2006 Honda Accord EX-L Battery Drain
 

Help!
I bought my wife a really nice 2 door-4 cylinder 2006 Honda Accord EX-L that just recently started draining the battery in 1-2 days to where the car won't start. I put in a new Firestone Interstate battery (550CCA), thinking it was just the OEM battery going bad. The charging system works fine as checked by AutoZone, Firestone and Sears, but the car, if left sitting, drains the battery in 1-2 days. I took it to a repair shop and he told me it had a Valet Remote Start and Alarm added, which I did not know when I bought the car used. I then took the car to the local auto accessories which installs such products and they disconnected and removed completely the Valet Remote start. However there is still a pulsating or varying draw on the battery that is above the 25 ma spec, which they could not stop. It varies from 18 to 29 ma. I thought disconnecting the Valet would solve the problem, but instead of draining the battery in 1-2 days its now 2-3 days. What could cause a pulsating or varying draw.
Thanks,
Don

Finding a "draw" is never fun......have a voltmeter and some time?

Battery Drain Parasitic Draw Testing

Thanks for the Reference
 

To the super Moderator:
Thanks for the reference and the answers is yes to both everyone needs a hobby.

A 18 to 29 mA parasitic draw isn’t that much for your car. Since the aftermarket remote start was removed after the current battery was replaced and the battery is lasting a little longer, you may want to get the current battery checked. The current battery may be damaged from repeated deep discharges previously if the remote start was causing an excessive draw. The pulsating and varying draw may even be due to a weaken battery. Most correct sized batteries for your car should have the reserve capacity to handle a draw less than 50 mA for weeks. If the aftermarket alarm is still installed, you may want to unplugged the aftermarket alarm and see if you still have the problem (you mentioned the remote start removed; but, did not state whether the aftermarket alarm was part of the unit removed too).

Normal parasitic draw on a battery varies from model to model, depending on the number of control units involved. For most more modern Hondas (e.g., 2003 and after), if the draw is less than 50 mA, it’s normal; if it’s 50 mA or more, it’s excessive.

Thanks .
 

Thanks for the information on Parasitic draw. Both the alarm and the remote start were disconnected. They were actually one unit. I did not think about the battery. I bought a new Firestone /Interstate. The 550 CCA amps appears to be the Honda spec, but weak in my opinion. However, no one will put in an "oversize" one and guarantee it because of Honda's specs. I may push to have the battery replaced to see if that improves the situation

disconnect the alternator and see if you get rid of the draw. i've seen charging systems working with an alternator that was defective.

Here’s part of some info. on parasitic draw applicable to many of the newer Hondas:

When it comes to parasitic draw, the body controller area network (B-CAN) system—first introduced in the 2003 Accord—is a major contributor. With the ignition switch turned to LOCK (0), all B-CAN-related components still receive battery power. This gives the various control units such as the gauge control module, the multiplex integrated control unit (MICU), the door multiplex control unit, the climate control unit, the power seat control unit, etc., a means of communicating when, for instance, a power door lock switch input signal changes or there’s a signal received from a keyless remote transmitter. Knowing what the B-CAN system does when you turn the ignition switch to LOCK (0) will help to recognize if it’s causing an excessive parasitic draw problem. Normal parasitic draw on a battery varies from model to model, depending on the number of control units involved. If the draw is less than 50 mA, it’s normal; if it’s 50 mA or more, it’s excessive. Excessive draw may be from B-CAN system staying awake.

Wake-up Mode and Sleep Mode
The B-CAN system has two operating modes to reduce parasitic draw: the wake-up mode and the sleep mode. With the ignition switch turned to ON (II), the system is in the wake-up mode. During this time, the system has both +B power (HOT AT ALL TIMES) and IG1 power (HOT WITH IGNITION SWITCH ON) and there’s a parasitic draw on the battery of about 200 mA or more. When you turn the ignition switch to LOCK (0), the system stays awake as long as the key-off timer (part of the MICU) is running. The key-off timer shuts off when the B-CAN system receives a door switch open input signal; otherwise, it shuts off right at 10 minutes. With the system now in the sleep mode, the parasitic draw on the battery drops to less than 50 mA. It still has +B power (HOT AT ALL TIMES), though, and there are a number of signal inputs that can wake it up to do some work. A good example is the power door lock switch. When you push the switch to its lock or unlock position, the system wakes up, does whatever it needs to do, and then goes back to sleep 5 seconds later.

Checking for excessive draw:
When checking for excessive draw, many techs find that by pulling the backup fuse to the MICU, the parasitic draw drops to normal. What they don’t realize, though, is that the real cause for the B-CAN system staying awake could be a stuck door lock switch. If that door lock switch sticks in either its lock or unlock position (the input signal stays on), the system won’t return to the sleep mode. This will keep an excessive parasitic draw on the battery that will kill it in short order. Just how long that actually takes depends on the battery’s state of charge and other variables. A parasitic draw of about 200 mA will usually kill a battery in about 2 days.

Battery drained - current draw or a short
 

2004 accord lx 4 cyl. Few weeks ago I found my battery completely drained (about a week not used). It was
a long story to restart the car, but anyway, I could recharge the battery, car runs, but there is a still a current draw...Finding that draw seems to be a challenge.

Disconnected the (-) terminal of the battery and starting to measure the load the car puts. It is interesting. If I measure right after car is stopped, it shows infinity ohms. After about 5 min, the multimeter starts to read 300 ohms that slowly goes down to about 50 - 60 ohms (doing the math would draw 200 mA). I took all fuses and relays out from the engine compartment and in dash fuse/relay box, and the only difference is done if I disconnect the fuse 23 in engine compartment. All other fuses/relays do not make a difference on the multimeter dial....
Looking in schematics, I see the fuse 23 on engine connects directly to ignition switch. Reading the manual, it seems the ignition switch connectors go in this under dash fuse/relay box. . I measured the load between the fuse relay endpoint of the white wire to ignition switch, and looked 3 to 10 ohms to the ground.

The way I read the documentation, there are some circuits in the fuse/relay box. It is not only a simple connector assembly. On the back of it, i saw a connector with a thick white wire that i thought comes from the fuse 23 from battery. Disconnecting that line, indeed showed open from battery connectors.

So, what do you think? Where does the under dash fuse/relay box get its +12V" power? From the same cable wired to fuse 23 in engine compartment?

The white wire for the ignition switch from the battery... does it come through the under dash pannel, or there is another direct wire going from fuse23 to the ignition switch port?

Under-hood Fuse No. 23 is a multi-fuse (50A/50A) (it has two 50A fuse built into it).

One of the 50A fuse of the multi-fuse feeds the ignition switch and under-dash Fuse No. 33 (7.5A) for an option connector (for example, add-on Honda accessory).

The other 50A fuse feeds the power window relay and various under-dash fuses (no. 24, 25, 26, & 27) related to the power window switches; and the under-dash fuse no. 28 for the moon-roof close relay, moon-roof open relay, and moon-roof control unit (EX, EX-L).

Hi, ive been dealing with a problem that sounds very similar to what you had explained and i was wondering if you might know maybe the problem.
Recently, i replaced a passenger door lock actuator because it realized that was the problem causing my key remote to not lock and unlock the doors. But after changing it, the key remote only worked for 1 day then the battery started to drain.

What i noticed was, after turning off the car and removing the keys from the ignition...the windows can still be operated. After turning off the car, removing the keys and locking the door, then not touching the car overnight...i can open the door the next morning and operate the windows without inserting the keys into the ignition. this was my suspected cause for the battery drain but how can i fix this?