Sup Guys,

My wife owns a 2000 Honda Accord EX V6. Recently i found out that her car has a parasitic drain. I replaced the Die Hard Gold Battery with a new one (under warranty). I plan on trying to diagnose where the drain is coming from using a multimeter. I suspect it may be the viper alarm (model 5900) which was installed less than a year ago. However, i noticed that there are no wires connected to the battery for the viper alarm. If it isnt connected to the battery where else could it be connected to?

 

Alarm gets power from the wires in the steering column. If the alarm has ignition interrupt you can't just remove power, you need to reconnect the wires that interrupt the starter system. Our cars need an immobilized bypass for remote start as well.

Remove the lower dash trim on the driver's side to expose the wiring and connections.

You can use a DMM to measure current when the car is off at the fuse box. Just pull a fuse and insert the DMM in series (DMM in Amperage mode) and note the reading. Be sure everything is off and even force the door switch closed so the courtesy lights are off.

 

Thanks for the feedback, it was very informative. Im a bit confused, on my 06 accord i have a viper model 791xv installed and i believe it receives power from the battery.

How then would i disconnect the Viper alarm on my wifes car temporarily to confirm that the draw is/isnt coming from the alarm? If i remove the plug connected to the 555U will that disconnect the alarm?

 

the alarm installer can get power from either the battery or the wiring under the steering column. the steering column is close, fast, and easy. it is also fairly stealth to a thief who expects to disconnect power at the battery.

if you can look under the driver's dash and see the alarm brain - it's a weak install. if you can't, and you can't identify alarm wiring, then he did it the way i would - stealth and effective.

disconnecting something then waiting to see if the battery drains is too slow. you want to measure current when the car is at rest. anything more than 1 amp is what i would focus on to verify that amount of current makes sense. less than 0.1 amp is negligible.