Battery draining, why?
25

Asked by Tony Dec 15, 2013 at 05:53 PM about the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta GLS

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

So the 01 jetta GLS that I purchased recently won't start up again, this time there is a dull clicking sound and all the lights in the car flash as I try to turn the car on, and will continue to do so until I stop trying to turn the ignition.

I just got my audio system hooked up, but I damaged the ground wire going into the amp in the trunk, the fibers carrying the ground signal are at a 3rd of what they should be, mayhaps this be the cause of my problem? After i get the car jumped im going to replace the cable. Besides that the only other weird thing is that my aftermarket radio isn't powering on at all either; when a car is dead, so is the radio? I swear i've had a dead battery with the radio still working.. So should the radio be on or has a connection in my wiring job come loose?

4 Answers
25

Tony answered 11 years ago

for more clarification my all interior lights still power on, and the exterior lights work too, but the headlights are getting dimmer each time I try, I think... Also when i say the ground is a 3rd of what it should be, I mean the connective point on the end grounded to the top of my trunk has been cut to a 3rd of its original thickness. Any one with a solid opinion of what's going on is encouraged to answer! please!

2 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful
201,065

dandyoun answered 11 years ago

Double check your connections. Fix the ground wire. Did you hack up your wire harness under the dash or buy the proper conversion harness to hook up the new system? Check fuse for radio might have shorted something out while hooking up radio. Fully charge the battery and tighten and clean all the connections. If after all this it still is draining the battery have the battery and alternator checked. If all good there then do a parasitic draw test to find what is staying on and draining your battery.

1 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
25

Tony answered 11 years ago

Used the proper harness, popped the hood to disconnect the fuze and realized... the power cord was torn out of the fuse holder for the amp leaving the fuze connected to the battery without being connected into the cabin of the car.. Since the part that controls when to shut off the power being drawn is in the cabin and not connected is it safe to assume that this cord with fuse piece attached to the battery drained it?

Mark helpful
3,775

Randy answered 5 years ago

I just completely did a massive overhaul on my audio in my pick up truck with a sub that goes through the back tinted window for the drive in movie. One of the things the tech did was put a power surge block about 2 feet from the battery. Sure, I have an amp, too, for the sub, but no battery drain issues. Good luck PS, that power block had a washer on the end of it, o ring connected to the pos terminal

Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

Jetta

Looking for a Used Jetta in your area?

CarGurus has 1,962 nationwide Jetta listings starting at $2,495.

Postal Code:

Shortcuts

Search Volkswagen Jetta Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Deathjam4
    Reputation
    12,660
  • #2
    Goodwrench707
    Reputation
    5,410
  • #3
    o_jayne
    Reputation
    2,690
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Volkswagen Passat
16 Great Deals out of 417 listings starting at $3,999
Used Volkswagen Jetta GLI
10 Great Deals out of 418 listings starting at $2,315
Used Honda Civic
200 Great Deals out of 4,053 listings starting at $440
Used Honda Accord
56 Great Deals out of 991 listings starting at $2,000
Used Toyota Camry
62 Great Deals out of 1,074 listings starting at $3,500
Used Toyota Corolla
146 Great Deals out of 2,444 listings starting at $3,900
Used Volkswagen Golf
25 Great Deals out of 455 listings starting at $2,799
Used Volkswagen Golf GTI
26 Great Deals out of 651 listings starting at $5,888
Used BMW 3 Series
64 Great Deals out of 1,232 listings starting at $2,500
Used Hyundai Elantra
158 Great Deals out of 4,210 listings starting at $100
Used Nissan Sentra
66 Great Deals out of 1,747 listings starting at $1,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.