Electrical Issue

So I got some LED pods for Christmas and installed them shortly after. I didn't have any issues hooking them up, they are wired with a relay from the battery to the switch and grounded.

From time to time my truck "dies" and won't start up, I unplug the positive terminal from my battery and let it sit a few seconds then reconnect it. It starts up with a little hesitation but typically cranks over. It happened once a few days after I hooked everything up but I found out what it was and disconnected it (the lighting up part of the switch (OTRATTW switch) was wired wrong so I just disconnected it.) Then it did started it again yesterday and again today. I figured it would do it today because this morning when I cranked it up I heard my after market stereo reset. (It had done that earlier after I hooked up my lights originally)

I have 2 questions:

1.) Does anybody have any helpful things that I can do to find the problem

2.) Is there any damaging effects long term of me disconnecting/reconnecting the battery to the terminal so many times?

Thanks for anything helpful

 

Try getting a new battery? Have you gotten it tested?

 

mine was doing the same....I just had to tighten the power section of the battery..oops..

 

Start with removing the connections of the new lights. If it keeps happening then they're not involved.

 

Yeah man, I'd get that batt tested. If you've already re tightened batt connection that's where I would start. I doubt your lights and switches are drawing power and draining the power. I don't think it would make a difference but perhaps you could use a relay for lights rather than direct switch to battery. Hopefully someone wiser than I will chime in for you, but def get battery tested.

 

I wire my lights with relays, and sometimes off add-a-fuses also. Might want to look into that rather than a direct line from the battery

 

Yea I was planning on testing it this weekend, too busy with school and work till then. I was gonna clean my connections and also disconnect the lights if it continues to happen throughout the week.

I forgot my lights are hooked up to a relay harness, forgot to put that in there ha

 

Had the same thing happen to mine, was the battery.

 

Well I hope that's the issue, I have the truck for 2 years almost, can't remember when the PO put it in. It seems the most straight forward answer haha

 

Bump

Anyone answer the second question? Don't think it's a big deal but I suck with electronics...

 

As far as I know, the answer to your second question is no.

 

Regarding your second question, removing the either terminal cause your emissions computer, security system, radio presets and clock to reset. There are two other potential problems. First, if the battery does not get fully charged (for whatever reason like driving habits, low alternator output, high parasitic load, etc.) a gradual coating of lead sulfate on their plates occurs. This undercharging is called sulfation and slowly robs your battery of CCA performance or amp-hour capacity. Until you can find the cause of your excessive parasitic load, periodically top your battery off with an external charger to fully charge it. Second, when you reconnect the terminal to the post a small spark is created and could ignite any residual hydrogen that might be present.