i need help finding the parasite.
2008 honda civic hybrid.
i actually do leave the trunk open overnight SOMETIMES, because i simply like to fully charge my battery pack. but it doesnt really need it, this is just to recondition it, wich is helping ALOT.
So every other night, even if i dont leave the trunk open, i still get my front 12 volt battery discharged. the battery is new, its only 5 months old, i already changed the terminals and i did cut the old nasty end of the electric cables wich go to the battery as well as for the negative terminal, car runs so much better now. So, where do i start, i want to save money before calling my mechanic for last option. Another example is, when i park it outside any store, if i leave it more than 30 minutes park i may get the red batery symbol, when that happens I HAVE TO PULL OVER because of the parasite, at that time i ONLY have about 10 minutes to pull over and park before any porblem occurs. so when that happens i pull over, shut down car, wait 2 minutes or less, turn it back on, and NO red battery. i can safely drive, ONLY NOT WHEN I CAN red battery symbol. please let me know whats the first step.
I did check my chargin volts and is safely always at 13.5 volts, at all times.
one more thing, in the morning when i start it, i can almost hear the ac clutch shift in positon and then the red battery shows right after, almost all the time i hear a click when it engages and draws more battery. this doesnt necessarily mean its the ac relay, how do i diagnose every relay and fuse, i only have the multimeter and many other tools that ive used to self repair my car, ive been a loyal scotty kilmer fan for years, now I NEED help!!
update. the first step i took was to use a multimeter at 200 ohms and i checked all relays on the front main compartment box, they all ready between 150-170 ohms, i dont know if this means anything, i feel like i should just call up the mechanic anytime now. but feel free to help me out
Keep the doors, hood and trunk lid closed - problem solved!
@Doc read my responsove i just posted earlier, feel free to comment
Parasitic drains on a hybrid can really be hard to run down. I would bring in a mechanic due to all the additional wiring to check.
okay so i forgot to mention this 2 things. i just loooked it up. i leave my front hood open at all times, even while driving(i know its not "safe", but iam no longer going to do this on the freeway ok) it loks like this drains the battery overnight, so i will have to leave it closed from now on. as far as leaving the trunk open sometimes for the maintenance i do, iam going to unplugg the switch on the trunk latch actuator so i can keep it from draining that extra battery. i did remove the lightbuld inside the trunk so when i have to oen trunk it wont use battery. do you think there will be a problem if i disconnect the cable switch from the trunk actuator? thanks
I don't think it would cause a problem. I have to ask out of curiosity, why do you leave the hood up when driving your car? I'm not judging, I'm just extremely curious if you have a beneficial reason for doing so.
@Mod_Man YES let me answer that question. First, i left the hood open because i was planning to do a full coolant change and also a thermostat replacement, since i bought it used, the matter is if anything on the coolant system failed i would be able to pull over and save my car. I did see a scotty kilmer youtube video where he explains that cops car leave the hood open for maximum airflow since the air from underneath the engine doesnt circulate Up First so the air is able to REACH the engine and radiator alot easier if the car ever Overheats, so this is the first reason. My second reason for leaving it open is because i do have some acceleration hesistation when going from 0-10 on the first 5 seconds when coming to a stop and accelerating, and iam now planning to replace my mass airflow sensor and I did see a scotty kilmer video and sometimes they dont throw codes, so i wanted to see if there was any performance difference for maximum airflow to the mass airflow sensor by leaving the hood open. So far I have seen minimal increase in speed, i dont race at all i drive very economical, i do step on it right after a stop sign. So as far as the red battery symbol, it no longer appears, i did disconnect the hood latch because iam starting to notice my cooling fan spin and stop alot , Should i make another post for this topic? anyway, my battery charger has made alot of improvement to the 13 year old IMA batter pack wich is very very very good to me. replacement is 1,500 for a new unit made in usa oem but not from the dealer. HOWEVER i still do notice the red battery symbol, wich it really only means the pack is weak and needs reconditioning and sometimes it doesnt send enough battery to the front battery, again this is not really an issue because it only happens like 1-2%( once a month or twice a week) even when it happens, its BEST TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND DO NOT REV thiking that will "charge up the battery" thats only going to put more uneccesary pressure on the pack . I do have to pay attention to the dashboard if i do get on the freeway, the most itll drive with the red battery is approximately 15 minutes. To me, not really a problem, the best way to take care of a battery according to scotty is to keep driving it, and THATS EXACTLY what ive been doing and I have seen Alot of improvement, the more I drive the better each and every time, like the IMA assist is alot more responsive now, "music to my ears". I hope this answer your question