I have a 2002 Honda Civic, and something is draining the battery. I have taken this car to everyone under the sun. Something is causing the battery to drain. If I fully charge the battery, the car will run for about three days. I take it back and forth to work. I work an 11 hour shift. When I get off work, my car won't start. Also, I notice that at home, if I leave it sitting for more than 10 hours overnight, the car won't start. I had the battery checked, the starter, alternator, and all of those check out on the diagnostics. I checked to make sure I was not leaving any lights on. I uninstalled the after market alarm system I had on the car. I do have a cd player, and sirius radio from the previous owner, but all I have is the antenna, the subscription is expired. I can't figure this out. I took it to a auto electric specialists and they can't figure it out. They say they can't find the drain on the battery. I tell them to drive the car a little and then test it out because that is the only difference between when I drive it, and they test it. They said that will not cause a drain. The only other clue I have that may or may not matter, is that I notice that the battery tends to drain more when the weather is cold.I

Parasitic battery drain is the cumulative load produced by electrical devices (e.g. ECMs, clocks, security alarms, and radio presets), when the ignition is turned off. These items continue to operate, when the ignition has been switched off, and are becoming an ever increasing problem. Normal parasitic loads are below 75 milliamps (.075 amps). When parasitic load is greater than 75 milliamps, batteries will drain even faster. Glove box, trunk, and under hood lights that do not automatically turn off when the door is closed, or shorted alternator diodes, are common offenders. Cooling fans, power seat belt retractors, radios and dome lights left on, alarm systems, and electric car antennas can also cause batteries to drain overnight. Leaving headlights on will usually discharge a fully charged car battery, with 90 minutes of reserve capacity (36 amp hours), in a couple of hours.

Two methods are used to test for parasitic load (engine off, under hood light disconnected, accessories off, and vehicle doors closed):

1. The basic approach is to connect a 12-volt bulb across the positive and negative battery terminals to test the bulb and battery. If it glows brightly, remove the negative battery cable and connect the bulb in series between the negative battery cable connector and the negative battery terminal. If the bulb continues to glow brightly, start removing fuses or connections to the positive battery, one-at-a-time, until the offending electrical component is identified by the bulb dimming.

2. The best approach is to use a DC ammeter, connected in series between the negative battery cable connector and the negative battery terminal, or a clamp meter (set to DC amps), clamped around the negative battery cable. Starting with the highest scale (or set multi-meter to auto range), determine current load. If load is above 75 milliamps, after the initial surge, start removing fuses or connections to the positive battery post, one-at-a-time, until the offending electrical component is identified by the parasitic load dropping to 75 milliamps.

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Originally Posted by TxGreaseMonkey

Parasitic battery drain is the cumulative load produced by electrical devices (e.g., ECMs, clocks, security alarms, and radio presets), when the ignition is turned off. These items continue to operate, when the ignition has been switched off, and are becoming an ever increasing problem. Normal parasitic loads are below 75 milliamps (.075 amps). When parasitic load is greater than 75 milliamps, batteries will drain even faster. Glove box, trunk, and under hood lights that do not automatically turn off when the door is closed, or shorted alternator diodes, are common offenders. Cooling fans, power seat belt retractors, radios and dome lights left on, alarm systems, and electric car antennas can also cause batteries to drain overnight. Leaving headlights on will usually discharge a fully charged car battery, with 90 minutes of reserve capacity (36 amp hours), in a couple of hours.

Two methods are used to test for parasitic load (engine off, under hood light disconnected, accessories off, and vehicle doors closed):

1. The basic approach is to connect a 12-volt bulb across the positive and negative battery terminals to test the bulb and battery. If it glows brightly, remove the negative battery cable and connect the bulb in series between the negative battery cable connector and the negative battery terminal. If the bulb continues to glow brightly, start removing fuses or connections to the positive battery, one-at-a-time, until the offending electrical component is identified by the bulb dimming.

2. The best approach is to use a DC ammeter, connected in series between the negative battery cable connector and the negative battery terminal, or a clamp meter (set to DC amps), clamped around the negative battery cable. Starting with the highest scale (or set multi-meter to auto range), determine current load. If load is above 75 milliamps, after the initial surge, start removing fuses or connections to the positive battery post, one-at-a-time, until the offending electrical component is identified by the parasitic load dropping to 75 milliamps.

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Thanks bro

I have a honda civic 2006 and when I switch the ignition on , the odometer rises to 10 even without accellerating. Plaese, is it normal?and if not , what should I do ?
Thanks in anticipation