I’ve had my 1994(?) Honda Accord for about 2 years. I’ve replaced the battery twice, and the alternator once. If the car sits for more than 3-4 days the battery drains to the point that the car won’t start. I’ve been told by at least 3 mechanics that this is normal and that cars should be started every 2-3 days. :ohreally: ! It happened again this morning!
Are car batteries in Taiwan really such poor quality that they discharge that quickly? Can I buy a better battery? Are the mechanics I’ve talked to full of poop and going for the “cha bu duo jiu hao le” fix? :bluemad:
sounds like something somewhere is sucking power…any lights/alarms/stereo with faulty lines maybe that could be the culprit?
or…is your current alternator/battery up to snuff? if you didn’t specify what you wanted, the mechanic thought that you just wanted the cheapest part in your car and maybe, in the alternator’s case, gave you a used one and now it’s toast… the battery on the other hand, well, here in taiwan, because of the relatively mild winters and small engines, you don’t need a kick ass battery like back home. i have to change my car battery every 4 years here, and that battery isn’t the shittiest one either.
hondas can run forever. remember that. i would start at the alternator. you aren’t the first person in the world to be given a crappy used part. go to a different mechanic though.
I don’t think “they all do that sir” so the indications are that your mech is, unfortunately, full of it.
I’m not too hot on electrics, but a few things come to mind.
The alternator is charging, otherwise running the car wouldn’t make any difference. So it seems you’ve got a short and/or a knackered battery.
IF the battery is knackered after such recent replacement, it suggests something is killing it, possibly a bad voltage regulator. Perhaps its being overcharged. Does it seem to loose battery fluid quickly and need topped up frequently with distilled water? (assuming its not a “sealed for life” battery).
You could test for a short by disconnecting the battery. If it doesn’t discharge when disconnected, then a short is draining the power when it is.
Finding a short could be tricky and tedious, requiring a logical diagnostic approach that might not be readily available from your local black hand. They might prefer random-replacement, which is also more profitable.
You might try removing all the fuses. If it doesn’t discharge, then the short is downstream of the fuses. You could then replace half the fuses, etc doing a binary chop search to isolate the faulty circuit.
You could perhaps speed things up by re-connecting your battery via a test light in series (NOT across the battery terminalS) This will light if there is any load/current drain/short, and hopefully go out when you remove the fuse on the faulty circuit. “Memory” devices on modern cars may apply a “normal” switched-off load which might complicate things a bit.
Once/if you isolate the faulty circuit, work your way up it disconnecting components until your test light goes out. IF it does, fault is in whatever you just disconnected.
It might be useful to have a circuit diagram, but they can be hard to understand (especially Soviet ones, bad memory.)
It’ll help if you know the battery is fully charged to start with. Might be worth getting it charged or get a bench charger and DIY.
Note, however, that I’m making this up, so best wait for expert opinion.
I’m not sure that Honda Accords came with Soviet manuals, ed.
Anyway, battery problems are not usual in a Honda. Have you got anything else aftermarket installed, like an alarm, a stereo, an big mother of an amplifier? Check there first for something that may be sucking power out even while the ignition is turned off. One simple tell-tale is often quickly evident: if the battery has any additional wires bodgied on to the positive terminal, then those wires are probably feeding something without a switch. I.e., that thing is not being turned off by the cars ignition and will still suck power in an idle mode even with the car turned off.
If there’s nothing there, then look for a short. It does not seem like the alternator or power control equipment and voltage regulator, but use a voltage meter and check the voltage at the terminals with the car off, idling, and at 50% revs… you should see something like 12.2 Volts, 12.6 Volts, and 14 Volts.
[quote=“urodacus”]I’m not sure that Honda Accords came with Soviet manuals, ed.
[/quote]
Sheesh! Pardon me for my not-directly-relevant 5-word personal aside. 
he he. Apologies accepted, and returned!
I think you still have waaay too much Lada knocking around in your head there, mate.
If you don’t own or know how to use a multimeter then your mechanic needs to pull the positive lead from the battery then connect the meter in series between the positive battery terminal and positive lead. You will see instantly if rogue electronics are drawing any kind of serious current, and if so you can start pulling fuses until you find the bad components.
If you’re not comfortable using a multimeter then I don’t recommend doing this yourself because measuring current can be dangerous.
I just put my tongue between the terminal and power lead then crank the engine. I can then tell the state of current draw on the battery as well as the approximate charge rate once the engine is running. If the vehicle is sitting still though then I use an ammeter as my tongue isn’t quite that sensitive. 
Well that’s a dumb thing to do, you’ll get oil all over your tongue.
I have no car alarm and no stereo/radio. The only visible electronics is the dash clock.
I’m not that daft. I always use WD40 and a clean rag to clean the lead terminals and leads first.
What about non-visible electrics? Power windows, seats, antennae, trunk light? Do you hear any noise after you turn the car off? There could be some electrical device under the hood that’s not shutting off i.e cooling fan, anti lock brake pump…The mechanic you went to was probably not an electrician, it will take someone who specializes in electronics to give you a decent answer.
and lead poisoning
[quote=“llary”]If you don’t own or know how to use a multimeter then your mechanic needs to pull the positive lead from the battery then connect the meter in series between the positive battery terminal and positive lead. You will see instantly if rogue electronics are drawing any kind of serious current, and if so you can start pulling fuses until you find the bad components.
If you’re not comfortable using a multimeter then I don’t recommend doing this yourself because measuring current can be dangerous.[/quote]
Does this imply that my suggestion to do the same with a test-light is no good? (Not arguing, just wondering.)
That’s the only problem by Sentra has ever had (touch wood). Like you we got the “you have to start the car every couple of days or the battery will die” story. At that time, the car would often sit for two or three weeks without being used and the battery did indeed die.
Since then, my routine has changed and now I drive the car for about 40 minutes every day. The battery problem has gone away.
[quote=“sandman”]That’s the only problem by Sentra has ever had (touch wood). Like you we got the “you have to start the car every couple of days or the battery will die” story. At that time, the car would often sit for two or three weeks without being used and the battery did indeed die.
Since then, my routine has changed and now I drive the car for about 40 minutes every day. The battery problem has gone away.[/quote]
There are small normal drains on the battery, like the clock and radio memory or engine computer memory. Seems like that might have been the case for you. But for the OP, 2-3 days is far too short.
Think about how a series circuit works and why it’s not a good idea to run a 3,000W device off a cable rated for 1,000W.
Just use the right tool for the job, an ammeter will tell you right away if you have a problem without waiting for the battery to discharge every time.
Do you live in northern Taiwan? Is your car parked in the open? If so, blame it on the weather. Moisture gets into the nooks and crannies and causes all kinds of problems. I’ve had this problem with every scooter I’ve owned. Brake lights especially. And I have this incessant itch between my nook and my cranny.
Sulavaca has a clean rag and some WD40 for that.
Like you, I had a car with that problem. 3 days and the battery would be drained. Something electrical was draining it; never figured out what it was. Had to jumpstart the car every time I used it.
Stopgap fix: disconnect battery before letting the car sit for a while.