[Rodge]

I noticed the last week or two that my stereo when turned up not even half way was really making my interior lights and headlights flash with the beat of the music. Never really thought any thing of it. The last couple of days it has been in the teens and my remote start would not work, and my truck would take quite a bit to manually start up. Never thought much of that as it's cold as hell out. Now I go to get in it today and start it up, and nothing! It doesn't crank over, and the starter doesn't even click. I look down at the clock and it's reset like the battery was disconnected.

I'm out a day of work, and performance Toyota has one pissed off customer on their hands! I'll let you guys know how my day unfolds. I have a feeling they're going to throw the, your remote starter and 1000w amp hooked up to the battery void the warranty BS. I've had two cars, each with a big stereo and didn't kill the battery/alternator/electrical with either of them.

:disappoin

 

[06Sport]

sorry to hear that man :sosad: that sucks. Hope it gets figured out quick!

 

[FRiZzO]

I only have a 400w Clarion amp in mine and have not noticed anything. A lot of people like to put in 2 batteries with an upgraded stereo. Ask PB he has 2 batteries in his truck, maybe he has some technical info on the maximum draw on our stock setup. Do you have the higher output alternater I think it comes with all Off-road ?

 

[mikeg281]

Thats it go in all pissed off that will make them much more sympathetic towards you :disappoin

 

[FRiZzO]

You could get a 2nd battery and an isolator so it'll draw from the 2nd battery but never from the battery that is used for starting etc.

 

[Rodge]

Thats it go in all pissed off that will make them much more sympathetic towards you :disappoin

I'm going to remain calm. I know not to go in biting heads off. You mean to tell me you wouldn't be the least bit pissed off if your truck did this to you when it was so new?

Damn the tow truck really needs to hurry up and get hear! :lol:

 

[BillBrasky]

I didn't care for the stock battery either, as it displayed characteristics like you describe in cold weather under a decent load. I switched to a red-top Optima and it just keeps asking for more. I run an amp, CB, 2 sets of lights, and a compressor with no problems. The truck strts quicker with this battery, too.

 

[FRiZzO]

If you're really angry log into the chat and vent Booner will give you a massage.

 

[boone]

If you're really angry log into the chat and vent Booner will give you a massage.

Hey... watch yourself.

As shitty as it might be, the stock battery sucks. There's no way it can handle a 1000W amp. It can barely handle the stock electronics.

Forget what you've done previously to other cars. Welcome to the wonderful world of cost-cutting and outsourcing. Just look at the stock tires, tailgate and now battery... among other things.

 

[msibille]

I'm going to remain calm. I know not to go in biting heads off. You mean to tell me you wouldn't be the least bit pissed off if your truck did this to you when it was so new?

Damn the tow truck really needs to hurry up and get hear! :lol:

Oh, yeah, I'd be major ticked. Been there. It's ok to be angry. Stomp around the truck, yell expletives, etc. Then, after you get it out of your system and calm down, figure out a tactful but firm approach and go ask for help. (Why do you have to ask for help when you gave 'em all that money? You don't, but it will help grease the skids.) I went absolutely ballistic when my wife drove home her Ody a few yrs ago, after a tranny replacment, and I lifted the hood to find things not assembled correctly, cables hanging -even rubbing on the drive belt. Lucky for me they were closed, so I had time to yell, stomp, etc. Then I got my camera, took pictures of all the crap, made two sets of prints on Sat, put them in a specific order, and planned my calm approach. On Monday I called the Svc Mgr and asked for a convenient time for us to meet to discuss a problem, after he could deal w/ his normal Monday a.m. emergencies. I went in, showed him the pics, and long story short, ended up with a brand new vehicle. I paid 15c/mile for the mileage used to that point, and that's it. (That works out to about 150000 mi for the life of the car, but we all know the 1st mile out the lot is the most expensive.)

Anyway, I think that's what his point is. We all understand your rightful frustration.

However, you may want to double check battery connections if you haven't, before you go too far., Particularly the ground and any other chassis or engine grounds that may have been disturbed during installations.

Good luck.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

Why should it be a warranty issue. You modified the electrical system and added singnificant draws in power. Have you checked the output of your altinator to see if it can keep up with your additions? All those Toyota electrical engineers don't know anything. Joe Blow off the street certainly knows more. Missing a day of work is 100% your fault. You modified the truck, you had advanced warning. Suck it up.

 

[mikeg281]

would I be pissed off if my battery died? No...no I would not

 

[Rodge]

Well I just got back from the dealer.

The battery totally discharged due to a parasitic draw. They said it was .14 amps, and normal is .02. I have a remote start and aftermarket stereo in. I can easily disconnect the amp, just a matter of disconnecting a wire. However, how do I find out what my parasitic draw is?

I have a volt meter. Just need to know where to connect it to.

Silver-Bolt:

I'm too pissed off to argue with your comment. Do me a favor and answer this question though.

How did my 87 Pontiac 6000 with a much smaller battery/alternator handle more than a 1000w amp, yet my new truck with a much bigger battery/alternator couldn't?

 

[Nicky9]

Its all good... i would definatly check all my connections... do you have a battery charger? I would try to push some amps to it to see if it atleast clicks. Good Luck... hope its just a crap battery.

 

[Sony]

Well I just got back from the dealer.

The battery totally discharged due to a parasitic draw. They said it was .14 amps, and normal is .02. I have a remote start and aftermarket stereo in. I can easily disconnect the amp, just a matter of disconnecting a wire. However, how do I find out what my parasitic draw is?

I have a volt meter. Just need to know where to connect it to.

Silver-Bolt:

I'm too pissed off to argue with your comment. Do me a favor and answer this question though.

How did my 87 Pontiac 6000 with a much smaller battery/alternator handle more than a 1000w amp, yet my new truck with a much bigger battery/alternator couldn't?

To measure current draw you will need ether a Voltmeter with an inductive loop attachment or you will need to connect your voltmeter inline with the thing you are trying to measure parasitic draw from. I.E. you use the voltmeter to complete the circuit by disconnecting one of the leads from your amp and using the voltmeter to complete the circuit by putting one prong touching the lead from the battery and the other lead touching the contact on the amp where the battery lead would normally connect. Then you set the voltmeter to measure amperage or current maybe even wattage if your Voltmeter does that. With the inductive loop attachment all you have to do is place the loop around one (Emphasis of the word ONE as you will get twice as high of a reading if you put it around both) of the leads and turn the meter on to check current draw.

 

[boone]

Well I just got back from the dealer.

The battery totally discharged due to a parasitic draw. They said it was .14 amps, and normal is .02. I have a remote start and aftermarket stereo in. I can easily disconnect the amp, just a matter of disconnecting a wire. However, how do I find out what my parasitic draw is?

I have a volt meter. Just need to know where to connect it to.

Well that draw will do it. Again, the quality of these batteries aren't exactly top-notch. Sad to say, your '87 Pontiac 6000 probably had a better battery.

Does your volt meter have an ammeter function? You need to test in series with the circuit (i.e. 2 spots on the same line with the ground probe 1st, the voltage probe 2nd). Not in parallel like when you measure voltage. You want to see what current is flowing through the circuit from your battery when the truck is off.

Start near the battery. Move the ammeter to where your remote start is tapped into. Also, since you can disconnect the amp, do that and test the current near the battery again. My guess is it's the amp drawing that current.

 

[Rodge]

Well that draw will do it. Again, the quality of these batteries aren't exactly top-notch. Sad to say, your '87 Pontiac 6000 probably had a better battery.

Does your volt meter have an ammeter function? You need to test in series with the circuit (i.e. 2 spots on the same line with the ground probe 1st, the voltage probe 2nd). Not in parallel like when you measure voltage. You want to see what current is flowing through the circuit from your battery when the truck is off.

Start near the battery. Move the ammeter to where your remote start is tapped into. Also, since you can disconnect the amp, do that and test the current near the battery again. My guess is it's the amp drawing that current.

Do I leave the ground on the battery connected? My volt meter does have an ammeter function, yet when I put both leads to the ground it doesn't read anything. I have even switched it down to the lowest amp setting.

I have no clue where the remote start is tapped into as I didn't install it. Circuit City did.

If it is the amp drawing all that current, why didn't I have a problem in my 91 Toyota Pickup or my Pontiac? Also, why wouldn't this draw do this right after I had the remote start installed, or after I installed my stereo? Why did it all of a sudden do this now? Is it because of the cold?

 

[Sony]

you have to install the ammeter INLINE, you can't just place both leads on the same contact and have it read something. Read my post above boone's...

 

[Sony]

Rodge, get on chat and I'll walk you through it.

 

[boone]

Do I leave the ground on the battery connected? My volt meter does have an ammeter function, yet when I put both leads to the ground it doesn't read anything. I have even switched it down to the lowest amp setting.

I have no clue where the remote start is tapped into as I didn't install it. Circuit City did.

Best way would be to disconnect the + terminal. Touch the ground ammeter probe to the positive battery terminal. Attach the postive ammeter probe to the + terminal wire you disconnected. Then the meter is in series with the circuit. You should be able to read your draw. Disconnect the amp from the system and see if the draw drops back to normal.

If it's not the amp, I'm guessing it's your remote start. Report back, we'll go from there.

There aren't any other electric accessories added to your truck right? Any mods?

Also, why wouldn't this draw do this right after I had the remote start installed, or after I installed my stereo? Why did it all of a sudden do this now? Is it because of the cold?

Because that's how a battery works. A 0.2 A draw will not kill a battery right away. It just slowly discharges the battery. Then when you drive the truck it recharges however battery life is limited. If you kill it a little each time it can never recharge to the complete capacity it had when it was new. It's a time function thing but I don't feel like teaching ELE457 here. Cold temperature also does a similar thing to the capacitance of a battery. It slowly discharges it. Between the combination of the two you have a battery that can no longer hold a charge. This has probably been working on itself for a few months now. The cold was the final straw.