Questions about batteries
 

So i have some questions. Tonight after getting pulled over for my lights, out of date registration, and inspection. (swag was to high) I noticed the car would not start. it would turn over. and my left headliht would flicker as it turned. I have a 4 channel amp/lightbody kit/ running of my battery with 24k. i turned off the lgihts(head) and the car started fine. when i turned the headlights on the engine shuttered but stayed on. So im thinking my battery cant handle it anymore. anybody have any ideas for new one? i dont have that much dough but can't have my show stopping because of the lights. plus might bring back some punch to the engine if it doesn't have to work so hard for power.

Best way to go would be to do a dual battery set-up, one for starting and the second one to run all the added electronics. The second one needs to be on an isolator so that it cannot drain the starting battery when it dies. I'm currently getting ready to do a dual Odyssey AGV setup in the hatch floor and remove the front battery. Of course this costs money. If you're low on funds right now I would just get a stock size replacement Diehard from Sears, they are actually really good batteries and it will last quite a while.

haha. i love the idea of a dual batt. thats some extra dough. how do i find out what size battery is for me?

Get the same size battery with more cranking amps.

and a 100 amp alternator.

you can replace an alternator? sounds expensive no?

so i went to an audio speciality shop. they think i should bring it to toyota. i dont have enough on my battery to be causing these issues. plus the car is getting power and cranking fine. since i stil have warranty they suggested getting the whole car checked. because one sub shouldn't be enough to mess with my car that bad. so im going in next week and have them check it out

Did they load test the battery? If not have that done at Autozone or Pep Boys, they'll usually do it for free, it'll confirm if your battery is good or not. You might also have a loose ground for the engine or battery so I would double check them as well.

U might have a parasitic load somewere

parasatic load? and i will have the load test done tomorrow.

Are you running an underdrive crank pully? If so, you might want to consider going back to OE.

A parasitic load is something that is drainning ur battety use a ddigital volt meter and check amperage with the car off and everything off. Connect it in series with ur battery
For example get the dvom and connext one prong to the battery positive cable(disconnect it from ur battery) and the other prong connect it to the baytery positive post and read ur amperage. If its more than 1 amp u have a parasitic load or a short somewere slowly drainning ur battery

Parasitic load is normal for a car battery, the main ECU alone is always powered and hence, a built in parasitic load. However, 1A is huge for a parasitic load. A modern "normal" parasitic load should be less than 50mA.

I would have the alternator/electrical checked. The clue is that your car started okay w/headlights off, but while it was running, stumbled when the headlights were turned on. To me, that sounds like an alternator problem. The alternator's job is recharging the battery and running anything else that uses electricity: ignition system, electronics and accessories. Once the car is started, the battery really isn't needed for much, unless the alternator can't handle the load. Then the battery covers that extra load, BUT it's not being charged anymore.

does corrosion on your alternator mean anything? this is for our sienna not the xb, and sorry for the threadjack dj i feel like while its on topic i should ask...

What part of the altrnator does it have corrosion?corrosion will cause resistance wich will prevent amperage to flow

the outer shell...

no worries shawty. hopefull will have this resolved soon

I have three batteries in my xB. One group 35 under the hood, two group 31, one under each front seat. A group 31 will fit under the passenger seat with no modification. As far as dual batteries go, don't run an isolator, its just another point of resistance/failure. As long as you don't play you stereo with the system off, you'll be okay. A little gas is cheaper than blowing your amps because the voltage dropped while your engine was off.