USASPEC Power Drain

F

falcondrgn

Member
Location
NYC
Car
2006 FX35
Hi,


For those of you that have the USASPEC PA15-NIS, have u noticed that after the install the battery gets drained quicker? I sometimes leave my car 2-3 weeks without starting it again and prior to installing the USASPEC the car would start up fine with no hesitation after 2-3 weeks. Now with the USASPEC installed, after I leave the car for 2 weeks I notice a slight hesitation when starting the car. I mean it does start but seems it seems like the car might die while starting. I mean it has never completely died after 2 weeks yet but was just curious if the USASPEC was the cause of the power drainage. I am running an Optima Yellow top. Thanks for all the help :tup:
 
I'm not an electronics expert and no idea what connections are involved, but is it connected to any power source? If so, an auxiliary source that turns off with the car or a constant power source? If a constant power source, maybe that's it?

It could also just be an alternator going bad and nothing to do with the USASPEC?
 
The USASPEC basically connects to the factory unit and get the power from it as well. I assume once the car is turned off the factory radio is off as well? My car has less than 27k miles on it i mean if it is the alternator what are the symptoms I would experience? Thanks for your help :D



Chedman13 said:
I'm not an electronics expert and no idea what connections are involved, but is it connected to any power source? If so, an auxiliary source that turns off with the car or a constant power source? If a constant power source, maybe that's it?

It could also just be an alternator going bad and nothing to do with the USASPEC?
Click to expand...
 
The USA SPEC shouldn't cause a power drain as it is connected to a factory accessory turn on. It shouldn't cause any drain when the car is off. Did you install any other electronic accessories? Any loose wires? I had a similar issue on a previous car and it was due to a loose wire on my turbo timer. It wasn't noticable until I parked my car for more than a few days and the tiny drain was enough to kill the battery.

A bad alternator would result in not charging the battery correctly/fully and a weak battery could cause your symptoms. Are you sure the battery is good? I know you have an Optima, but have you tested it? A weak/failing battery would exhibit the symptoms you are describing. I actually got a defective Red top once, so it's possible.
 
I dont have any other electronic accessory installed, i mean on average how long can a car stay parked without starting before the battery dies? My optima yellow top is about 2-3 yrs old. I dont know if the battery could be the problem or maybe even the alternator. Would autozone be able to check both for me? Thanks for your help.


shadow191 said:
The USA SPEC shouldn't cause a power drain as it is connected to a factory accessory turn on. It shouldn't cause any drain when the car is off. Did you install any other electronic accessories? Any loose wires? I had a similar issue on a previous car and it was due to a loose wire on my turbo timer. It wasn't noticable until I parked my car for more than a few days and the tiny drain was enough to kill the battery.

A bad alternator would result in not charging the battery correctly/fully and a weak battery could cause your symptoms. Are you sure the battery is good? I know you have an Optima, but have you tested it? A weak/failing battery would exhibit the symptoms you are describing. I actually got a defective Red top once, so it's possible.
Click to expand...
 
I don't know how long a car can stay parked, it depends on the car. But 2-3 weeks is pretty good. Autozone should be able to check both.
 
i read the instruction manual after i got the package and i believe it said that after the car has been turned off, the usa spec connector will continue to charge the ipod device for 30 minutes. while i do think this is too small a power consumption to be considered worrisome, this could be the reason. i haven't had any problems with my battery. it's only 2 years old,
 
Do u leave your car for 2-3 weeks without starting it? But I think you are right that it does draw some kind of power even when the car is off. It could also be my battery or alternator may be bad. Just weird that after I installed the USASPEC I noticed this started happening. Thanks for your help.


bleedingsujit said:
i read the instruction manual after i got the package and i believe it said that after the car has been turned off, the usa spec connector will continue to charge the ipod device for 30 minutes. while i do think this is too small a power consumption to be considered worrisome, this could be the reason. i haven't had any problems with my battery. it's only 2 years old,
Click to expand...
 
i drive 5 days a week at least now. before it was 2-3 days a week. when my wife went to CA, i didn't drive it for 11 days. still, nothing happened. started right up for me.
 
my car starts up fine if its 13 days or less but if i leave it for 15+ days thats when i get the slight hesitation during startup. Once i have the guys at autozone check my alternator and battery i`ll report back. Thanks for all your help! :tup:


bleedingsujit said:
i drive 5 days a week at least now. before it was 2-3 days a week. when my wife went to CA, i didn't drive it for 11 days. still, nothing happened. started right up for me.
Click to expand...
 
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. falcondrgn, the best place for you to start might be to check the parasitic draw on your vehicle. This test only takes a few minutes and is explained on our YouTube video entitled "Tech Tips 7: Does my battery need to be replaced?" (I'm not allowed to post links here yet)


Even if your USASPEC isn't causing an unusual current drain, the cumulative effect of leaving your vehicle sitting for long periods of time may be causing your battery to become discharged. The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is proper voltage maintenance. Your YellowTop will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts when fully-charged. When any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts, sulfation will begin to diminish both performance and lifespan. Most alternators are designed to maintain batteries, not recharge deeply-discharged batteries. Asking that task of an alternator can be hard on both the alternator and battery and lead to a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either the battery or alternator needs to be replaced. That makes a quality battery maintainer or at least a quick cable disconnect a worthwhile investment for any vehicle that doesn't see regular use.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
 
Hi Optima Jim,

Thank you for chiming in, i have checked the video and pretty much I have to bring it to autozone or someplace that can check the battery and alternator for me. Once I pinpoint the actual problem I will post back here. In the meantime I have posted the link for the video you could not post for future reference. Thanks again for your help.

Tech Tips 7: Does my battery need to be replaced? - YouTube



OptimaJim said:
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. falcondrgn, the best place for you to start might be to check the parasitic draw on your vehicle. This test only takes a few minutes and is explained on our YouTube video entitled "Tech Tips 7: Does my battery need to be replaced?" (I'm not allowed to post links here yet)


Even if your USASPEC isn't causing an unusual current drain, the cumulative effect of leaving your vehicle sitting for long periods of time may be causing your battery to become discharged. The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is proper voltage maintenance. Your YellowTop will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts when fully-charged. When any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts, sulfation will begin to diminish both performance and lifespan. Most alternators are designed to maintain batteries, not recharge deeply-discharged batteries. Asking that task of an alternator can be hard on both the alternator and battery and lead to a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either the battery or alternator needs to be replaced. That makes a quality battery maintainer or at least a quick cable disconnect a worthwhile investment for any vehicle that doesn't see regular use.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Click to expand...
 
if it was the alternator you car wouldnt start as the vattery would not fet recharged. battery job is to keep a charge until you start your car then ghe akternator steps in. i would check the battery but two weeks is good. although you shod be able to get more. keep us filled in.
 
Sorry to hijack, but I am having problems with my car starting now as well. My car sits for 4 consecutive days every week and it needs to crank for a good 6-8 seconds before it is able to start. Was looking into buying a batter tender, but maybe I just need a new battery?
 
Ok, so since i am able to start the car even with a slight hesitation then does that mean my alternator is fine? Would a battery charger/maintainer help? I mean optima batteries are gel type batteries and not lead-acid so would a battery charger/maintainer even be feasible? Thanks for your help.


ThE Fx 45 BeAsT said:
if it was the alternator you car wouldnt start as the vattery would not fet recharged. battery job is to keep a charge until you start your car then ghe akternator steps in. i would check the battery but two weeks is good. although you shod be able to get more. keep us filled in.
Click to expand...
 
falcondrgn, what was your measured parasitic draw? If you measure the voltage of your battery at the terminals with the engine running, it will give you the output of your alternator and should be in the range of 13.7-14.7 volts. Our batteries are not gel, but AGM (absorbed glass mat) lead-acid batteries in a Spiralcell design. They can be charged and treated just like regular lead-acid batteries in most situations, but “gel” or “gel/AGM” charger settings should be avoided, as they may not fully-charge an Optima and could damage it over time.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
 
falcondrgn said:
Ok, so since i am able to start the car even with a slight hesitation then does that mean my alternator is fine? Would a battery charger/maintainer help? I mean optima batteries are gel type batteries and not lead-acid so would a battery charger/maintainer even be feasible? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

It wouldnt hurt it, just make sure you get one with a quick disconnect that you can tuck up in the battery compartment when not in use. I think you alternator is fine but it doesnot hurt to check. alternator issues are more severe and you car would not start because the battery would not get charged when driving.
 
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