Battery Parasitic battery drain

spako · 19th October 2012, 21:28

Few days ago the battery in my car was completely flat after only 2 days of not using the car.

Today I've checked the battery drain using a multimeter with everything off and the car locked. The drain was changing between 0.22A and 0.5A every few seconds. As far as I know it should be around 0.05A.

No wonder why the battery went flat in such a short period of time.

Now I need to investigate this further, taking the fuses out one by one.

Any bets?

Wiganjon · 19th October 2012, 21:31

I had very same problem...brand new battery...flat after two days stood still...went into Honda and they suggested disconnecting Bluetooth module as I had a parrot installed..so far no more flat battery issues

spako · 19th October 2012, 21:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiganjon

I had very same problem...brand new battery...flat after two days stood still...went into Honda and they suggested disconnecting Bluetooth module as I had a parrot installed..so far no more flat battery issues

That will be my first check, especially that my HFT module is not working at all!

At the same time I'm going to check why the Cruise Control is not working (as long as I find out how to take the steering wheel off).

Grayfox · 20th October 2012, 03:06

LincsPoacher · 20th October 2012, 05:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiganjon

I had very same problem...brand new battery...flat after two days stood still...went into Honda and they suggested disconnecting Bluetooth module as I had a parrot installed..so far no more flat battery issues

Sounds as though your Parrot is not wired correctly.

hapzuk · 20th October 2012, 07:58

My HFT wasn't working, and had a battery drain of 0.5.

It turned out to be a dodgy Bluetooth module. Once it was disconnected I didn't have any further issues.

I bought a 2nd hand module from a breakers yard for £84

No problems since

spako · 20th October 2012, 09:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by hapzuk

My HFT wasn't working, and had a battery drain of 0.5.

It turned out to be a dodgy Bluetooth module. Once it was disconnected I didn't have any further issues.

I bought a 2nd hand module from a breakers yard for £84

No problems since

Where can I find one for £84?

hapzuk · 20th October 2012, 10:15

I used http://www.a1japsparesltd.co.uk/

Check your part number then give them a call.
I initially used an online parts request form and these guys came back the cheapest and offered a 60 days guarantee.

My unit had a white sticker with the part number on it. I asked them if they can send me one with a pink sticker (heard it was more reliable part)

Let me know how you get on

spako · 21st October 2012, 14:50

I've removed the HFT module and now the drain dropped to 0.02A.

I originally thought that my battery needed replacing so I've ordered a new one but in this case I'll just return it to ECP.

Now I need to find a cheap HFT module.

Will give A1 Jap Spares a ring tomorrow as their email address doesn't seem to work.

I may just install Parrot MKi9100 instead as I just removed it from my wife's car.

Honda HFT vs Parrot? What do you think?

hapzuk · 21st October 2012, 15:08

Parrot is probably better tbh

Rslynn46 · 22nd October 2012, 09:56

Hi Guys I have exactly the same problem. Battery is flat after a 2 days and my HFT is not working. Could someone please tell me how you remove the HFt module?

spako · 22nd October 2012, 09:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rslynn46

Hi Guys I have exactly the same problem. Battery is flat after a 2 days and my HFT is not working. Could someone please tell me how you remove the HFt module?

The HFT module is screwed to the inside of the trim panel under the driver’s side dash, below the steering wheel.

I hope you can find it now.

Rslynn46 · 22nd October 2012, 10:06

Thanks Spako.

Much appreciated this has been doing my head in for weeks. I thought nothing of the HFT not working.

spako · 22nd October 2012, 10:11

It seems that the faulty HFT module is a common problem in Civics. Just remove your old HFT unit and I'm sure the power draw will drop significantly. You can check the parasitic draw befor and after removing the unit. The youtube video above is excellent. Let us know how you get on.

Rslynn46 · 26th October 2012, 16:43

Bingo! worked a treat. starnge how this can drain the battery.

hapzuk · 26th October 2012, 18:46

Honda are "unaware" of this issue.
I was charged £350+ for Honda to get down to the reason of my battery drain.

They firstly charged me for a battery, then told me that my MICU (fuse box) needed replacing.
Then telling me they fixed part of the problem and there is a secondary drain which was the HFT.

I'm convinced it was the HFT all along.
Although I complained to Honda UK, nothing was sorted for me.

spako · 26th October 2012, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by hapzuk

Honda are "unaware" of this issue.
I was charged £350+ for Honda to get down to the reason of my battery drain.

They firstly charged me for a battery, then told me that my MICU (fuse box) needed replacing.
Then telling me they fixed part of the problem and there is a secondary drain which was the HFT.

I'm convinced it was the HFT all along.
Although I complained to Honda UK, nothing was sorted for me.

You could have saved a small fortune if you checked the parasitic drain yourself!

bodgerx · 26th October 2012, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by hapzuk

Honda are "unaware" of this issue.
I was charged £350+ for Honda to get down to the reason of my battery drain.

They firstly charged me for a battery, then told me that my MICU (fuse box) needed replacing.
Then telling me they fixed part of the problem and there is a secondary drain which was the HFT.

I'm convinced it was the HFT all along.
Although I complained to Honda UK, nothing was sorted for me.

The MICU issue is a geniune problem and affected cars should have had the recall done for it. It does drain the battery. OP should probably put the VIN into the Honda site to see if the recalls have been done (if they haven't already).

My car has had this - in my docs from the previous owner, there are 3 AA call out invoices for a flat battery before the recall was done. Go figure...

I have also had battery drain from leaving the auto lights on...

hapzuk · 26th October 2012, 19:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodgerx

The MICU issue is a geniune problem and affected cars should have had the recall done for it. It does drain the battery. OP should probably put the VIN into the Honda site to see if the recalls have been done (if they haven't already).

My car has had this - in my docs from the previous owner, there are 3 AA call out invoices for a flat battery before the recall was done. Go figure...

I have also had battery drain from leaving the auto lights on...

I understand MICU did affect some Civic's, mine wasn't part of that recall.
The drain before replacing the MICU was 0.5 and was still 0.5 after.

When I questioned this they changed the story and said it was fluctuating before the MUCU change, and after replacing it was a steady 0.5 drain.

I'm not convinced

19th October 2012, 21:28	#1 (permalink)
spako Supporter Car: 2006 1.8 5 door, Cosmic grey Join Date: 3rd October 2012 Location: Barnsley, UK Posts: 104 Thanks given: 7 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader: (0)	Parasitic battery drain Few days ago the battery in my car was completely flat after only 2 days of not using the car. Today I've checked the battery drain using a multimeter with everything off and the car locked. The drain was changing between 0.22A and 0.5A every few seconds. As far as I know it should be around 0.05A. No wonder why the battery went flat in such a short period of time. Now I need to investigate this further, taking the fuses out one by one. Any bets?

Similar Threads for: Parasitic battery drain
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
AUX in Does xcarlink drain battery?	adzyp	Ipods, MP3 Players and ICE	3	10th June 2012 16:10
AC/Heater AC Condensate Drain	leodis41	Electronics	0	21st May 2010 13:22
Alarm Snooper GPS Car Tracker - battery drain?	Kimotherapy	Electronics	20	21st February 2010 16:06
Oil How to drain oil	Bulluk	Engines and Transmission	9	25th December 2009 14:57
Power drain	woody2k4	Type-R	4	3rd October 2008 20:46

19th October 2012, 21:31	#2 (permalink)
Wiganjon Supporter Car: 56 NHB 2.2 EX Join Date: 10th April 2011 Location: Wigan Posts: 437 Thanks given: 30 Thanked 26 Times in 26 Posts iTrader: (2)	I had very same problem...brand new battery...flat after two days stood still...went into Honda and they suggested disconnecting Bluetooth module as I had a parrot installed..so far no more flat battery issues

20th October 2012, 03:06	#4 (permalink)
Grayfox Most Active Australian Car: 2010 Black Civic Si FK2 Join Date: 1st February 2012 Location: NSW, Australia Posts: 3,000 Thanks given: 67 Thanked 276 Times in 261 Posts iTrader: (0)

20th October 2012, 07:58	#6 (permalink)
hapzuk Supporter Join Date: 19th January 2012 Location: London,UK Posts: 230 Thanks given: 13 Thanked 11 Times in 9 Posts iTrader: (2)	My HFT wasn't working, and had a battery drain of 0.5. It turned out to be a dodgy Bluetooth module. Once it was disconnected I didn't have any further issues. I bought a 2nd hand module from a breakers yard for £84 No problems since

20th October 2012, 10:15	#8 (permalink)
hapzuk Supporter Join Date: 19th January 2012 Location: London,UK Posts: 230 Thanks given: 13 Thanked 11 Times in 9 Posts iTrader: (2)	I used http://www.a1japsparesltd.co.uk/ Check your part number then give them a call. I initially used an online parts request form and these guys came back the cheapest and offered a 60 days guarantee. My unit had a white sticker with the part number on it. I asked them if they can send me one with a pink sticker (heard it was more reliable part) Let me know how you get on

21st October 2012, 14:50	#9 (permalink)
spako Supporter Thread starter Car: 2006 1.8 5 door, Cosmic grey Join Date: 3rd October 2012 Location: Barnsley, UK Posts: 104 Thanks given: 7 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader: (0)	I've removed the HFT module and now the drain dropped to 0.02A. I originally thought that my battery needed replacing so I've ordered a new one but in this case I'll just return it to ECP. Now I need to find a cheap HFT module. Will give A1 Jap Spares a ring tomorrow as their email address doesn't seem to work. I may just install Parrot MKi9100 instead as I just removed it from my wife's car. Honda HFT vs Parrot? What do you think?

21st October 2012, 15:08	#10 (permalink)
hapzuk Supporter Join Date: 19th January 2012 Location: London,UK Posts: 230 Thanks given: 13 Thanked 11 Times in 9 Posts iTrader: (2)	Parrot is probably better tbh

22nd October 2012, 09:56	#11 (permalink)
Rslynn46 Join Date: 3rd November 2010 Location: South shields Posts: 24 Thanks given: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Hi Guys I have exactly the same problem. Battery is flat after a 2 days and my HFT is not working. Could someone please tell me how you remove the HFt module?

22nd October 2012, 10:06	#13 (permalink)
Rslynn46 Join Date: 3rd November 2010 Location: South shields Posts: 24 Thanks given: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Thanks Spako. Much appreciated this has been doing my head in for weeks. I thought nothing of the HFT not working.

22nd October 2012, 10:11	#14 (permalink)
spako Supporter Thread starter Car: 2006 1.8 5 door, Cosmic grey Join Date: 3rd October 2012 Location: Barnsley, UK Posts: 104 Thanks given: 7 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader: (0)	It seems that the faulty HFT module is a common problem in Civics. Just remove your old HFT unit and I'm sure the power draw will drop significantly. You can check the parasitic draw befor and after removing the unit. The youtube video above is excellent. Let us know how you get on.

26th October 2012, 16:43	#15 (permalink)
Rslynn46 Join Date: 3rd November 2010 Location: South shields Posts: 24 Thanks given: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Bingo! worked a treat. starnge how this can drain the battery.

26th October 2012, 18:46	#16 (permalink)
hapzuk Supporter Join Date: 19th January 2012 Location: London,UK Posts: 230 Thanks given: 13 Thanked 11 Times in 9 Posts iTrader: (2)	Honda are "unaware" of this issue. I was charged £350+ for Honda to get down to the reason of my battery drain. They firstly charged me for a battery, then told me that my MICU (fuse box) needed replacing. Then telling me they fixed part of the problem and there is a secondary drain which was the HFT. I'm convinced it was the HFT all along. Although I complained to Honda UK, nothing was sorted for me.