Current Draw from Battery

I have a 2007 PreRunner with an aftermarket stereo system. I have 2 amps (JL Audio 300/4) and (Kicker750.1 mono amp) and a Pioneer touchscreen DVD receiver in the dash. Lastly, I have a Python alarm system with the built in paging system. My issue is that something is draining my battery. I have a new battery, about 3 months old. If I don't drive my truck for 2-3 days, it needs to be jump started. I took it to the battery store and they hooked up the battery which was fully charge after being driven. The water levels in the cells were fine too. He was able to determine that something is drawing current from the battery. I took the keys out of the ignition, checked both amps to verify that the power lights were not on (and they aren't). The radio won't play unless the keys are in the ignition and it is turned to ACC. I do have an iPhone cable from the receiver, but the phone is not plugged in to it. Interior lights are not on and are switched off.
We went on vacation for a week and came back. I had to jump the truck again. I had it running for a few minutes with the jumper cables connected with no issue. As soon as I disconnected, the truck shut off and everything is completely dead. I thought it was an issue possibly with the alternator going bad. Well, the next day, I do the same, but keep the jumper cables on for about 10 minutes and drove it around for 45 minutes straight. Since then, it cranks just fine in the morning. Something has to be pulling current, but I can't figure out what it is. I do have a backup camera installed, but it only activates when I put it in reverse. I have a toggle switch for the DVD player so that I don't have to put it in park, but it is turned off right now. Everything is connected to a relay so that when the stereo turns on, the amps will cut on, and the power switch to play DVDs while the truck is in motion can be turned on.
Any suggestions as to what could be drawing current? Do you think it is the alarm system? My neighbor who had a Tundra said his would do the same thing. I have had alarms in the past with none of those issues. The only difference is the built in paging system.
The only other thing is maybe the back up camera is taking enough juice to drain the battery slowly even though it should only be used when the truck is put in reverse. There were 2 wires, one RCA to plug in to the DVD and the other to tap into the reverse light wire of the vehicle. All amps are wired correctly and have remote wires that run from the relay that is run to the remote output of the head unit. I don't have anything plugged in to the lighter/power ports like GPS/radar detector/etc. I can take it to a Toyota shop, but if they can't pinpoint the where the draw is coming from, I could spend a few hundred bucks on something that can't be found.
Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. The only other mod is accessory lights, but I have a switch with a light on it to let me know if it is on or off and it has been turned off.

 

Subscribing because my son has the same problem with a recently installed amplifier in his Jeep.

 

i would try disconnecting your accessories one by one until you find something that does not drain your battery. if you have a volt meter you could possibly measure voltage the night after you get home and then again in the morning. rather than waiting a few days to see if the battery is completely dead. take one measurement with all of your accessories connected to get a voltage drop reference, then compare after each day you temporarily disconnect one of your accessories.

i assume your amps are fused near the battery, so it should not be hard to disconnect them for a night. there's a separate radio fuse as well in the fuse compartment. most aftermarket alarms i've come across have an in-line fuse on the primary power wire - just locate the module and search for the fuse.

 

ike3000, that is a good idea. I had to drive my other vehicle yesterday and today as the truck wouldn't start I am going to take it over to a garage that works only on Toyota cars this evening. I will update everyone as soon as I get it back. Had it not come to this, I would have taken the fuse out of the inline fuse going to the amps. Just a side note though. Before it died this last time, I did have my sub box taken out so I wasn't listening to it, although the amp was coming on and I was listening to the JL Audio and the front/rear speakers play. Hopefully it is something minor.

 

Lot of wire chasing. Good luck.

 

Remote wire hooked up to constant 12v source.

 

https://youtu.be/yFCT-YZbU5o

Watch here. Let us know how it goes.

 

Remote wire from aftermarket stereo is run to remote spot on amplifier. Is that wrong?

 

Don't guess measure the draw on the battery with every thing turned off just as it is when you park it then with the amp meter still in the circuit disconnect each acc one at a time till you find which one is drawing power.
Your I.O.D should be around 300MA and not more than 500 MA tops. You might consider installing a small battery float charger and plugging it in when parked .

 

UPDATE: The shop said that there is definitely something drawing current from inside the vehicle. He disconnected the obvious stuff such as the 1/0 Gauge wire amp running to both amps in the back and current is being drawn from a different source. My guess at this point would be either the head unit, which I used a METRA kit for and basically swapped units (an older Alpine single DIN for a Pioneer (double DIN). I do have a backup camera installed where there is an RCA type wire going to the back of the unit (input) and a wire running to the reverse light in the kick panel that I spliced in to. The other thing is that I have a switch in the change pocket (in the dash) that is wired for the DVD (so I can play DVDs w/o the truck being in Park. Otherwise, the head unit does not stay on when the vehicle is off. I do have the remote wire from the HU going to a relay switch where the amps remote wire and the wire going to the switch for the DVD is connected.
Do you think it is the way I wired the back up camera? The accessory light will stay on if the vehicle is off if it isn't switched to OFF, but it also has a power indicator on the switch itself that will light up if the accessory light on the bull bar is on. He said that it is definitely something that I have installed that is aftermarket that is pulling current. Lastly, he checked all fuses in the fuse box under the hood as well.

 

Lastly, it is drawing close to 1 amp. Here is the backup camera that I have connected to my stereo: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_80130_Pyle-PLCM18BC-Zinc-Black-Chrome.html

 

thats the way it should be, This shouldn't be the source.
if the Amp remote wire was connected to a constant 12v your amp power light will be on and would draw current but i find it hard to believe that this would be done. You just indicated that it is not so, i believe there is a leak some place ells.

 

So you know how much draw you have.

Now start pulling fuses or removing wiring till the draw goes away.

 

I have a volt meter at home and will do the steps in the video and disconnect the backup cam to see it that is what is draining it.

 

I don't think it's your backup cam. The backup cam is connected to the reverse light, so if the cam were to get any power then the reverse lights would need to be on.

What type of relay do you have for the amp turn-on and is the 12v source coming from the 1/0 gauge power cable?

I'm also curious to know how you have your accessory lights wired. Like, is the only power source coming through your switch or does that switch then trigger other electronics near the headlights to turn them on?

 

Back to post#9 volt meter wont cut it you need an amp meter connected between the battery and the load and then start disconnecting your add on's one at a time till you find the one pulling power. caution do not try to start the engine with amp meter in the circuit starter load will destroy it or at least melt meter's internal fuse.

 

I would start by removing all of the fuses accesories and then adding one by one each day, and when the draining start again, Voila! You have found your problem (my money is on the amps).

That's the easisest way and you don't need knowledge on electronics, or you can do the meter test as jmaack stated, which might prove tiring.

 

http://energy.gov/articles/are-energy-vampires-sucking-you-dry


Take, for example, the seemingly innocuous cell phone charger. As cellphones have become a staple of modern life, so have the devices that power them. To ensure that they’re able to be in constant contact, many Americans carry chargers in their bags, have them in their cars and even their office. So it shouldn’t come as much surprise to find that many cell phone users have one or more chargers constantly plugged in at their home. What most people don’t realize is that these chargers are continually drawing power, even when no device is connected to them. In fact, the average charger is consuming .26 watts of energy when not in use, and 2.24 watts even when a fully charged device is connected to it.

http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/E...=64918922319&gclid=CIae_f6Bi8YCFRCoaQodi5IAfA

 

Except out power outlets are switched so that is impossible unless he nodded it.

 

It is the 50A fuse under the hood that is AM1. I took out the stereo, DC'ed the back up camera, disconnected accessory lights on the bull bar, disconnected the switch that I am using for the stereo (when switched on, the HU thinks it is in "Park)" and nothing changed on the voltmeter when doing the parasitic test. I took out the main fuse running to both amps too and it stayed the same. The only time it changed was when I pinned it to the 50A fuse AM1, so my next question is what is AM1 connected to?