My friend has a 1996 Honda Accord, 4 cylinder, auto transmission. It requires a new battery every six months to a year. My theory so far is that there's a drain on the battery from some unobvious switch that is stuck in the on position. The battery repeatedly drains and re-charges, reducing its life. Any ideas on how to troubleshoot this? My Craftsman digital multimeter is at my side.

 

If you think there is a "draw" on the system, there are some pretty good "how to" video's on the internet.

EDIT: An example here: http://www.flashoffroad.com/electric...teryDrain.html




If memory serves me, some of these had an issue with the glove box light switch , but as with many things it couldn't be that easy . So you will have to test it out and see.

 

Your mulitimeter is probably good for 10A max, but that may be enough. Worst case you will burn out the internal fuse in the meter. Check that it has a fuse first.

Rig meter in series w/ negative battery post and check for current drain w/ everything off. If more than 30-50 mA, there is a problem drain. Locate the problem circuit by pulling fuses sequentially and checking whether drain has been lost. If yes, you've found the problem circuit. There are fuses in under-dash fuse box also.

Next you will need to disable components on that circuit looking again for drain to disappear and ID the faulty component.

You will need a wiring diagram to know what components are on the ID'd circuit.

good luck

 

Thank you everyone for the input. Unfortunately I got busy with some other volunteer work and have not been able to further assist my friend. I am sure your posts will help me in the future. Take care.