Hi- we have 2007 Odyssey and recently the battery has been dying. I've had trouble doing a parasitic draw test because when I attach the meter between battery and cable, I don't get any draw unless I wiggle one of the meter contacts on the battery pole and then it just returns to zero after a few seconds. Based on reading other forums, I looked at the Compressor clutch relay (Omron) and in fact it was bad- it had a totally disconnected resistor- I thought I found the problem, replaced the relay only to have the car die 2 days later.

I took to dealer who told me there is 200mA draw. They said they tested all the fuses and nothing changed. They then told me because they tested all the fuses, they now think it's something in the cabin. They also said it's not the sliding doors. Huh? This makes no sense to me. Isn't every electrical circuit behind a relay or fuse? In theory, if they took out every fuse and relay, wouldn't the draw go to zero? What am I missing? What are they going to do test every electrical connection with a meter? How could this possibly be right? This doens't make any sense to me.

 

Parasitic draw is a tenacious gremlin that is violently challenging to ferret out. I'm genuinely surprised (though maybe not that much) to learn that the tech at the dealership was flummoxed.

There are umpteen-bazillion videos on the YouTubes that illustrate the procedure for hunting down a parasitic drain using a DMM (I reckon you lack a lab scope). However, if you were inclined to present your van to a dealership, you probably wouldn't be opposed to delivering it into the hands of a local automotive electrical specialist.