Hi all. Ok, I just received my parents 1990 Accord, with 35K miles on it. Yes, 35K only. My mom never drove much farther then the grocery store. The car is in immaculate condition inside and out. Any ways, this problem has been around for atleast 5 years, but possibly longer. (As she got older she didn't drive as much) If the care sits parked for two weeks without starting, the battery is drained to the point it won't ecev crank. I have tried troubleshooting this for quite a while with no success. I have removed the fuse for the radio, no help. The fuse for the Ungo Alarm, no help. I can't seem to pin point where the drain is. A couple auto shops have tested the alternator, and the output is well within specs. Have swapped out batteries, and no help. Still, sitting parked for ONLY two weeks...the battery gets drained completly. Anyone experienced this with a Honda, or maybe has another idea of what to look for? Thanks for the help in advance....

 

Well, the first step is to hook up a voltmeter when everything is off and see if there is any parasitic drain on the system. A small amount is normal (not sure of the exact voltage, but maybe ~.10 volts??)--this is for the ECU, radio, and clock memories.

One quick thing to check is the trunk light. With the trunk lid closed, fold down the rear seat and see if the light is staying on in the trunk.. If so, replace the trunk pinswitch or simply remove the lightbulb.

 

Well, that is a good point (trunk light). I will look into it. Now, I have noticed a slight drain reporting at the battery, but I can't figure out where its coming from. How much power does the ECU really need? I forgot to report that I did disconnect the clock fuse as well. Didn't help.

 

The drain for the ECU is minimal, I don't have my manual close but it is very small. Remove the fuse for the ECU and I think the back-up lights and see if the drain quits. Is the car all stock including no alarm and original radio?

 

The car is completly stock, but it has an Ungo Box alarm that is disconnected. We have verified that this is not a source of a drain. I will check this evening if any of the lights are the culprits.

 

Something else to verify is if all the start-up processes are occuring at the right time.

I.e.

1) Unlock door, open door, dome light goes on, ignition key hole illuminates
2) Close door, light goes off, key still is illuminating
3) key in, key illumination cuts off.
etc.etc.

An aquaintances car had fried wiring harness + a short somewhere; there was an open door circuit and if i didn't cut the dome light (removed bulbs), the battery would keep draining. Glad it wasn't my car.

 

Does 1990 have motorized seatbelts? Check whether any part of that system is still active when it should be shut off.

 

Interesting point. I will disconnect the fuse for the belts and see.

 

Best yet, if that's screwed up, I believe it's warrantied "for the life of the vehicle"...

 

Wow, that would be a great thing. Pull up to Honda and want a Warranty service for a 15 year old car. I would luv that!!!!
Battery has been changed already.


Modified by Cativo at 5:13 PM 4/18/2005

 

change the battery. If it is the original one, it may have an internal short on one of the cells.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JimBlake &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Best yet, if that's screwed up, I believe it's warrantied "for the life of the vehicle"...</TD></TR></TABLE>

the best thing is they shouldn't give you any crap for the warranty either...since your family is the 'original owner' as well.