eg battery drains overnight. need help urgently!!

**jpp** · 25-02-2012 11:01 AM

okay, first of all I have done a search. couldn't find anything

so basically my car was stolen a few weeks ago & long story short I got it back just over a week ago. when the car was retrieved the person that stole it had installed a sound system (changed the head unit & had an amplifier & sub, sub & amp cops took & I removed all the power cables etc) they also fiddled around with my indicators & rear wipers. that's pretty much the only changes that have been made that has relations to the electrical side of things. so after I got it back I was able to drive it home (without barrel as it was broken off) & I've left it overnight the battery would die, I thought it was just getting flat but I had it checked by my mechanic & he said the battery is fine, but the negative terminal was lose so fixed that. drove it home last night & tried to start it up in the morning with no success, the starter motor barely turned over.
so is there anyone that has an idea what this might be? the car was running 100% fine before this incident.
oh & before I took out all the wiring I've also notice that my battery was fiddled with & the person that install the sound system was running another earth wire from my battery to the chassis (which I've also removed) as I'm not really a sound system guy i thought it was strange to run another earth cable but yeah..

has another experienced their battery dying over night even after a long drive to try charge the battery?
any chance that if a head unit was wired wrong with could drain the battery?

**jpp** · 25-02-2012 11:07 AM

forgot to say that the alarm was also removed but had some wiring left behind which i didn't bother to touch

**Bludger** · 25-02-2012 11:09 AM

this is a self diagnosis only problem.

we can't help you over the net.

You must find what's draining it.

A good step is returning all wiring back to pre stolen spec. (sounds bad)

that way, you're able to turn off all accessories and stuff....

**jpp** · 25-02-2012 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by Bludger

this is a self diagnosis only problem.

we can't help you over the net.

You must find what's draining it.

A good step is returning all wiring back to pre stolen spec. (sounds bad)

that way, you're able to turn off all accessories and stuff....

pre stolen as before it got stolen, or did you mean how it was after it got stolen before i removed all the wiring?
& how do you turn off all accessories? sorry a bit hopeless when it comes to electrics, more of a hands on mechanic type lol

**Bludger** · 25-02-2012 11:22 AM

something is draining your battery, find it.

boot light, amp not turning off, small short somewhere.

**Drifter995** · 25-02-2012 11:29 AM

probably amp not turning off, unless you mean you ripped out all the amps and stuff...
Maybe chuck that extra earth on the battery.. might help a bit perhaps

**IV73CI** · 25-02-2012 11:55 AM

Insulate the wires that has been cut off and ripped out.

Most likely a wire that has power on it has been shorted and is causing ur battery to drain out.

Make sure no wires are touching ground or other wires.

Except ground wires which are suppose to be grounded .. Lol

**jpp** · 25-02-2012 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Drifter995

probably amp not turning off, unless you mean you ripped out all the amps and stuff...
Maybe chuck that extra earth on the battery.. might help a bit perhaps

when i said amp i meant it as the amplifier that was used to power the sub that was taken by the cops

**jpp** · 25-02-2012 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by IV73CI

Insulate the wires that has been cut off and ripped out.

Most likely a wire that has power on it has been shorted and is causing ur battery to drain out.

Make sure no wires are touching ground or other wires.

Except ground wires which are suppose to be grounded .. Lol

will give that a shot. the only thing that comes to mind atm is the alarm siren.. not too sure if there's anything else. thanks for the tip

**Drifter995** · 25-02-2012 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by jpp

when i said amp i meant it as the amplifier that was used to power the sub that was taken by the cops

Ah, didn't think the cops had taken it.

Hmm. Dunno then. I know my civic used to do it, and still kinda does.. but it's the alternator afaik... doesn't really do it's job...

**unl3a5h** · 25-02-2012 05:41 PM

they stole your car then installed a sound system for you??

**hondapop** · 25-02-2012 06:51 PM

If it was a direct short circuit somewhere it would flatten the battery real quick, burn out the offending wire or blow a fuse if there was one in that circuit. Seeing it's draining your battery o/nite and you're able to get it recharged and restarted and you've had it checked out as OK, then it points to something of fairly high power drain. Get that alarm checked out or any bits of the "donated" sound system that's still in there.

I wouldn't trust anyone's capabilities to wire something up correctly who's dumbarsed enough to pinch a car, keep it, and actually put in a sound system for their apparent own amusement.