dead short or what?

[wendymac]

this is driving us crazy! we thought we had a bad battery so we bought a new one, then figured that the radio head staying plugged in was draining the battery so we started popping it out every nite and it started every morning like new. and now all of a sudden i go out this morning to take our son to school and the battery(new) is completely dead. no lights were left on and the radio head was out .we can't figure what is draining the battery! my husband says we will just have to unhook the - on the battery at nite til we can figure it out. any ideas anyone? thankx

[lxndr]

The drivers side door could have been left slightly ajar causing the overhead light to stay on all night.

Pick up a cheap digital voltage meter and start (or jump start) the car. Check the voltage, it should be between 12-14 volts. Shut off the car then periodically check the voltage to see if there is any drain on the battery. If there is no drain then everything is fine, but if the voltage starts to drop below 12v then you've got either a short, or your new battery won't hold a charge.

Sounds like your head unit is not wired correctly. The yellow wire should go to a switched power source (ignition) and the red wire should be connected to a constant power supply. The red wire is what the head needs in order to have memory (presets, disc track, levels, etc). The yellow wire is what turns the head off when you turn the car off. It sounds like you have both wires connected to constant power.

[aquarius]

When the car is running and you turn on your brights are the headlights slightly dimmer then usual.

[wendymac]

Originally Posted by lxndr

The drivers side door could have been left slightly ajar causing the overhead light to stay on all night.

Pick up a cheap digital voltage meter and start (or jump start) the car. Check the voltage, it should be between 12-14 volts. Shut off the car then periodically check the voltage to see if there is any drain on the battery. If there is no drain then everything is fine, but if the voltage starts to drop below 12v then you've got either a short, or your new battery won't hold a charge.

Sounds like your head unit is not wired correctly. The yellow wire should go to a switched power source (ignition) and the red wire should be connected to a constant power supply. The red wire is what the head needs in order to have memory (presets, disc track, levels, etc). The yellow wire is what turns the head off when you turn the car off. It sounds like you have both wires connected to constant power.

lxndr, by "head unit" are you refering to the radio? it was just recently installed before we purchased the car. if not ,please explain.sounds like that could be it. thankx

[wendymac]

Originally Posted by aquarius

When the car is running and you turn on your brights are the headlights slightly dimmer then usual.

no aquarius,but thankx,too. the brights are VERY bright.

[lxndr]

Head unit = radio

[wendymac]

thankx lxndr, don't mean to sound like an idiot,but about cars i know next to nothing. however electrical.........

[lxndr]

We're here to help.

Are you insinuating that you have electrical experience? Because if so, I could sure use some help figuring out how to hook up a VTEC system! LOL!