Topic: Civic Battery woes

[random006]

Mrs. Random's 2008 Civic has developed a problem over the last two years or so of dead battery-itis.

Last year she put in a new battery, hoping to solve the problem.  However, this winter it got worse, with the car not being able to go more than two days without driving before it needs a boost.

We solved the short term problem of boosting by buying a Mastercraft booster/inflator about two weeks ago, when it was on sale:



https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/motomaster-900a-booster-pack-with-air-compressor-0112065p.0112065.html?gclid=CjwKCAiA1rPyBRAREiwA1UIy8Mn6-OtTxgr-LO7FGWbaXVqmGW-LuZudZdAxpUZ0g5oIPUD_OF4DMxoCjfcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#store=627


However, the mystery of why the system is no longer holding a charge after all these years remains.  Alternator?  Wiring harness leak?  Some other piece of the electrics going haywire and draining the battery more than it should?  Alien gremlins?    At this point we just don't know. 

One thing is for sure.  Neither she nor I want to give up on the wee beastie just yet.  It has less than 100,000 kms on it as she commutes via public transit these days and the car is otherwise useful and nice to drive.

A trip to her favourite garage is in order.  As that garage, an indie that approves of Honda in general and Civics in particular, seems to do good work, we are hoping that they can deduce what is wrong and be able to fix it without too much hassle or cost.

[dirtyjeffer]

the first thing to try and find is if there is some parasitic drain on the battery...if there isn't, a test of the alternator's charging capability is in order...lastly, what about driving patters??...if the vehicle is used infrequently, and most trips are very short, it's quite likely the battery is rarely getting a proper charge.

[random006]

the first thing to try and find is if there is some parasitic drain on the battery...if there isn't, a test of the alternator's charging capability is in order...lastly, what about driving patters??...if the vehicle is used infrequently, and most trips are very short, it's quite likely the battery is rarely getting a proper charge.

The first few items on your list are exactly what we hope the garage will do.  Agree that there is some detective work to be done here.

The driving patterns are a mix of short and long.  The trips are infrequent, though.  The big thing is that those patterns have not changed in several years.  The battery is new, so why now after all this time (about 7 years of the same patterns) is the car suddenly needing constant boosts?

It is possible that the new battery is a bit of a dud but I honestly don't know likely that scenario is these days.

BTW, that Mastercraft booster is a lovely bit of kit to have in your arsenal.   

[Great_Big_Abyss]

This is something  you could try yourself with a volt meter, and by removing fuses one at a time.  That at least narrows down what circuit is problematic. 

[dirtyjeffer]

The driving patterns are a mix of short and long.  The trips are infrequent, though.  The big thing is that those patterns have not changed in several years.  The battery is new, so why now after all this time (about 7 years of the same patterns) is the car suddenly needing constant boosts?

based on this info, i'd say it's likely one of the first issues...maybe a small short somewhere or something isn't shutting off somewhere...a defective alternator can cause these problems too...maybe a meter on the battery when the car is off can detect some drain?...might be a bit of a pain to find out where, but i don't know if there are any known issues either...perhaps that car is known to have a faulty ABC module (fake example) that sometimes goes bad, so if you encounter a battery being drained, it's the likely culprit.

[Ex-airbalancer]

Sell the car buy a Tesla 

[random006]

Sell the car buy a Tesla 

Sorry, that comes with way too much Kool-Aid.   

[rrocket]

This is something  you could try yourself with a volt meter, and by removing fuses one at a time.  That at least narrows down what circuit is problematic.

I'd check to make sure alternator is charging first...

[No H2O]

However, the mystery of why the system is no longer holding a charge after all these years remains.  Alternator?  Wiring harness leak?  Some other piece of the electrics going haywire and draining the battery more than it should? At this point we just don't know.

Best thing is to test it yourself. Shops may be good at mechanical work, but most of them are useless when it come to anything electrical. They use test equipment that provides a go-no go answers without understanding the theory.

That is why I have a voltmeter in my cars and motorcycles, so that I know what the charging system is doing.

And if your car uses the CANBUS system, pulling fuses is not the way to go. You need to measure the voltage drop across the fuse to determine the current draw. That is why they have two contacts on the end. You'll need a DVM that is accurate in the mV. There is a very good VW Tech Bulletin on the subject if you want it.

[John Simon]

Maybe you have any shortage in your fuse box or some relay might have gone bad due to Moisture or dirt.