The first thing that you might look at on a power drain as large as you
say is the amp. I would make sure that the amp is truely turning off when
the car is off. There should be a small remote + lead on the amp near the
power wires. This remote lead should be connected to some switched
source. Generally it is wired to the power antenna lead on the radio so
it only has power when the radio is on but you could run it through any
switched + wire. This remote wire only draws a very minimal ammount of
current to trip a relay inside the amp to turn it on and off. You might
also try connecting the radio power and ground wires but not the
unswitched wire for the memory. With the radio in this setup there should
be no drain when the radio is turned off, if there is then you may very
well have a short in your radio. Good luck.
James Nazarian
'71 B roadster
'74 BGT bastardization with big aluminum heart :)
'63 Buick 215 cubic inch 'heart'
On Thu, 12 Aug 1999, Erich wrote:
> Helo all,
>
> I subscribed to the list about a week ago and have found it quite helpfull.
>I reciently aquired an Brooklands Green 1980 MGB from my younger brother. I
>fell in love with it some 5 years ago, when I drove it down from my
>grandfathers house in Dayton, Ohio to where my brother lived in Atlanta. He
>was to recieve the car since he was the only one in my family without a
>vehicle. He was also only 15 years old and could not drive yet, which is why I
>got to drive it down for him (hated giving up those keys). Needless to say, he
>did not appreciate what he had, and complained about the vehicle constantly.
>That was until this past June when he got his dream car...a Honda Accord (no
>joke!)from my father, in exchange for the MG. Neither of my parents drive
>standards anymore, and the only reason I could think that they would want it
>was that my mother has always regretted selling her '64 some 30 years ago!
> Well, I found out when I recieved a call from them to come pick it up if I
>wanted it. Looks like those times that I sat and worked on it while my
>brother watched TV paid off. My mother knew that I loved the car, and since
>she was not going to drive it, this way it would stay in the family. There
>was only one catch, the MG needed some small repairs :)
>
> There were two problems which needd to be taken care of right away.
> First, the radiator had developed a small leak and needed to be rebuilt.
>Second, a power drain had developed after my brother replaced the stock radio
>with a CD head unit, 200 watt amp, and 10"bazooka tube sub woffer(the
>Overdrive had gone out at the same time).
>
> I have had the radiator problem fixed, and the electrical system gone
>through. No drain was found, that is until the radio was connected. With the
>radio in, there is enough drain to kill the battery overnight. The solution
>thus far has been for me to go w/o a raido, but I would like to install a
>stock unit. Has anyone run in to a problem like this? Maybe it is a problem
>with that individual head unit. The overdrive still is not working. The
>British car shop said that it was in the wiring, and estimated about $200 to
>fix it.
> The only other problems with the car are two small spots of rust. The first
>spot of rust is by the drivers door, just above where the top slides on. It is
>about 3/4" in diameter and is slight surface rust. The second spot worries me
>more. It is in the middle of the passenger door. The paint here is beginning
>to bubble, looks like it was filled in but not fixed. It is a spot about 1/2"
>in diameter and seems to go have gone completely through (I cant tell for sure
>due to the filler) The paint is starting to bubble slightly around the filler.
>
> I am almost afraid to look at what is behind it.
>
> Other than these problems. the car seems to be running fine. I have driven
>it almost 1,000 miles since I picked it up on the 22nd of July.
> The car was only run three pf four times in the past year (due to the
>electrical drain) and thus far I have changed the oil and greased the
>kingpins. Is there anything else I should look for since it hadn't been driven
>much the last year?
> One thing of note is that I do not have a garage, and so it will remain
>outside in all weather. It is my daily driver, but I would like to get a good
>cover for it. Any suggestions on types?
>
> Thanks,
> Erich Bruning
> '69 Norton Commando 750 'S'
> '80 MGB
>
>
>
|