Hi all, I got a 2006 Accord possibly with parasitic drain (after having lots of battery issues). With all doors and etc closed BUT with the hood open I measured a current draw of 2.3 amps.

However, I learned that this car needs its hood latch sensor to be engaged, thereby arming the car and allowing it to go to sleep mode (waiting 30 minutes) in order to get a proper reading of current draw to determine if there is actually parasitic drain. However I cannot seem to figure out how to engage the hood latch sensor using tools to and keep the hood open.

Anybody have any idea how I can disable the hood latch sensor to let my car go to sleep/standby mode? Alternatively is there any other test for parasitic drain? I heard the voltage drop test isnt reliable but works even if the car isnt in sleep mode.
Also if anyone else has experience diagnosing parasitic drain in these older accords and has any other advice please let me know!
Thanks,
Charles

 

A 2.3 amp draw is a huge current draw. Make sure a light isn't turned on inside the trunk or glovebox. The car not going to sleep is not the bulk of the current draw. I've also never heard of the hood being open causing the system to not go to sleep.

How is your meter setup to measure the parasitic draw?

With that large of a current draw, you can measure the voltage across the top of each fuse. A fuse not drawing current will read zero, where a fuse drawing current will measure in millivolts. If you need an example, pinehollow diagnostics and south main auto on youtube do a lot of parasitic draw diagnostics to get you started on testing.

 

Hi, apparently its normal for the current draw to be up to almost 4 amps for *some* cars given its not gone to sleep. The car will only go to sleep/standby mode if its properly armed, and then and only then should the current drop to the expected 50-200 mA.

To arm the car, the vehicle must have all sensors (such as door latches, trunk and hood) be engaged, so the car thinks everything is closed. I know for a fact that the hood latch has a sensor since with everything but the hood closed the car will not honk the horn once when you press the lock button on the key. Once I close the hood the car will give the honk signifying that its armed.

I agree that 2.3 amps is far too high, but we dont know the true standby voltage until im able to somehow engage the hood latch sensor and allow the car to go to sleep. That's why my question is how do I engage the hood latch while still keeping the hood open?

I wired my multimeter (set to 10 amps) in series with the battery. I did so by disconnecting the negative battery terminal and connecting one lead to the battery terminal and one to the cable.
Charles

 

I don't have the wiring diagram on my work computer. The hood latch has an electrical connector that you can unplug. If hood closed is an open circuit, then unplugging the hood latch electrical connector will read like the hood is closed. The lock/alarm should also work normally if hood closed is an open circuit in the latch.

 

sounds good, please let me know where this is located if you get the time.
I know a way but it requires removing the front bumper and all and that's beyond my skill level as of now.
Charles

 

I think the connector is below the latch. It may be pain to access/

Another option is to use a screwdriver with the same diameter as the metal loop on the hood. Use the screwdriver to set the latch close to trick the car into arming.

I really don't think you need to have the doors locked to get the car to go to sleep. I've watched troubleshooting videos on hondas where the hood is open to do the troubleshooting and the car will go to sleep within 30 mins.