[jakeeck]

Hi, my name is jake.. im new to these forums but ive been looking everywhere for an answer to my problem and just cant find one.. anyways heres whats up

ok my car has died 4 times within the past month and a half.. i put a new stereo system in that includes a new head unit, amp, and sub.. im pushing about 800w with the amp

my car is a 99 grand prix gtp..

i took the car to the dealership the first three times after it died and they found nothing wrong with it EVERY time.. i play my system full tilt pretty much all the time.. they tested for parasitic drain, did charging tests, had it hooked up to testing equipment for a period of 4 days and found no problems.. they literally told me my car was possessed and i had no choice but to just take my car back hoping for the best.. anyways here i am with a dead car again.

im pretty much clueless as to what may be happening.. i drove it yesterday for about 10 mins stereo blasted and i thought of what i did differently in my car this time.. all i did different was turn on the heated seat..

any input greatly appeciated.. ive ruled out the alt and battery being a problem since ive taken it to lynch 3 times..i dont know if there is lynch where you guys are but they are certified gm dealers.. and they found nothin wrong with the battery and alt.. and i got my battery replaced the first time after my car died just in case..

again thanks for any help im gonna have to solve this on my own now
__________________
I push myself to the limit during every workout so that every morning I wake up dead.

[mzbk2l]

Welcome, Jake. This is a great Pontiac board, but perhaps not the best one for newer model info. A few of us like the late-model Pontiacs, but most are stuck in the 60s.

Have you already checked out some of the GP forums? I know there are several good ones that I've used for GTP info when I needed it.

www.clubgp.com

www.grandprix.net

http://www.grandprixforums.net/

Sorry I don't have an answer for you on your problem. I do have a question, though: did this issue start when you installed the stereo equipment, or was it a pre-existing condition?

[jakeeck]

Originally Posted by mzbk2l

Welcome, Jake. This is a great Pontiac board, but perhaps not the best one for newer model info. A few of us like the late-model Pontiacs, but most are stuck in the 60s.

Have you already checked out some of the GP forums? I know there are several good ones that I've used for GTP info when I needed it.

www.clubgp.com

www.grandprix.net

http://www.grandprixforums.net/

Sorry I don't have an answer for you on your problem. I do have a question, though: did this issue start when you installed the stereo equipment, or was it a pre-existing condition?

ya it started about 2 weeks after i installed it.. could just be coincidence.. it just confuses me how the dealership cant find any problems lol.. it must be somethin audio related because they dont necessarily have to know anything about aftermarket stereos.

thanks i will check out those forums too

[mechanickeith]

Jake, A quick diag of the problem,,, disconnect the stereo power feed wires & see if the problem goes away. Also if you can be more specific as to the problems, we may be able to help. Died??? total loss of vehicle power? just engine died? charging syst died? stereo syst died? etc, etc. Where was the power feed for the new stereo tapped in to the system at? Any other info may help. Most newer vehicles have a charging system that is allready at its max as far as power usage is. You may need to up output amps to power the stereo's extra output.

Keith

[Region Warrior]

Had a simular problem with a GP.
Does it start right back up?
This one had a bad wire to the crank sensor even though it looked fine.
Didnt even set any codes.

[jakeeck]

Originally Posted by mechanickeith

Jake, A quick diag of the problem,,, disconnect the stereo power feed wires & see if the problem goes away. Also if you can be more specific as to the problems, we may be able to help. Died??? total loss of vehicle power? just engine died? charging syst died? stereo syst died? etc, etc. Where was the power feed for the new stereo tapped in to the system at? Any other info may help. Most newer vehicles have a charging system that is allready at its max as far as power usage is. You may need to up output amps to power the stereo's extra output.

Keith

well the first time it died it clicked when i tried to start it. then after a few clicks it stopped clicking and did nothing.

second time the car was completely dead.. couldnt unlock it with the keys.. nothin.. no lights went on when i opened the door no noise or anything..

third time same as second time

fourth time(now).. i can unlock it with the remote and lights and stuff go on inside.. makes noises.. clicks when i try to start car.. doesnt crank at all..

the power wire for the amp is connected to the positive terminal of the battery.

[jakeeck]

Originally Posted by Region Warrior

Had a simular problem with a GP.
Does it start right back up?
This one had a bad wire to the crank sensor even though it looked fine.
Didnt even set any codes.

ya if i start the car right back up after i turn it off it will start fine.. i know it sounds like a drain but idk how to test for this.. the time spans for which my car has taken to die varied from 3-10 days.. i had it at the dealership for 4 days and they ran all kinds of testing and found nothing wrong.. they ran out of things to test for so they gave it back to me.. im at a loss for words here theres nothing i can think of that can explain why this is happening

[mechanickeith]

Sounds like the amp is where the power drain is. Like I said, unplug the stereo & run it for a couple of days & see if the complaint goes away. I know some units are susposed to turn on after the engine starts. they are on a delay relay. Sounds like this unit is staying powered up causing the battery drain. I would put a toggle switch in the power wire so you can turn it off when not in use. I would also look at getting a alternator that can handle the extra needs of the amp.

Keith

[jakeeck]

Originally Posted by mechanickeith

Sounds like the amp is where the power drain is. Like I said, unplug the stereo & run it for a couple of days & see if the complaint goes away. I know some units are susposed to turn on after the engine starts. they are on a delay relay. Sounds like this unit is staying powered up causing the battery drain. I would put a toggle switch in the power wire so you can turn it off when not in use. I would also look at getting a alternator that can handle the extra needs of the amp.

Keith

ya i know something is draining the battery.. but im wondering why the car will be fine for 8 days and then all of a sudden something will decide to drain the battery.. theres gotta be somethin im doin that triggers something to drain it

[chiphead]

Whenever you get the "click click dead" scenario, test the battery voltage. If the battery is 12.7 volts or higher and car is dead, then it's the wiring harness, engine computer or starter solenoid/motor.

If battery is dead, then stereo or something else that was modified is killing it.

I doubt that the stereo would kill/not kill/kill the car unless something was wired wrong, the amp was defective or the PCM was damaged.

A story:

My brother was into that boom-boom crap. He put a 250 watt amp in his 1993 Ford F150 and a bazooka tube. He arced an amplifier power wire while connecting the system, but it was a minor spark. Ever since then, the truck would randomly miss and buck and run like crap while driving. Ford dealer had no idea and couldnt find a problem. After changing a bunch of stuff, they finally replaced the engine computer and the problem went away.

[jakeeck]

Originally Posted by chiphead

Whenever you get the "click click dead" scenario, test the battery voltage. If the battery is 12.7 volts or higher and car is dead, then it's the wiring harness, engine computer or starter solenoid/motor.

If battery is dead, then stereo or something else that was modified is killing it.

I doubt that the stereo would kill/not kill/kill the car unless something was wired wrong, the amp was defective or the PCM was damaged.

A story:

My brother was into that boom-boom crap. He put a 250 watt amp in his 1993 Ford F150 and a bazooka tube. He arced an amplifier power wire while connecting the system, but it was a minor spark. Ever since then, the truck would randomly miss and buck and run like crap while driving. Ford dealer had no idea and couldnt find a problem. After changing a bunch of stuff, they finally replaced the engine computer and the problem went away.

i would but i dont have a dmm with me.. im stranded at college and im gonna have to get it jumped and go back home

[chiphead]

My '67 was doing something similar. It wouldn't start unless you jumped it off. Click, Click, nothing. Battery and alternator check fine, no discharge. Hell, it doesn't have a radio! Turned out the battery cables were dirty and worn out. I changed the cables and some bad alternator wires, and now it starts fine. Now if I could only get it to shift!

MKeith had a good suggestion: disconnect all power feeds to the stereo system and see how it does for a week. If it does fine, then the head unit or the amp's remote relay (auto disconnect relay) is sticking in the "on" position, but only sometimes. Some solid-state electronic devices can "latch up" and do this randomly. Typically there is a remote wire from the head unit to the amp that tells the amp to turn ON and OFF when the head unit is turned ON and OFF. If the leakage current from the head unit is enough to keep the amp's ADR engaged, the power caps in the amp's power supply stage will discharge the car battery. Basically the amp stays ON all the time. Look at the status lights on the amp to make sure it's OFF when it should be OFF.

The downside is you'll have to endure peace and quiet for a week, but at least the car would run.

800 watts peak is 58 amps peak on a 14 volt system. If you use some sort of manual master disconnect for the stereo it has to be rated for that kind of peak current.

[jakeeck]

Originally Posted by chiphead

My '67 was doing something similar. It wouldn't start unless you jumped it off. Click, Click, nothing. Battery and alternator check fine, no discharge. Hell, it doesn't have a radio! Turned out the battery cables were dirty and worn out. I changed the cables and some bad alternator wires, and now it starts fine. Now if I could only get it to shift!

MKeith had a good suggestion: disconnect all power feeds to the stereo system and see how it does for a week. If it does fine, then the head unit or the amp's remote relay (auto disconnect relay) is sticking in the "on" position, but only sometimes. Some solid-state electronic devices can "latch up" and do this randomly. Typically there is a remote wire from the head unit to the amp that tells the amp to turn ON and OFF when the head unit is turned ON and OFF. If the leakage current from the head unit is enough to keep the amp's ADR engaged, the power caps in the amp's power supply stage will discharge the car battery. Basically the amp stays ON all the time. Look at the status lights on the amp to make sure it's OFF when it should be OFF.

The downside is you'll have to endure peace and quiet for a week, but at least the car would run.

ya im definitely gonna do that now.. but im gonna only disconnect the amp and leave the headunit in.. because then if the car dies i can eliminate the amp as the problem instead of not knowing whether it was the amp OR headunit

[Region Warrior]

Dealer probly checked, but while your at it.
Check the battery cables and bolts at the battery.
And the mounting pads on the battery itself.
They are known to corrode and cause intermittent symtoms before failing all together.

[jakeeck]

Originally Posted by Region Warrior

Dealer probly checked, but while your at it.
Check the battery cables and bolts at the battery.
And the mounting pads on the battery itself.
They are known to corrode and cause intermittent symtoms before failing all together.

will do thanks

[PunchT37]

That 800w amp is pulling a lot of power at "full tilt". Even though the alt. checks out ok, it wasn`t designed for that extra load. Also, the reserve capacity of the battery isn`t enough either. Some folks will add extra batteries in the trunk tied in to get more reserve capacity[ measured in minutes, not volts or amps] sometimes called amp hours.


Remember, your`e running an elect. fuel pump, various computer modules, an ign. system, O2 heaters, 6 injectors, etc. just to get down the road. Most folks on this board are running older carb. cars without all that load on a group 75 battery and most don`t have the extra 800w amp adding to the load.

[jakeeck]

well i got my car jumped to take it home from college.. 20 mins into my drive it died on me as i was going through a stoplight.. im not sure exactly what happened.. but the oil light and battery lights on the dash went on and it said check gauges.. i could start the car but after driving like 5 feet it would die on me and id have to start it up again.. seemed like it was backfiring also

great.

[chiphead]

Is the check engine light on?

I bet that the amp (or a related poor connection) induced enough electrical noise to fry the engine computer, and your car has gone all HAL-9000 on you.

"I'm sorry dave, Im afraid I cant do that....."