Battery/Stereo Issue

[stoked 1,039]

So I have a problem that started this season. My head unit will only stay on for about 30-45 seconds after I kill the engine when my batteries are isolated, stays on indefinitely when they are combined. All other house electronics stay on, amps, lights, 420, etc, etc. Pulled the batteries and had them both tested, everything is good. I have an onboard smart tender that alerts if there is a battery issue, all good there too.

My first thought was that the battery isn't holding a charge, but the testing show it is and the fact the amps and 420 stay on tell me that as well. So I'm wondering if maybe I missed a wire when reconnecting the batteries starting this season, I looked around and didn't see anything, but I didn't pull everything out to look.

So I have no idea what's going on. Anyone else have an idea? Is there a direct wire to the house battery from the clarion head unit that I might be missing? 

[Wylie_Tunes 146]

When you say "kill the engine" do me shut the key switch to off or ACC? yet, the amps stay powered up as well as the EQ? Are these devised receiving a turn-on trigger from somewhere other than the head unit?  

[stoked 1,039]

Hit "engine off" on the control panel but leaving the key in the ACC position. Your standard "I want to float and listen to music" setting. What is really strange is that the 420 ties off the toggle for the Radio, which logically I'd deduce so does the radio. So the fact one stays on and the other doesn't is really odd to me.

My only explanation is that there must be a "constant" wire from the black box to the house that I missed when putting the batteries back in. But that still doesn't make much sense to me since it would mean that there are two live wires, one to the ignition and another to the house from the head unit/black box.

[Wylie_Tunes 146]

8 hours ago, stoked said:

 What is really strange is that the 420 ties off the toggle for the Radio

this has me curious. The EQ should have nothing in common with the stereo toggle. Toggle should turn on the head unit, head unit turns on EQ and amp, All constant B+ common with amps. 

[CO Surfer 289]

Probably useless but here are a couple of photos of my batteries.  There are a few ground wires on them.  Might help to check.  Note that I only have the base stereo.

[jester 111]

Check for a missing ground to the battery's.  I know it sounds strange but I had the same thing happen when I reconnected my battery's and found that I missed one of the grounds to the battery.

[stoked 1,039]

I'll check tonight, thanks!

[stoked 1,039]

So "I'll check tonight" really meant "I'll check after work a week from now". Couldn't see anything so I turned my phone flashlight on and took a video, low and behold:

Thanks for the help everyone! I wouldn't have caught this all season!!

Edited June 27, 2017 by stoked

[Jake707 171]

well theressss your problem......  

[Wylie_Tunes 146]

1 hour ago, Jake707 said:

well theressss your problem......  

Well, maybe. That cable could have been left off when he pulled the batteries for testing, in search of the original issue. Or, were the batteries pulled over winter, put in recently and then problem popped up, batteries pulled again for testing and cable still not seen then. 

[stoked 1,039]

9 hours ago, Wylie_Tunes said:

Well, maybe. That cable could have been left off when he pulled the batteries for testing, in search of the original issue. Or, were the batteries pulled over winter, put in recently and then problem popped up, batteries pulled again for testing and cable still not seen then. 

Nope. Cable was never reconnected after dewinterization. It's hard for my large oafish self to get full under the observer seat to find all the cables when putting the batteries back in. After reconnecting this guy, the radio stayed on. 

[Jake707 171]

Nice. I hope you at least knocked off some of that rust with a wire brush before haha

[stoked 1,039]

17 hours ago, Jake707 said:

Nice. I hope you at least knocked off some of that rust with a wire brush before haha

That's copper my man

[Jake707 171]

Ya that's uhhhhh what I meant haha    Looked like a bunch of rust

But please no mention of copper right now, just had to spend all day under my house fixing a broken copper water line haha   With nothing but spiders to keep me company and my 4 year old daughter finding it hilarious to try and find where I am and jump on the floor above me ........  little Sh*t   but she is her Daddys daughter cuz I would do the same thing at a friends house haha