Found reason why Battery/Alternator dies - Fuse to Radio.How to Fix? Options

[nitemare]

Well, after years of going through batteries/alternaters - I decided to find out why.

Electical shop found a large draw on the fuse underneath the hood which was not labeled at all. Now, he didnt know what fuse was for. So when I went to pick up car, I connected face plate of Alpine. Radio did not work. Also, the clock above radio did not work. Also, my viper alarm did not work.

So, this unmarked fuse controls: Radio/Alarm/Clock

Now, He doesnt fix these issues as he is not a radio installer. He recommended going to BestBuy to fix. Well, Im NOT going to Bestbuy as I dont trust them at all. Also, the guy who did the radio/alarm install said he can put a switch so that I can turn it off when car is off. Well, great! So , I will lose all my channels, time, etc. This doesnt seem like a fix at all, rather a bandaid. You can see I dont want to go back to him.

So, now I drive around with No radio/No Alarm/No clock. But atleast my car doesnt die. I keep the fuse out. It is the standard 45amp BLUE fuse. Again - no marking on the black box to what it is. If you are facing it - its on left row - towards middle.


Any Ideas on how to fix this? Where to bring it?

1995 Celica GT Convert.

Equipment:
Alpine 7995 Head Unit (Manual says to make sure AMPS are not connected to ANT port. I dont know what they are connected to. I was unable to pull head unit out myself.
2 Amps (both not that powerful) - Both running on its own fuse directly to battery- I dont think these amps are problem.
Alpine XM Tuner (connected to CD Changer)
Alpine CD Changer
Thanks!

This post has been edited by nitemare: Aug 7, 2007 - 4:16 PM

[Coomer]

Is it labeled on the fuse box cover as a box with a diagonal line through it? If so, those are fusible links...you're not even supposed to have a fuse in there...though you can. But from the factory there are little plastic pieces with metal in them that aren't fuses...they're not made to blow.

I know that I was missing one after some electrical troubleshooting and it took me forever to figure out that I needed it.

Let me know if that's what it is, and then I can help from there.

[Redline08]

the fuse under the hood that controls your radio is labeled radio no.1, i think. It should be, ive blown it many a time, check that to see if its blown, and look at the drivers interior fuse box, that has another fuse for the radio labeled radio, check too see if that is blown too.

[nitemare]

Is it labeled on the fuse box cover as a box with a diagonal line through it? If so, those are fusible links...you're not even supposed to have a fuse in there...though you can. But from the factory there are little plastic pieces with metal in them that aren't fuses...they're not made to blow.

I know that I was missing one after some electrical troubleshooting and it took me forever to figure out that I needed it.

Let me know if that's what it is, and then I can help from there.

YES! It has a diagonal line through it! The guy said it shouldnt be there. I guess the radio installer put a real fuse, 45 - blue, in there.

[OOBE]

Man, same thing happens to my Celica. It eats batteries and alternators. An Optima Blue lasted me only 3 months before dying. In the 5 years I've had it, it has had over 14 batteries, and 3 alternators.

[nitemare]

Something is wrong here. If Fuse#1 is for radio, why is mine going to the one with a slash through it? I will check fuse#1 to see if its blown. I dont think it is. So, is this thing wired wrong??? Should it be connected to fuse#1?
What fuse does the clock go to?

[Coomer]

The clock is tied in with both the dome light fuse (for constant power for remembering the time) and the cigarette and radio fuse inside the car, as well as the panel fuse inside the car. It is not tied into the radio no. 1 fuse under the hood, as that fuse gives constant power to the radio.

The fusible link gives power to three different fuses. If you look at the underside of the fuse box you'll see what I mean. But I know the radio is one of those fuses. I believe the dome light fuse is another, and I cannot remember the third, but it's right next to the dome light and radio fuses.

Put the fusible link in (a 45 amp fuse should suffice), and leave it. You need it there.

If you're getting a drain, you need to measure how many amps your car is drawing when it's off.

I've never actually done this, so look it up and get more info, but I think you disconnect your negative battery terminal, hook up one end of your multimeter to the battery and the other to the terminal, and measure the current draw in amps. It should be under 100 milliamps I believe. If it's higher, start pulling fuses until it drops.

Once you find out which fuse it is, trace that out and disconnect individual fuses on things like alarms, alarm battery backup units, head units, amplifiers, etc.

You should be able to figure out exactly where your draw is coming from and fix it.

Oh, and be sure to test the current draw with the doors closed, and both with the alarm armed and disarmed.

[nitemare]

The draw IS coming from that fuse--the one with the slash...the one connected to radio/clock/viper. Once it is removed- no more draw. car starts up all the time. We already pulled all the fuses. It is that one - with the slash...

[Coomer]

But that's not a fuse...it simply provides power to three additional fuses. Or at least it should. Regardless, it's one of the three fuses beyond that fusible link that's causing a current draw. Figure out which of those three fuses it is, and go from there.

[nitemare]

Thanks for your help! I will have to do some more testing. Do you think I need Capacitors on this system? With 2 Amps? Faulty wiring? Faulty equipment?