So if I leave my car a few days the battery drains. My battery cables seem to be too big and don't fit the battery terminals. I checked the battery cables and they were pretty loose.

I had two shops check my battery and alternator and said they were fine.

I called Acura and they quoted $33 bucks for the negative cable and $81 for the positive cable.... to me it looks like the positive cable connects to both the fuse box and starter.

Is there a less expensive alternative? Plus these items are special order so I would have to wait anyway.

Thanks in advance!

 

I do not think loose connections drain the battery without load. Makes me thnink that you have a drain in the system. Loose connections could give starting problems. If you have a multimeter, check the battery voltage when it does not start. Over about 12.6v is probably not drained. It may not fully charge with loose connections, and it may not allow amp draw. How had the battery charged befoer they checked it? Was it in the car? A little more info. You can also change ends to get a proper fit if the cable is long enough.

 

They checked the battery when I was driving the car for a few days, the battery is new, I replaced it three months ago, I had the honda/acura dealership and another shop check both and they said it was fine.

That's what I'm assuming If I drive the car everyday it's fine. I only work a mile from work so if I drive it one day then leave it for two days it's completely dead. I think the loose connection is not charging, both my battery cables right now have to have a screw in them so they fit snug, or else they are loose and keep falling out.

 

If your battery gets fully charged, as it seems by the check, then you have a drain in the system. You can get a multimeter and check the amp draw when the car is off. As I remember, mine is about 50 -60 milliamp/hr or about 1 amp /day. Even a little PC680 battery has about 16 amps, so they are good for several days of sitting. Sounds like the screw is making enough contact to start the car, meaning it carries enough amperage to charge and run the starter. That makes me think that you have some electrical drain or short not yet found. If you know how to use a multimeter you can test the amp draw across the system, and if high, then start trying to track down which wire or component.

 

So there is no way it's the screw and loose battery cables that is the culprit? Maybe I should remove the screw and use some other copper material and just make sure it's not the cables.

 

If the battery is discharging, then amps are being used, they are feeding something electrical. Seems like more than a loose cable. A loose cable at the battery seems to impede flow out of the battery, not increase it.

 

damn, i don't own a multimeter, maybe i'll have the dealership or some other shop diagnose it, the cable is cheap anyways $60, i'll just replace it and drive it for a few days and then leave it for a few days and see if it's that.

 

$60 is not so cheap if it does not fix the problem, at least to me. Hope it works for you. Please post the result.

 

multimeter's are a couple bucks for the cheapys at your local parts store, just make sure you get one that measures amps, not sure how "loose" your cables are but the oem cables if they are oem on your car, wouldnt be loose with factory bolts in them. I upgraded my ground cables today actually using a 2awg main battery ground with new M6x1.0 bolts, and 4awg engine and trans grounds. Helps improve the flow of electrical current when you have lots of accessories on the car.

You definitely have something sucking energy from the battery, or the battery is just not fully charged (could be old and not holding charge well). Do you have any aftermarket accessories? Stereo equipment, alarm, etc.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFCT-YZbU5o

 

also, if you do buy OEM parts (which 90% of the time you dont need to) buy them from parts.com, im showing here your positive battery cable from honda only 60.54 on parts.com pricing, i use them all the time for genuine honda parts. I bought all my new ground cables off ebay, while some of the ends may have been a little large, ace hardware was an easy fix with some new bolts and such to match.

 

You do not need a multimeter to do a "parasitic draw" test, you can do it with a cheap 12V test light, [even any small 12V light].

Connect test light, [or 12V bulb] in series with one of the batt. cables, just like the meter in the above youtube vid.

If the test light lights up, you have a parasitic draw, how bright the bulb is, indicates how much of a draw you have, BTW make sure everything is turned off.

To find the circuit that is drawing current, pull fuses one by one untill test light goes out. 94

 

I have an alarm but I tested that theory by having the alarm completely off and it still drains. It's definitely not the oem cables because I've tried three different batteries and the terminals on the battery were all too small. I just ordered a new set of positive and negative terminals , acura oem, so we'll see after I install them and drive the car for a few days then leave it for a few days.

 

ok i replaced it with acura oem and they fit perfect, but after driving it for one day and leaving it for two, it's not completely drain, i can turn on headlights and radio but it almost turned but didn't have enough juice to start the car. time to check where the drain is now

 

The video and Fcm suggestion of a light bulb instead, if no MM, will get you started. I believe normal drain is in the 0.020 - 0.050 amp, or 20 -50 miliamps. That is keeping alive memory, ecu, alarm, etc. You are probably loosing 0.5 - 1 amp/hr. It should be easy to find the circuit.

 

Any resolution on this?

 

when people dont take the advice they ask for on a forum, other people lose interest in helping out fixing the problem. everyone told the OP to puchase a multimeter instead of battery cables and determine how much of a drain was coming from the rest of the car, op decided that it was in the best interest to go spend ridiculous amounts of money on OEM battery cables at a dealer when they arent even required yet for the repair, and still hasnt tested the system to see what kind of drain is on it, why bother to help at all? This is the same all over this forum, its like special ed class.