to make a long story short: I got in the car, no interior lights. Put the key in the ignition & turned the key.... nothing at all. no dash lights, no interior lights, no click no nothing.
I checked the battery with a volt meter. It read 12.66
I jump started the car, volt meter read 13.55 or something... so I waited a couple seconds, tested it again 13.20, I kept it on there 13.19.. 18.. 17 it went all the way down to 13.05 then I took it off and walked away smh.

my question is, do I need a new alternator? what could be draining the battery?

I have an aftermarket radio, amp & sub (about 800w).this has been hooked up for over a year.

 

are all of the onnections on the amp tight and clean?to the battery and the ground? the kid who originally installed my amp took the wires and frayed them and stuck a bolt in between the mess. that did something to kill my battery within a few months and then it got so bad that it would die on me as i was driving if i went too slow.

i used proper terminal connections and found a better grounding location and replaced my battery (the old one was dead, couldnt hold a charge or anything). after that i had no issues.

also, see if the amp turn on is only on ignition. if its running at all times that could have slowly killed your battery to the point where now i cant hold a charge

and... you could just have a bad battery...

but thats my best guess

 

Checking volts means pretty much doing nothing. Put eight watch batteries end-to-end and you'll get 12v, but that sure ain't going to crank over your starter.

99% of auto parts stores will run a free check on your battery and alternator. Don't waste your time on the forums.

If your battery and alternator both check out fine, it's possible your radio (or amp) is draining it. It's a known issue, but nobody on here can tell you if your battery is bad based solely on voltmeter readings.

 

This sounds like an alternator or something within the charging system.

I just had a similar issue with my wife's Honda Pilot.

Batteries are normally good for 3-5 years depending on your location.

I think the dealer will even do a free battery check for you.

 

I would check the brake light fluid. Low brake light fluid may cause electrical issues.

 

Thanks Wrathernant!! I unhooked my amps power wire from the battery and it starts up like a champ. i just wonder why all of a sudden the amp starts to drain the battery so quickly.... It maybe could have been a loose connection. i'll hook it back up later and check and see if that could be the case... THANKS! saved me from being presumptuous and buying a battery and/or alternator

Urbanengineer, you can check the light on these nutz! your post wasnt even funny. you could at least be funny if you post something sarcastic, sheesh.

 

Not sure if the failing radio resistors cause the factory amp to stay on all the time or not, I don't know if anybody's looked that far into it. If it's an aftermarket amp... simple replacement, hopefully under warranty, is in order.

And be nice to urbanengineer, he's just trying to find somebody to buy some of the bulk brake light fluid he picked up last week.