completely drained. I also noticed that even after unhooking the negative side of the battery, when I took a wrench to unscrew the positive side and hit the frame of the car, sparks flew and the wrench quickly heated up.

I figure that somehow the sound system is constantly on instead of turning off when the car does, seeing as (thanks to the cap and alternator) I now never have problems once the car is running, only when it hasn't been driven for a day or two.

Sorry if that's not crystal-clear, but if there's any way I can make my scenario more clear to you, let me know. I'd just really appreciate a little help //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Thanks

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[Buck 5,000+ posts]

a 10 farad capacitor?

 

[64fairlane]

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/product_details.asp?cat_id=5&series_id=40&family_id=87&item_id=108311&locale=en_US&p_status=

That's my cap

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

Get rid of the cap and make sure all of your turn on wires (acc and remote) are wired correctly. Test with a dmm to make sure you have power where and when you need it and not when you don't.

 

[theabbalah 10+ year member]

how do u have your remote wire hooked up?

...too slow

 

[arizona 10+ year member]

The sparks from the wrench was just you shorting the circuit. The chassis of the car is a grounding point....therefore you completed the circuit from the pos terminal of the battery to the negative of the chassis.

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

The sparks from the wrench was just you shorting the circuit. The chassis of the car is a grounding point....therefore you completed the circuit from the pos terminal of the battery to the negative of the chassis.

if the negative post on the battery is not connected then there will be no spark(without the cap). the cap being connected to the chassis completed the circuit. whenever the cap drained, then the screwdriver would cool off

 

[MisterGrubbs 5,000+ posts]

Turn your car off.

Walk to the back.

Is your amplifier still on?

 

[SethPhillips 5,000+ posts]

who put the radio in??

 

[kovemaster559 5,000+ posts]

disconnect all the radio stuff. and upgrade all the grounds and big 3. those old cars dont have very good grounds. bad ground= bad times

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

disconnect all the radio stuff. and upgrade all the grounds and big 3. those old cars dont have very good grounds. bad ground= bad times

literally!! I only ran a 9.8 with factory grounds, but then upgraded to 2awg and ran in the mid 8s

 

[kovemaster559 5,000+ posts]

i know my shit bro . that is the prolly number 1 proble with old cars. i love them tho. upgrade all your cables to newer cable. and you should see a huge power gain. re wire everything realy nice too

 

[kovemaster559 5,000+ posts]

literally!! I only ran a 9.8 with factory grounds, but then upgraded to 2awg and ran in the mid 8s

is that on a 1/4 mile or 1/8

 

[MisterGrubbs 5,000+ posts]

is that on a 1/4 mile or 1/8

It was his 60ft time

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

is that on a 1/4 mile or 1/8

1/8