Had a remote start/alarm put in my 2004 Civic 5spd Ex a while back. Its winter now here in AK and the car is not my daily driver. It sits for 2-5 days inbetween being driven. I drove it 3 days ago and went to start it today and the battery was dead--not completely as the lights came on but not enough juice to turn it over. I called honda and they said that is common with remote starts because of a constant draw. Is this true? Also I get an occassional grinding noise coming from the steering council when I start it that drives me nuts but I dont know what the hell it is. Anyone got any help or ideas for me? Should I buy a better battery and what fits? Thanks

Dave

 

Get the alternator tested. Ive never heard of an autostart killing batteries.

 

I've had an autostart on my mom's accord since we've had it (almost 10 years now) and never had a prob with it. If the autostart had a draw on it, then it isn't wired correctly. Get a voltmeter and hook it up to the battery terminals while the engine is running. If the voltage is lower than 13.5v then the alternator is not working properly.

 

And you need to replace your battery when you sort all these things out. Once you discharged it completely, it loses a significant portion of its capacity. Three or four full discharges, and it is almost dead. I wouldn’t go into the winter even with half-dead battery.

 

Has your battery ever been replaced? They usually last 2-3 years. Less if the car spends time in cold winters. An old battery will not be able to hold a charge as good as a new one. If the battery is newer, then you might have something drawing power with the car off, like a CD changer unit or dome light. Or, your alternator is old and is not able to charge up the battery to full power while the car is being driven.

 

Its in a car 2 years old with 22,XXX miles. The battery in my Tacoma is the factory one and is 6 1/2 years old and it starts everytime. Maybe Ill get the battery tested.

Dave

 

Well its at 13.5 when running--im gonna check if there is another draw on it or something.

Dave

 

i had the same thing happen apparently it was just one bad cell killed the whole batt so it had to be replaced. mine was around 2 years old too but the mechanic said they should last around five so im gonna get some money back from interstate.

 

have the complete charging system tested ( battery, alt etc etc ) including a possible electrical draw

 

OK guys heres the deal--when Im driving it, its between 14-14.6v. So its getting charged--I checked the draw on it and it is .06. Is this high or low. If I can figure that out I can figure out if the battery is shot or something is drawing to much current. Thanks

Dave