Hi.
I have a question as i have a lil problem with power. Now when winter started, and temperatures are below 0, my car battery is drained in less then 12h, due to probably water condensation in the cap (by trying disconnect different things i narrow it down to the cap and it happens only in cold and humid weather). And instead of buying a new cap i had a (maybe stupid-thats why im asking 1st) idea:

Can i place a switch on the main power wire (the one that goes directly from the battery to the cap), if so what switch should i use (the biggest switches i found are toggle switches and i have no idea how to connect the lil terminals to a 4gauge wire, and also im not sure if it wont overheat and create a fire hazard) and how to do it.

other question (noob question probably) is just fro curiosity - why wires for systems are 4-1gauge in size and high power wires (for example in household) are way smaller??

If the question was asked before im sorry for repost and asking for redirecting as i tried to search for a similar problem with no effect.

Thanks LaZy

 

get a circuit breaker, replace the fuse that is a few feet from the battery, the breakers come in various sizes but they are designed for car stereo's in mind for attaching the large power wires with ring terminals.

or maybe ditch the cap as you shouldn't need it with a proper charging system and upgraded big '3' wires

Household wires are AC and 120v, cars are DC and 12v, much harder to get high amperage on 12v then it is on 120v.

 

Ditch the cap, don't consider it, just do it.

 

wiltshire559 thanx for the tip- ill place an extra circuit breaker as ill put it inside the car (which might be too far from the battery- ive heard 2 feet is as far is it goes for fuses)

CanadianBronco - that is not an option as my car is dropping in voltage as it is (when i crank the system the dashboard light start dimming- when i remove the cap headlights dim even in mid volume - the battery was tested few times and its fine - performance battery with more amps ) alternator was changed recently-not for a new one as its hard to find parts to my Asuna as it is- and rebuilding its not worth it ($350)

Thnx again

 

Do what wilt said and do the big 3, don't try local shops to rebuild a bigger wound alt, try online.

350$ is not that bad imo.

as soon as a cap releases the little power it holds it pulls more from the alt at the same time the amp is still pulling amps.

 

You're battery shouldn't be dieing after 12 hours, the cap can't be drawing THAT much current. Regardless, if its drawing with the car off remove it immediately you will cook the battery (assuming its not deep cycle).

 

Many large carbon/hybrid caps use external or internal relays to connect and disconnect the power completely from the battery(Alumapro comes to mind) because they have been known to drain them, if your using this type of cap the relay may have gone out. These type of caps also seem to handicap the voltage on the amp side......if this is what you have, I would either replace the cap with a battery or use the round canister type electrolytic caps.

 

Upgrade your battery terminals, and your grounding point. This SHOULD make a HUGE difference. trust me

NAPA cheapies are better than some OEM stocks.

 

trebor- that is the exact problem im facing.... in cold weather cap wont turn off (the display is still on) and it drains the battery, the cap im using has a lil turn "****" on the circuit board which is accessible (i just wonder if regulating that might help) ive tried to look up on internet what this is with no results, thanks for the replay. If the only way is to replace the cap (replacing it with a battery will not be easy as the whole trunk is already packed) i might go xmass shopping for one. thanx trebor

starboy869- terminals are cleaned and the ground connection was checked (i basically went over the whole wiring- and im positive that the problem is with the cap)

FusionMadsen- as i said b4 i think its due to the condensation in the cap as it happens only in cold weather(might also happen cuz in cold weather the battery is weaker so it wont stand so long-maybe there is some kind of shortage in the cap itself or as trebor said the relay has gone out - just it happens to work on rare occasions :] (automatic shut off if not used for 2min+).