Hey everyone new guy to the forum. My name is Sean and I have been lurking here for a few weeks now just reading and learning. I just bought a used 2010 WW Evo GSR with the Rockford Fosgate sound system.

Before I got it the dealership had been trying to figure out why the battery kept dying when it sat for more than a couple days. They changed out the alternator and battery to the optima red top, then told me it was good to go. I picked it up and drove it all the way home (1600 miles). After a few days I realized it was still doing it. Obviously they did not work that hard to figure it out.

I did a parasitic draw test and found that it was pulling a steady 1 amp even after it sat for 15-20 mins. I started pulling fuses and when I pulled the 15 amp fuse under the dash for the radio is instantly fell of to maybe 10 milliamps. I left the fuse out over night and now the battery is reading 12.5v in the morning.

I suspect there may be a bad ground somwhere but to be honest I have no idea where to begin to look. My car is not uner warranty anymore so I am not taking it to the dealership if I dont have to. Does anyone know where to start on this? The radio works fine when the fuse is in bt it seems like it is not turning off when the igntion is off. Thanks for any help!!!

 

I think some of the vehicle's electronics are supposed to draw some power, even after the car is shut down.. exactly which electronics and how much, I'm not sure.

Don't you have like a 30 or 90-day warranty at least from the dealership??

I'd keep taking it back until they resolve the issue.. otherwise tell them you want your money back. Buying a used car that won't start every few days, whatever the issue, is unacceptable in my opinion.

Anyway, good luck

 

Well I just got off the phone with the dealership and they are going to do some research for me to see if they can come up with a solution for me. I know there is upposed to be some draw from the car's electronics but 1 amp is far to much for any battery to survive long on.

 

Lots of luck.. I hope they can figure it out for you!

I had the same problem years ago with a '91 Continental. It took several trips to different mechanics before someone was finally able to figure it out.

 

I'm not very familiar with the specifics of that circuit on the Evo, but pick up a service manual and go over the wiring diagram for that circuit. It's probably a short somewhere.

EDIT: Just read the 1st post again. I'd pull the radio out if I were you and see if the stock wiring has been messed with. Even if it hasn't, consult your wiring diagram and find out which wire is supposed to be hot at all times and which is supposed to be switched 12v. Verify that the switched 12v is turning off when the key is off, and that it is running to the correct pin on the radio. If all of that checks out properly, then it's got to be the radio.

Does your car have satellite radio?

EDIT 2: Found a wiring pinout for you. http://www.ami-customs.com/downloads...agram_EVOX.pdf

 

Maybe the previous owner tried tapping into the radio's power somewhere to run something else.. gauges, car alarm, lojack, radar detector?

Definitely agree w/Dado about checking out the wiring, just to see if it looks tampered with in anyway.

 

Well just to update I did pull the stereo out and used the wiring diagram to shoot some wires. I am starting to think it is a ground somewhere but I have yet to track it down. There is two pins in the 20 pin plug that read 12 volts all the time and then the ignition wire that goes off like it supposed to when the ignition it tunred off. As far as I can tell everything i operating as it should. I think my next step is to try and reground the stereo to a new point to see if I can eleminate the ground as the culprit. I am not sure where the ground is located for the radio or I woud just find that and check it.

The car does have the satelite radio option and as far as I can tell there has been no modifications to the wiring.

I appreciate the advice so far guys and I will update this wekend when I can get back into the dash to mess with it some more.

 

Look underneath the driver's side dash and look around.

 

I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!

Well it has taken me awhile to figure it out but I finally traced it down. I have alot of experience using wiring diagrams so I have spent a few hours rummaging around the service manuals for the electrical system I found online.

After pulling my hair out for the past few weeks trying to figure out where the power was being drawn I saw that the Sirius satelite radio is also powered off the same fuse as the radio (#7). I pulled out the glove box and what did I see?



Yep, corrosion. I unplugged the satelite receiver and did another parasitic draw test and it dropped to right about 10 milliamps. Apparently the Sirius draws power even when the key is off and the corrosion on the pins was making it pull much more than it should. As for right now I just left it unplugged since I don't use it. I plan on cleaning the contacts later to see if I can get it to work properly. As for now I am just happy to not be messing with it anymore!

 

Nice.. glad to hear you figured it out