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I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

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Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#511

Post by jerrysievert »

sterwill wrote: post #189
jerrysievert wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3 days is definitely not good for an NC. That said, mine is usually around 2 months before the battery is drained. That should give you some better expectations.

2006 NC owner here with a reasonably new battery. I keep it parked in an attached garage, so no extreme cold or heat. Mine will always start after leaving it for 1 month. I probably left it for 2 months at some point in the last two years, and it started, but that feels like pushing it. The next time a mechanic tells you cars can't sit for a few days without a battery drain problem, ask how people who park at the air…

my battery is in fairly good shape. when my nc was sitting for long periods (months), the old battery eventually gave out. I had to have it jumped once, then bought a li-on battery to jump it with just in case.

the real key to long storage (beyond a trickle charger) is clean gas.

right now, though, it only has to handle 2 weeks of sitting at most (in an attached garage).

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#512

Post by illumin8 »

elzbardico wrote: post #262
illumin8 wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have a 10 year old Honda Odyssey that we keep just for long road trips and it has gone 3-4 months without being driven with no issues. I usually do try to fire it up every 1-2 months just to make sure the battery gets a charge and to avoid long term storage issues around oil and belts and other parts that degrade.

I would also make sure to use a fuel stabilizer like Pri-G, gasoline in a gas tank, depending on your climate can degrade pretty fast.

Thanks, that's good advice. Luckily we've burned a tank or so every road trip (every few months) but I was wondering about that and whether it was good for gas to sit so long.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#513

Post by pugworthy »

driverdan wrote: post #179
pugworthy wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably not an issue with more modern systems with solar panels and the detector on the house batteries.

Very few RVs come with solar.

True but it does seem to be a popular DIY upgrade.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#514

Post by sizzle »

thehours wrote: post #316
sizzle wrote: post #281

I had parasitic draw from a 12v phone adapter that wasn’t powering down when the car was locked, took me forever to realize that cheap Amazon gadget was causing issues!

My issue is related to a 12v charger as well, except a little different. Sometimes the car won’t start (engine doesn’t even turn) _until_ I unplug the 12v charger. Then it starts right away. No idea why, but would love an explanation from someone knowledgeable!

Glad it’s not just me!

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#515

Post by aftbit »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #245
aftbit wrote: post #158

I have a parasitic draw on my 2004 Honda Civic back in college. All the mechanics I went to wanted to sell me a battery or alternator. I finally bought a meter with a 10A current limit and tested every fuse each time I parked. It turned out to be an issue with the magnetic AC clutch, so I drove it for 2 more years with the fuse for that component removed.

In hindsight, you could have put a relay on that circuit that was powered by some other circuit... so it only connected the AC clutch circuit when the vehicle was on.

Yeah that would have been smart. What I did instead was just drive with the windows down. :) When it got too hot, I put the fuse back in, kept a jump pack in my trunk, and parked on a hill so I could pop the clutch to get a start.
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