Hi Guys,

A couple of weeks ago I installed some extra bass in my trunk, powered by an 800 watt amp. The amp is only on when my car is on.

Last week, I turned the key to start the car and nothing happened. I figured the battery must be drained somehow from the amp, so the amp is the first thing I unplugged. Next time I tried, I turned the key and held it. After about a 1-2 second delay, the car cranked as fast as ever and started right up!! What does it mean when you get this delay before cranking?

I spent the next couple of hours trying figure out what was wrong- battery read a healthy 13v when off, and up towards 15v when on. All fuses and connections are good. Still, half the times I tried to start it that day, I had to turn the key and hold it for a second before it cranking and starting normally!

The car has started instantly and normally all week since my somewhat long drive back home from my parents' neighborhood last weekend. Untilllll today, when I got brave and plugged my amplifier back in for my drive to work. When leaving work, however, I got the delayed start again. Is this a power issue? Starter requiring a little too much juice to function? Is my amp draining more power than it should on start-up? All of the above??

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

thats weird

 

Did some reading, sounds like a symptom of a starter going bad, or possibly a loose wire at the starter. Might as well throw her on the lift and swap it out next week before I get effed.

 

It only delays the starter when the amp is plugged in though? I would imagine that a bad starter would be delayed either way...

 

No, the problem only arises when having the amp plugged in. The first thing I did both times was unplug it, and the problem has continued since then... though gradually it gets better the longer I've had the amp unplugged. I don't think my starter is so bad that it would cause me problems if I never had the amp plugged in to begin with... it just might be old and requiring a little more battery power than it should.

 

your alternator should run the amp fine when the car is on and when its off if it was drawing the battery would be dead it wouldnt be pausing like that so i think it is to do with something else. loose connection on the battery would be my first guess because they would have messed with those to hookup your power wires but u said you checked those so maybe try switching the relay that turns on the starter first. cheaper place to start than a starter.

 

Thanks for the tip, the problem has continued throughout the last week while leaving the amp unplugged... may have just been a coincidence. The car will start if I leave the key turned to the ignition for a few seconds before turning to "start." Seems like the starter needs all the juice it can get to function. I'll check the relay and wiring before ordering any parts... but if I do go that route, does anyone know of a trustworthy brand for new or remanufactured starters? The popular ones I see are Denso, Berk & Arnley, and Hitachi. A new starter from Nissan costs over $300... ridiculous.

 

op. thats what happend to my g when installed my amp and subs.! i took it to nissan and they fixed it right away cost me about an hr of labor.!

 

What did they say was the problem???

 

they had to reset the ecu! yeah man i was pissed when this happend it took me like 6-7 tries to turn on and when it finally did i drove it to nissan! and its fine ever since!

 

Wow, I have no idea why the ECU would cause this, but it's certainly worth a try. I'll do the pedal pumps when I leave work today and see what happens...

 

Is the amp still on when the car if off? maybe a bad remote connection draining the battery over night.

The other option is just buying a higher amp cold crank battery. The car requires the most amps starting up and a lot more starting up in cold weather. I dont think its the starter.

I would check the wiring for the remote on your amp and then upgrade the battery and see if that makes a difference. If it doesnt make a difference, just return the battery.

 

The ECU reset made no difference.

The amp is off when the car is off, but regardless I've left the power cable for the amp disconnected since this issue arose. Reconnecting the amp just magnifies the problem.

I've checked the voltage on the battery which I replaced last year and all is well... next step is to test the starter relay to see if it's functioning properly. If so, the only thing left is the starter and/or its connections. I'll keep you guys updated.

 

You need too look at the cold cranking amps rating on the battery. There different batteries with different cold cranking amps. Obviously try a battery that has higher cold cranking amps then the one you currently have.

 

if your amp drained the battery, is your amp GROUNDED? if your amp is not grounded it would drain the battery