Now that we have verified that the battery is experiencing a parasitic draw, we can move to exploring the different reasons and parts that can be pulling on your car’s battery. Place the red lead on the positive battery terminal (indicated by a red cover or a + symbol). I tested the wiring harness and every connection showed a resistance of .04ohms which is great, so I know my harness is wired correctly. Turn off the ignition and any accessories like lights or the radio in the vehicle. If it's not the radio, at least a specialist should be in a better position to suggest an answer. In this article, our editors have explained the best methods to maintain your car battery while using a stereo. Get them to plug in another radio and see if that works OK, or alternatively plug your radio into another car. I had a dead battery rwo days ago and so had a new one put in. Place the black lead on the negative terminal. The previous battery only lasted three years. Reason 1: Lights . At the time I just kind of scratched my head but now I wonder if the stereo was dragging it down then too. Connection with 9 volts battery, testing car speakers with a battery; 1.3 Step3: Use of Multimeter: 1.4 Step 4: Capacitor testing: 1.5 Step5: Testing the wires: 1.6 Step6: Testing of the fuse of the amplifier If there is a short circuit, the test light will illuminate or the multimeter will beep. Car battery Whether you want to rock on the go or just want to play outdoors for a while, running a guitar amplifier off of a car battery isn’t difficult or too expensive. Inspecting means you will use your naked eye to try to find out if they are working. Remove the cover from the speaker, and connect the wires to the battery again. All you have to do is take a 9 volt battery and touch it to the wires. There are, however, a few key elements to take in consideration before you even start. To change a car battery, pop the hood of your car and locate the battery, which will be kept on either side of the car’s frame. It represents a routine operation, especially if you have all the tools at hand. NOTE: Never use a self-powered test light to perform checks for opens or shorts when power is applied to the circuit under test. Test the battery voltage. Connect the self-powered test light or ohmmeter ground clip to a good ground and probe any easy-to-reach point in the circuit. all you need to do is get a 12v source of modest current (battery or battery charger etc or lab supply) and connect the chassis or earth wire of the radio to the negative (-) and the main battery wire and the acc. To tell if the speaker is blown or not without taking it apart is really easy. Electric devices like timed and dimming dome lights can stay “awake” and produce excessive drain on the battery … If you're bored and want a project, or you're like me and just like making things instead of going out and buying purpose built ones, this is for you. What would cause it to be a problem all of a sudden? Then, match the colored wires of your radio and your car and twist the wires together. I don't advise it, though. Disconnect the negative terminal, which is labeled with a minus sign, before disconnecting the positive terminal to keep it from short-circuiting. After removing the speaker from the speaker box, connect the speaker wires to the 9-volt battery and see if the speaker cone moves. The stereo was installed about 2 years ago and it just started showing problems a couple months ago. To test an exact point use a large gauge wire connected to the negative on the battery 5ft and clip the other terminal to your desired ground point (clean/ paint removed). This only works with the speakers that have the positive and negative wires that hook into a stereo. Grab a 12 volt power supply capable of supplying about 10 amps. I also didn’t add an amplifier when I put the stereo in. Isolate the circuit from power and ground. There are specific exceptions, where it’s possible to start a car without a battery, and some small engines don’t use batteries at all, but the fact is that when your car battery dies, you’re going nowhere fast. Now, divide and conquer. wire together and to the positive (+) terminal. It will also teach you how to fix it if the problem is the cigarette lighter, now more commonly known as the 12 volt plug. Your first step is to disconnect the speakers. Get a 9 volt battery and a wire and place one battery pole on the correct place where the wires were soldered. To remove your car stereo, you will first need to disconnect your battery’s ground wire. Your car's electrical system is massive and complicated. Could a car stereo drain a battery and how? If it does, that indicates a problem with the connection rather than a blown speaker. Changing your car battery. If a pulse is generated in the speaker then the speaker is still functioning properly. Ive had the new battery checked and the slternstir and they both read good. Use a multimeter to test the speaker. However, having the right tools can save you lots of hassle, as well as time and money. Another way to test if the speakers are working is to inspect. 1 How to Test Car Speakers? Read the measurement. After waiting, go ahead and try to start the car with the previously dead battery. At this point you’re ready to start the car with the charged battery. to 12V DC, which is probably a car battery ( and get + to + and - to - ) Finding out how to test a car amplifier with a multimeter may sound like a sophisticated task. You may have already seen our video on how to change a car battery (a worthwhile watch before attempting to fit your battery) and noted that you need a radio code for your vehicle. Buy one at your local auto parts store or online, and then check this article on troubleshooting a car battery … To wire a car stereo, start by disconnecting your car battery to avoid electrocuting yourself. Let it run for 5-10 minutes. yes of course. If your multimeter is not autoranging, set it to 20V DC. Watch to see if the cone moves. Wire up the radio to that, then grab a couple cheap car speakers and hook them up to the radio. Im a senior citizen livibg off social security. If your car requires an output converter, connect this as well so your radio will work with your car. Car stereo drains car battery, it is recommended that you keep your car battery fully charged. It's a simple JVC unit that I put in a couple years back so I can use my iPod while driving. You need to remove the speaker from the dock and gain access to the wiring underneath. A week before my car had no power at all, I was driving and my stereo completely shut off while I was driving. A hydrometer is an inexpensive tool. Disconnect battery positive, set the positive probe on the load side of the fuse, clamp the negative probe to battery negative. i used to use one as my workshop radio. Small wires at the battery are vulnerable to corrosion, and there's almost always an easier way to get a constant power connection, even if you can't get the original power wire to work. If this is the case, simply follow the below advice and you will be able to fit your battery without losing the car's memory. First, disconnect your battery and shut off the infotainment system to avoid accidental shocks. Because car stereo systems work with direct current (DC), they can be powered directly by a car battery. I hit a pot hole a couple days ago and my car stereo shut off. You can connect directly to the battery, provided that you place a fuse on the wire near the battery terminal. The test light can be damaged by outside power. Additional test: There is one more thing that you can do to check it, if you don’t have a multimeter lying around. If you manage to screw… The alternator also powers up the car’s electrical system during operation. This is the black wire connected to the battery under the hood of your car. Car Stereo to Home Stereo With a PSU: I'm going to show you how to run a car stereo using an old PC power supply. Step 3: Check the speaker with a multimeter. The question that has been frequently asked from us is that if the stereo system can also affect the health of our battery or damage it. 1.1 Step 1: Removal from the enclosure: 1.2 Step2:? The multimeter, set to measure continuity, can be used in a similar way. Related Post: Best Car Battery Chargers. It is obvious that the alternator is a critical part of a modern vehicle’s electrical and charging system. You must connect speakers to the correct inputs. This is just going to be a short instructable because of its simplicity. So my question is. If your car uses a free-maintenance battery (no caps), or one with caps, you can visit a local auto parts store and have them test your battery for free. It is dangerous to work on electrical components of a vehicle with this connected. It recharges the battery of your car to keep it working. There ya go bench test a car stereo without a car. Why Test Your Alternator. Ok i ran across this. Step 1 How to Test Speakers and Wires Speaker Testing Option 1: Connect a 9 Volt battery to the leads of the speaker, positive lead to positive battery end and negative lead to negative battery end. Now when i turn my headlights on it dims the panel inside the car but when i turn the headlights on the panel goes bsck bright. Trying to find a short in the system might sound like a job for a professional, but in this video you will learn how you can use an $8 test light to locate a shorts in your car's electrical system. You could but, cars come equipped with fuses and circuit breakers just like your home. After that you have to connect the amp. Without that initial jolt, your car might as well be a multi-ton paperweight. If you want to use a car battery for a temporary arrangement, the battery will serve as its own power source. Personally, I'd bite the bullet and go to a car stereo specialist. Connect the wire by placing it on the battery and on the free pole on the amp. If your car doesn’t use any amps in the system (check your repair manual to find out), you can move on to the speaker testing step in stereo troubleshooting. The purpose for those fuses and circuit breakers is to protect electrical circuits from short to grounds. Here, however, you will be helped by a 9-volt battery. 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