Parasitic Draw

Hello, this is my first post and its a long one so buckle up. I'm hoping go gain some helpful knowledge about my truck not starting after a few days of sitting.

Back story:
I had the very common recall of the brake light on the cab having a leak. To shorten this, I took it in, they fixed it, no problems or so I thought...

A few days later, truck won't start. Battery and terminals looked pretty rough. So I replaced the battery that was covered in corrosion and the terminals. Truck runs good for a few days, then I let it sit for few in the driveway and boom.. won't start.

I replaced the alternator because you know... common sense would suggest a perfectly new battery isn't the issue. Then after a nice jump to start the truck it runs fine for a few days... then I let it sit again and boom... won't start again. We seem to have developed a pattern here.

Soooo I take the battery back, because I'm concerned that the battery was old from being on the shelf or maybe just faulty, these things happen. It fails the load test, they give me a new one. The truck runs good for a few days.. then I let it sit for two days.. and boom wouldn't you know.. it won't start.

Take us all the way back to the dealership fixing that leaky light! When they did this recall, they had to replace the entire carpet, sound barrier and the headliner due to mold growing on them from that leak. I have a STRONG feeling after reading around that I have a parasitic draw killing my battery.

Now, I've check the battery with running and off and it's seems to be fine. I also checked the alternator and that checks out too.

I can drive endlessly without it dying.. but once its turned off, something is killing my battery. I do not have any mods in this truck and I am absolutely positive nothing is left on, plugged in or connected.

Does anyone have suggestions on what to look for when trying to track down this draw?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all!

 

Welcome
When was the recall done? Take it back and explain the problem and that it started ever since they’d touched it,,, well if that’s the truth anyways.
If the interior had to be ripped out, there’s no telling where the hell it is. It could be a loose connector, corroded connectors/electronics, damaged wires, etc etc


GL and let us know how it goes, this one might be a bummer, but I sure hope not.

 

What aftermarket installs are on the truck...

 

Thank you, I hope it's not a bummer either. I took it in last month for the recall. Never had any issues prior to that. The only reason I took it in to do the recall was because I wanted to sell it and was going to have it fixed before I did.

Someone was coming to buy it and pick it up tomorrow but today it wouldn't start again.. so I won't be selling it anytime soon I guess.

 

I don't have anything after market in the truck. I haven't done any mods or any aftermarket work to it.

 

Oh good! So it was recently! I was afraid this repair was long ago. Yeah, take that turd up there and tell em to call you when it’s fixed.
Also, good on your for not selling it! You could’ve royaly forked someone over, as I’d think they’d have a hellva time getting any help.

 

Yeah thanks. Thats why I wouldn't sell it. She was disappointed but I'm not wanting that type of karma.

I'll be taking it back to them soon if I can't figure this out. I just don't want them to keep it as long as they did last time. For the recall they had it for almost a month.

 

You’re a good person! Gives me hope yet for the world.

 

We shall see how far it gets me!

In all seriousness, thanks. I appreciate your help.

From what I'm reading the amount of wires... it could take weeks to sort it out.

I will definitely be posting updates on this and hopefully soon, if I get it resolved.

 

interior lights are ground switched so if a hot wire got a small short...

 

I'm not sure I understand. You're thinking the interior lights are not grounded?

 

Put a Amp clamp on it… start pulling fuses till you find what circuit is causing the issue

 

no, they constantly have have power so if the insulation on the wire took some damage during the repair of the brake light that could be the cause of the drain

the interior lighting circlet simplified:
battery > fuse > light > local switch > ground
> door switch(s) > ground

 

I saw that when I did that it was pulling .57, when I pulled the ECUB #2 Fuse it dropped to .19.

 

I see. Thank you! I will take a look at that for sure.

 

.050 would be a max draw on a Honda.. most are between .013-.028

 

I put a clamp on mine today - right after I open a door and the hood, it's drawing about 0.51 amps, after a few minutes it drops to 0.25, after 10-15 minutes it drops to 0.04

An ammeter in series would be more accurate than a clamp meter...if i have time I'll check and see what a meter in series shows

 

Well, after just literally shaking some wiring and unplugging everything from the fuse boxes. Not just the fuses but the wiring as well. It went from .57 down to all zeros. Been that way for a day now. I will be letting the truck sit off for two days and try again.

I also disconnected the terminals and cleaned them again with some baking soda and sand paper. Unsure that was why it dropped down to zero. But thought I'd mention it.

Also I have now disconnected the battery totally to see if the battery is going to lose charge on its own.

I'll keep posting updates as I go. Thanks to everyone for your input.

 

Just an update if anyone is curious or dealing with this issue. I believe that unplugging all wiring and removing all fuses for about 10 minutes seemed to have fixed the issue. Why? I have no idea.. but I won't be complaining about it. Hopefully that'll help someone else in the future!