[brianinpdxx]

One of those dead battery threads.

Hi guys, I've got a similar situation to guys talking about the parasitic battery drain that is related to the mg fuse. This happened last year and I did a little poking around and found that I could solve my dead battery problem by pulling out the 7.5 fuse in the engine fuse box.

From my reading this sounds like its related to the AC clutch relay (I think). I've also got that clicking issue when I insert the fuse back in.

I'm attaching a picture to ask the following question. I seems like the solution to this problem is to replace the relay like another person mentioned. The question is, Which one? you can see in the photo there are 5 relay boxes present in the engine compartment fuse panel. I also noted the fuse I removed. It's the red one just laying to the side.

Question: could someone tell me from looking at the photo which relay i need
to buy? Any insight would be gratefully appreciated.

-Brian

 

[Oddicee]

Help

Brian,

While I can't tell you which relay in the photo is at fault, I can tell you to look at the underside of the cover that you removed to expose the fuse/relay panel and you will see one labled as the a/c clutch. This will show the location as you are viewing it and remove it. Just had this problem last week on my 09 EX-L. It will hold the a/c compressor clutch in when the car is shut down and drain the battery. When I get home this evening I will take a look at the location and let you know in case you can't find it. The dealer told me this is a common problem on not just the Oddysey but other Honda models as well that use this relay.

 

[brianinpdxx]

Oddice - thanks for the info.

I did have a look at the inside of the lid but it just had pictures on the relays. I took a guess and pulled #2 and heard a click. I suspect this was the clutch diss-engaging. put it back in but havent replaced it yet. I also reinstalled the fuse, but havent seen the engine lug down after a day or so like in the past. I think its probably just a safe bet to replace the relay (maybe it was sticking?) and be done with it.

On yours did they just replace relays? or do something more indepth?

thanks for the input.

-Brian

 

[bramboz]

I vote for #2

Hey Brian. I just went through this a couple of weeks ago. On the underside of the fuse box lid, relay #2 and #4 (I think) from your photo both show the snow-flake symbol representing the A/C system. I took a guess that since the van has a front and rear A/C system, the front relay in the fuse box meant the front compressor. That is the one I replaced (#2) and have not had any problems since. Good luck.

Bryan
2005 LX

 

[landar]

It looks like all of the relays are the same brand and type. A common "trick" to test a relay (when you have other similar ones) is to just swap one with another and see if the problem follows the relay. If it does, you replace the bad relay. If not, you have other issues besides a bad relay.

 

[kryton02]

We had the same problem with a 2007 last week. Dead battery 2x the same day. I was able to identify the parasitic drain by disconnecting the positive battery cable. Using a cheap test light, I connected the clip to the battery cable and touched the end of the light to the positive battery post. It lit up like a Christmas tree. I then started pulling fuses. The light dimmed to a normal level when I pulled the 7.5 amp MG Clutch fuse. I replaced it and the light lit back up. I continued and finally reached the front air conditioning relay. I pulled it and the light dimmed again. When I replaced it, the light remained dim. I did not test the two back relays. Unfortunately, I thought that resetting the relay fixed the problem. Needless to say, it didn't. Woke up this morning to another dead battery... Pulled the 7.5 again until Honda dealership opens tomorrow AM.

 

[greg clark]

Did this fix problem? What was the cost for replacement and is it something you could do yourself? Same problem 06 touring between this and pax, wife loves van.

 

[stevet1]

Thanks for your posts everyone. I ultimately found out I also had a 3.5amp battery drain. (07 EX) The relays in question were hot and pulling the front relay (#2 on the diagram) dropped the drain to 0.35amps. I bought 3 of these relays at the dealer for $17 and replaced all 3, because I believe there is likely to be some kind of defect with this part, given the numbers of failures reported on this board.

Dealer wouldn't sell me more than 3, so I'll order a couple more spares over the net. For anyone who has this problem in the future, I'll repeat the part number for reference:

PN 39794-SDA-A03.

 

[xtriggerman]

I had 2 good batteries killed in my 05. Just put in a 3rd and found this post. I tested the 3 relays only to find they all tested OK. Not to say they may infact "trigger" by them selves some how and drain/kill the battery. The Van sat for 4 days while I checked it with a toot of the horn. on the 5th day the thing was 100% dead, the battery was completely fried and would not accept a charge as if it had a dead short. I went to the Dealer and the only relay he had was the 39794 SDA A05. This relay is about 1/8th taller than the A03 mentioned earlier with a retail of $28.27. I ordered 3 more from yourhondaparts.com for $18.58 each. The 39794 SDA A03 has a retail of $4.71/ net $3.55. The more expensive A05 has a noticably stronger sounding click on/off action compared to the original relay. On top of replaceing these relays I ordered a battery saver that happend to be a best buy on E-bay. The saver will disconect the battery once it drops below 11.7 volts. A quick step on the brake petal resets the Saver and you can start the engine. Thats how its "supposed" to work. I havent gotten it yet but this is the one I ordered. PRIORITY START 12 VOLT PROMAX AUTO BATTERY PROTECTOR | eBay Killer price on the Promax-better of 2 models made. With Vacation travel only a few weeks away, one way or the other, this "should" keep me from the dead battery syndrome.

 

[xtriggerman]

We use our 05 only for vacation travel these days due to the 19mpg around town. Year round we run Diesel VW's getting 40-45mpg around town. So here is a picture of the installed Priority Start. I had to flaten the terminal post to make it a bit fatter for the honda pos cable and use a better negative ground connector than the one they give you. All in all not a big deal to install with HD zip ties rather than the huge rubber band they give you. It has a red/green indicator light that tells you if its powering up the vehicle or not. This is a great piece of mind unit if it works as advertised. I refuse to be stranded....Again....because of a freakin relay?

 

[JB 911]

I went to the Dealer and the only relay he had was the 39794 SDA A05. This relay is about 1/8th taller than the A03 mentioned earlier with a retail of $28.27. I ordered 3 more from yourhondaparts.com for $18.58 each. The 39794 SDA A03 has a retail of $4.71/ net $3.55. The more expensive A05 has a noticably stronger sounding click on/off action compared to the original relay.

Bumping an old thread here but this seems to be my issue also. 3 dead batteries in the last 3 years... Very surprised the dealer doesn't 'suggest' a relay when presented with this problem but instead sold me an alternator last time. I did it because I was tired of messing with it so said go for it for peace of mind. 6 months later, dead battery.

I just bought 4 of the more expensive "39794 SDA A05" from majestichonda for $12.37 each + shipping One new for each relay and one as a spare for the glovebox.

 

[twkennedy]

In trying to find my battery drain on my 2007 I found it on the 40amp A/C backup circuit NOT in the 3 relays .Does anybody have a fix for this or know what's on this circuit?

 

[Mmart]

I have this same issue. I have to pullout the fuse and then put it back when I drive the car because it controls the radio, navi, power locks and charger plugs... Did you ever figure yours out?

 

[marvinstockman]

First, the normal parasitic draw on the battery is usually 0.050 amps or less. To see this, you may have to let your multimeter sit in the circuit for say, five minutes. On a normal car, you can watch the current drop over time.

Second, usually relays get burned contacts, which can cause intermittent operation, or two contacts can burn/weld together, but you can troubleshoot this with a multimeter. Now all bets are off if the Honda relays are solid state.

 

[marvinstockman]

Or you can have an electron fault that is causing the relay to actuate, which, again, you can troubleshoot with a wiring diagram and a multimeter.