Hey everyone,
My battery has been dying on me and it seems to have started after I put in an alpine cd changer with the kec202b converter. Let me start with what I have. Stock HU, aftermarket amp in place of monsoon, aftermarket door and sail panel speakers. The day after I installed the cd changer the battery was dead. So I unplugged everything leading to the changer. I noticed a lot a that chalky white acid build up around the positive terminal on my battery (delco). After that was cleaned up and the battery was jumped it seemed to start okay. Weeks went by and I noticed that almost every morning my HU would be reset. Last night I did a voltage check and noticed that the battery was fine when everything was off. The battery would drain significantly when the ign was on. I pulled the radio fuse and it seemed to fix the problem. I also noticed that the build up on the positive terminal of the battery was back. Are these symtoms of a bad, leaky battery? I don't want to trouble shoot the radio circuit if it's just a battery that needs replaced. Is there a check I can do with my mutimeter to test the battery. Thanks,
Dan

 

It sounds like you have an ACDelco battery. They always leak at the damn terminals. That could definitely be the problem, especially if the corrosion is recurring. If you can fix this problem, or rule it out as causing the other problems, then you can check your other wiring if you have to.

Abe

 

If you used one of those side post adapters on your battery I can almost guarantee that you've cracked your battery's casing. I did it to 2 different batteries before I realized what was causing it to happen. Our batteries are sealed and they should NOT corrode like they used to a long time ago. If this is the case you need to remove your battery and use a mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize any acid that has leaked onto your battery tray and the surrounding area.

The side post adapter bolt is too long. When you torque it down it bottoms out in the battery. Use caution when you disconnect the adapter. The battery terminal may fall out of the battery when you go to loosen the adapter post.

I ended up using a bench grinder to shorten my adapter post.

 

Wow, I didn't even think about the aftermarket terminal being too long. I am assuming that I will need to replace the battery if the casing is cracked. Would this be the cause of the big voltage drop or am I dealing with 2 different problems here? Thanks,
Dan