OK, I haven't looked TOO far into this problem just because of lack of time, but wanted to run it past some of the more knowledgable members ( macguyver, modifry, lucid, xviper, etc etc ). This is for my Subaru too.

Here's the background story :
Here's a image I created in visio a while ago of my current system, I've had most of the components for about 4.5 years (oh, the eclipse are no longer in the picture, the stock rears are back in). It's a dual amp system running approx 1,000 watts total (more at peak or music, a little less at single tone).


(don't mind the g@y wrx sti stuff, I was just learning visio at the time, about 1.5-2 years ago when I created this)

About 6-8 months, the battery started to die if I would let it sit without starting it for more than a day (I would jump it and it would start immediately). It was only about 2.5 years old, so I thought it was strange (Sears Die Hard Silver), but not that strange. I took it to Sears and they thought it was the alternator. I didn't want to get that replaced there, so I took it to my local Subaru dealer (to see if it was covered under warranty anyway - you gotta try).
Subaru dealer said it was probably the battery and possibly a slipping/cracked "V" belt (the main belt, other people call it other things). I was going to my parents home soon, so I decided not to get the work done at Subaru and just took it up to NY.
I had the "V" belt replaced (60K miles and only $40, so no biggie) and then I took it to the Sears in NY who said that they thought it was a bad battery, so they replaced the battery. APPROX two months later, it was acting up again (dying, starting when jumped). I went back to Sears in NY and they said the battery was bad and gave me a new one (all die hard silvers).
APPROX two months later, same issue... so I took it to a mechanic (and family friend) in NY who saw no problems (even with the system on, ac on, etc etc); so he called in HIS friend who is an "expert" at alarms/stereos. The "second" guy thought that it might be a failing alternator, but before I spent money on that, he felt it was worth a try to disconnect my amp power line fuse from the battery just to rule that out and to let the car sit for a few days and then try to start it back up.
Four days later, the car started fine no probs. So I've been riding around with no tunes since then about three weeks ago.

Since I have no other issues with the system (no problems with amps not working, etc etc), I feel I might have a possible bad ground for one of the two amps. I'm actually leaning toward this. The bad thing about this is that one of the amps is under my front seat and I would need to take out the seat to mess with that amp again.
Another slight possibility maybe a blown fuse on one of the amps (I believe both amps have dual fuses, I have to check the manuals or the amps, but I think so)?? But I would think this would lead to the "bad" amp not working.
The "second" guy suggested that it was possibly because we had such a bad winter, that one of the amps is stuck (for lack of a better word) in an "always on" position even when the car is off and that it is just draining the battery. In which case, I wouldn't really know what to do other than replace the amp (ugh). The system has no Cap, but that wouldn't help much in this case anyway.
Obviously, grounds and fuses are my first thing to check out, but I just wanted to hear your guys' line of thinking... I think bad ground.
Any HELP is appreciated! Thanks!

 

I am thinking that one of your amps is staying powered all the time (even the the remote turn-on lead is not energized).

This could be due to, as you mentioned, that the amp is stuck into an "always on" mode. However, I have seen instances where the amp was not actually "on" but does have a power transistor circuit that is leaking constantly regardless if the amp is turned on or not.

Easy test - take your primary fuses (the ones that should be installed under the hood near the battery) out after running the car for a while to charge up the battery. If you can, let it set for a couple of days and try to start it. If your car starts it is one of your amps.

Another test you can do would be to use a multi-meter to test for current draw while the car is off.

Again you can remove the fuse, set your meter to the current or amp setting and put the test leads in-line where the fuse was. The current draw should be 0 or only a few milliamps - possibly 10 to 30 milliamps.

CAUTION - If you are not familiar with the use of a multimeter and/or using it to test current - you may want to get some assistance. Many amps will have a good current spike when first powered that can blow the low current fuse of the meter.

Many meters have a 10 amp and millamp capability that require you to change the selector position and move the leads. You would most likely want to start with the 10 amp setup and then try out the milliamp setup if you are not seeing much of a reading with the previous.

 

WLAURENT has a good suggestion about checking for current drain - that's the surest way to find the problem. Here's an excerpt from a previous post I made about checking current drain. Using this method will prevent the problem WLAURENT mentioned where the amplifier can damage the meter by drawing a large current spike when you first connect it, (because with this method you never really disconnect it). Have all your equipment connected before you do this test.

If you don't have a meter, you can cheat one of several ways. Use an LED instead of the meter. Use one that does NOT have a resistor built in, and connect it in place of the meter as described below. In one direction it will light, in the other direction it won't - this is normal. Just watch how bright it is when it lights. If it's really bright, you probably have a problem. If it lights extremely bright or blows out, you have a serious problem. I base this on the idea that most LED's are made to run on about 20 milliamps of current, which is right in the range of what your car should draw with everything turned off.

Or, you can use a very low wattage 12v bulb in place of the meter, like the trunk light bulb. If you connect it in place of the meter and it glows at all, you have a problem.



You should measure the current like this (if you use this method you will not have to re-program your radio):
1. Connect your ammeter's negative lead to the negative battery terminal (on the battery, not the chassis)
2. Connect the positive lead to a good chassis ground - (there's a 10mm bolt on the passenger's side fender by the battery)
3. Put the ammeter on a 1 amp or greater scale.
4. Disconnect the ground strap where it connects the battery to the firewall, right behind the battery (10mm bolt)

See what the meter reads. If it's a real low reading, you can change scales to get a more accurate reading. The meter should read 8 to 10 milliamps (.010 amps or less). If it reads more, start disconnecting things or pulling fuses till you find the culprit. If your current is 30 milliamps or more, you have a problem.

When you're done, re-connect the ground strap BEFORE you disconnect the meter. If you don't it's re-program the radio time.

 

Just bumping this to the top so it doesn't get lost while I work on this...

 

Sorry for bringing up old topics, but I have this problem now. My amp (installed by previous owner) is connected straight to my battery's positive terminal and I have a 250 mA meter that I used to test the current the amp was drawing when the car is off: the gauge flew right past the 250 mA, so that is definitely the culprit.

However, whenever my car is off, my amp's power light is off; it comes on when I turn on my radio, which should be expected.

Now is my amp just drawing that much power when it's off? That seems silly.

Would this happen if the amp wasn't properly grounded? I don't think it's the case though b/c the amp is sitting in the trunk with a short ground cable attached to the chassis right by the spare tire.

or perhaps the power line is touching the chassis somewhere between the battery and the amp. I guess I could disconnect the power line from the amp and see whether the positive line is still sucking 250+mA at the battery.

Any other suggestions? I really don't want to start ripping up carpeting to examine cabling.

 

Just wondering what type of amp. My old JL 500/1 used to do this when I had it set up for auto turn on. When used this way it did not require a remote turn on lead but was activated by sensing a signal thru the rca cables. When I set it to standard incorporating the remote lead the problem stopped.

 

It's a PPI2360

 

Not to be rude, but you did put the meter in series with the +12v wire to the amp? I've seen too many people "measure" current by putting the meter leads across a circuit rather than "into" the circuit.

Try pulling the fuses on the amp and see if that stops the current reading (easier than disconnecting wires). If it does, sounds like a bad amp. While it could be any number of things this symptom is typical of a bad filter cap in the amplifier. The filter caps are the first thing connected across the power lines as they enter the amp and they can become leaky with age and heat, so that current leaks through them all the time even though the amp isn't actually "on".

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