2006 Honda Odyssey Parasitic Draw Testing

Summary

In this video, a mechanic addresses a 2006 Honda Odyssey's persistent battery drain issue. After installing a temporary battery disconnect switch and using an ammeter, they identify a parasitic draw of nearly one amp. Through a series of tests, including scanning for error codes and checking fuses, they pinpoint the problem to a faulty circuit related to the left power sliding door control unit. By disabling this circuit, they successfully reduce the parasitic draw to an acceptable level, resolving the battery drain issue.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The 2006 Honda Odyssey has a parasitic draw issue, causing the battery to go dead frequently.
• 🔧 A marine battery disconnect was used as a temporary fix by another shop, which the mechanic plans to replace with a proper test.
• 🔋 The vehicle's battery has been changed multiple times without resolving the parasitic draw.
• 📈 The mechanic uses an ammeter to measure the current draw, initially finding a significant 980 milliamps.
• ⏱ After waiting, the draw drops to 400 milliamps, indicating a persistent issue.
• 🔌 The mechanic identifies a problematic 7.5-amp fuse related to the power windows, memory seat, wiper washer, immobilizer, gauge control module, and navigation system.
• 🔍 After removing the faulty fuse, the draw drops significantly to 8 milliamps, suggesting the issue is with a device or system connected to this fuse.
• 🔗 The mechanic traces the parasitic draw to the rear junction box and a specific circuit related to the power tailgate and left sliding door.
• 🛠 The left power sliding door control unit is identified as the source of the issue, with a parasitic draw even when disabled.
• 🔄 The mechanic disables the problematic circuit by 'd-pinning' a wire, reducing the draw to an acceptable level.
• 🚫 The customer agrees to leave the left sliding door non-operational due to the cost of repair, accepting the use of the right sliding door only.

Q & A

What is the issue with the 2006 Honda Odyssey mentioned in the script?

The 2006 Honda Odyssey has a parasitic draw issue, causing the battery to go dead intermittently over the last few years.

What was the temporary fix attempted by another shop for the parasitic draw?

Another shop installed a marine battery disconnect as a temporary fix for the parasitic draw issue.

What method does the technician use to measure the parasitic draw?

The technician uses an ammeter connected in series across the disconnect switch to measure the parasitic draw.

What was the initial reading on the ammeter when the parasitic draw was first measured?

The initial reading on the ammeter was 980 milliamps, which is almost one amp of current flow.

What additional tool does the technician use to diagnose the issue further?

The technician uses a scanner interface to check for any fault codes or modules that are awake.

What fault codes were found when the technician scanned the vehicle?

The technician found a battery voltage failure in the ABS module and a battery voltage high in the ABS module, likely due to the disconnect switch. There was also no signal from the satellite safety sensor.

Which fuse was identified as potentially causing the parasitic draw?

The 7.5 amp fuse in the fuse panel, which is the backup fuse, was identified as potentially causing the parasitic draw.

What components are fed by the 7.5 amp fuse that was causing the draw?

The 7.5 amp fuse feeds the power window master switch, memory seat switch, wiper washer switch, immobilizer control unit, gauge control module, navigation computer, navigation system, and the rear junction box.

What was the final parasitic draw after identifying and disabling the problematic circuit?

The final parasitic draw was reduced to 25 to 30 milliamps, which is an acceptable level.

What component was ultimately disabled to resolve the parasitic draw issue?

The left power sliding door control unit was disabled to resolve the parasitic draw issue, as it was not in use and fixing it would be expensive.

What was the customer's response to disabling the left sliding door control unit?

The customer was okay with disabling the left sliding door control unit since it hadn't been working for some time, and they were manually using it.

Outlines

00:00

🔋 Diagnosing a Parasitic Draw in a 2006 Honda Odyssey

The video begins with the diagnosis of a parasitic draw in a 2006 Honda Odyssey with a 3.5 V6 engine. The vehicle has a history of battery drain issues, with the battery going dead in a few days. The previous attempt to fix it involved using a marine battery disconnect as a temporary solution. The mechanic installs a temporary battery disconnect switch to check for a draw. After running the vehicle and disconnecting the battery, an ammeter is connected to measure the current flow, which initially reads 980 milliamps. The mechanic decides to wait and see if the draw decreases over time and also uses a scanner to check for any fault codes or active modules. The scanner reveals a battery voltage failure in the ABS module and a high battery voltage, likely due to the disconnect switch and a battery charger being used with the key on. No other fault codes are found. The mechanic then clears the network codes and checks the current flow again, which has decreased to 400 milliamps after 20 minutes. The mechanic identifies a problematic fuse in the fuse panel, which, when removed, significantly reduces the draw to 8 milliamps.

05:06

🔍 Tracing the Parasitic Draw to a Fuse and Rear Junction Box

The mechanic reviews a power distribution diagram to understand which components are fed by the problematic 7.5-amp fuse. The diagram shows that the fuse powers various components including the power window master switch, memory seat switch, wiper washer switch, immobilizer control unit, gauge control module, navigation computer, and the rear junction box. The mechanic recalls that there was an issue with the right door, which had a fuse removed. Using an amp clamp, the mechanic tests the current flow through various connectors to identify the source of the draw. After disconnecting connectors K and X, the draw decreases, indicating that the issue might be related to the rear junction box. The mechanic locates and accesses the rear junction box, which is behind the right rear quarter panel, and unplugs a connector, reducing the draw to an acceptable level. The mechanic identifies that the circuit causing the issue is related to the left siding power door lock and the power tailgate control.

10:08

🛠 Investigating the Power Tailgate Control and Sliding Door

The mechanic continues the investigation by focusing on a white-red wire that shows a 100-milliamp draw, which is consistent with a relay activating. The mechanic consults the service literature and locates a connector (C701) that, when disconnected, reduces the draw to 30 milliamps. The connector is found to be connected to the left power sliding door control unit. The mechanic d-pins a specific wire at this connector and plugs it back in, which further reduces the parasitic draw to 33 milliamps. The mechanic then tests the functionality of the vehicle's doors and tailgate, discovering that the left sliding door does not open, likely due to a previous issue that caused a fuse to be removed. The mechanic decides to leave the door disabled after consulting with the customer, as the right sliding door is operational and the vehicle does not have a power liftgate as initially thought.

15:12

🔧 Finalizing the Repair and Clearing Fault Codes

With the parasitic draw reduced to an acceptable level, the mechanic discusses the next steps with the customer. Since the left sliding door has been non-functional for some time, the customer agrees to leave it disabled. The mechanic then removes the temporary disconnect switch and reinstalls the battery cable, ensuring that the vehicle's electrical system is back to normal. The mechanic also clears all fault codes from the vehicle's processors. A post-repair network scan reveals a few remaining codes, including a battery voltage code and a communication issue with the left power sliding door lock, which is expected due to the disabled door. The mechanic clears these codes, and with no warning lights present, the vehicle is ready to be returned to the customer. The video concludes with the mechanic summarizing the repair process and thanking the viewers for watching.

Keywords

💡Parasitic Draw

A parasitic draw refers to an unwanted, continuous electrical current that flows in a vehicle's circuit even when the vehicle is turned off. This can lead to a dead battery over time. In the video, the 2006 Honda Odyssey has a history of battery drain, and the mechanic is trying to diagnose and fix the parasitic draw, which is identified as a significant issue with a draw of almost one amp.

💡Marine Battery Disconnect

A marine battery disconnect is a switch used to isolate the battery from the vehicle's electrical system. It's typically used in marine applications to prevent battery drain. In the video, a marine battery disconnect was installed as a temporary fix for the battery drain issue, but the mechanic decides to remove it to properly diagnose the problem.

💡Ammeter

An ammeter is an instrument used to measure the electric current in a circuit. In the context of the video, the mechanic uses an ammeter to measure the current draw in the vehicle's electrical system to identify the parasitic draw, which is found to be around 980 milliamps initially.

💡ABS Module

The ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) module is a part of a vehicle's braking system that prevents the wheels from locking up during hard braking. In the video, the mechanic discovers a battery voltage failure in the ABS module, which could be due to the use of the marine battery disconnect.

💡Fuse

A fuse is an electrical safety device that protects the circuit by interrupting the current flow when it exceeds a certain threshold. In the video, the mechanic identifies a problematic 7.5-amp fuse that, when removed, significantly reduces the parasitic draw, indicating a fault in the circuit it protects.

💡Rear Junction Box

A rear junction box is a component in some vehicles that serves as a central connection point for various electrical systems in the rear of the vehicle. In the video, the mechanic suspects that the rear junction box might be related to the parasitic draw and investigates its connections.

💡Power Tailgate Control

The power tailgate control is the system that allows for the automatic opening and closing of a vehicle's tailgate. In the video, the mechanic discovers that the parasitic draw is related to the power tailgate control system, as disabling it reduces the draw to an acceptable level.

💡D-Pinning

D-pinning, or disconnecting a specific pin in a connector, is a method used to isolate a particular circuit or component within an electrical system. In the video, the mechanic uses d-pinning to disable a specific wire in the power sliding door control unit to resolve the parasitic draw issue.

💡Fault Codes

Fault codes are error codes generated by a vehicle's computer system to indicate a malfunction or issue. In the video, the mechanic uses a scanner to read fault codes from the vehicle's modules, which helps in diagnosing the problem with the parasitic draw.

💡Network Scan

A network scan is a diagnostic procedure that checks the communication between various electronic control modules in a vehicle. In the video, the mechanic performs a network scan to identify any modules that are awake or have issues, which could be contributing to the parasitic draw.

Highlights

The 2006 Honda Odyssey has a parasitic draw issue, with the battery going dead frequently.

A marine battery disconnect was used as a temporary fix by another shop.

The vehicle's battery has been changed multiple times without resolving the issue.

A temporary battery disconnect switch is installed to check for a draw.

An initial draw of 980 milliamps is detected, indicating a significant parasitic load.

The draw does not drop significantly after 20 minutes, remaining at 404 milliamps.

A fuse with a voltage drop is identified as potentially causing the problem.

Removing the suspect fuse reduces the draw to eight milliamps.

The power distribution diagram reveals that the fuse feeds several important systems.

A history of issues with the right door and a previously removed fuse is noted.

Unplugging connector K reduces the draw, suggesting a problem with that circuit.

The rear junction box is identified as a potential source of the parasitic draw.

Unplugging a connector at the rear junction box reduces the draw to an acceptable level.

The left power sliding door control unit is suspected to be the cause of the draw.

Disabling the left power sliding door control unit reduces the draw to 30 milliamps.

The customer is informed that the left sliding door will be disabled due to the cost of repair.

The vehicle's parasitic draw is successfully reduced to an acceptable level.

All fault codes are cleared, and the vehicle is ready to be returned to the customer.

Transcripts

[Music]

well good day viewers today we have a

2006 honda odyssey it's got the

3.5 v6

and it's got a parasitic draw

and another shop put this on as a

temporary fix it's a

marine battery disconnect

this thing's had a history of the

battery going dead for the last few

years

sometimes a couple of days

and it'll be dead and nobody apparently

can find the draw the battery's been

changed a couple of times

um so we're gonna we're gonna remove

this disconnect switch and i'm gonna put

a temporary switch in here so i can

check it for a draw

so i've temporarily installed a battery

disconnect switch in series in the

battery negative cable like this

and i've started the vehicle ran it shut

it off rolled the windows down closed

the doors and connected the ammeter

in series across the disconnect switch

and then open the disconnect switch

and right now we see

980

milliamps 0.99 almost one amp

of current flow

it's uh 10 45 am so we're going to wait

a few minutes to see if this draw drops

and

that's definitely a significant drain on

the vehicle i think i'm also going to

scan it and see if there's any codes or

if there's any modules awake

so with my scanner interface plugged in

it jumps up to 1.14 amps

so i'm going to try scanning this thing

see if there's any codes in any

computers for

door latch switches or

key cylinder switches or something like

the toyota i had a few weeks ago

i wasted a considerable amount of time

and if i had scanned it i would have

seen a fault code in the bcm for

a key cylinder switch stuck

i've never scanned this vehicle this is

a new customer

now come on you can auto id

key is on

there we go

let's do a code scan

see what controllers respond i have the

key on now and i've got the disconnect

switch turned back on so that we're not

pulling current through the ammeter

well i'll pick up when this done in

network scan

well that was painfully slow

so we got a battery voltage failure in

the abs module probably likely due to

the disconnect switch we got a battery

voltage high in the abs module probably

because somebody had a battery charger

on it with the key on it

and no signal from the satellite safety

sensor other than that we have no

other fault codes in any other

controllers

and of course the monitors this vehicle

are not running past because the battery

being disconnected every time

so i'm gonna do a network code clear

although it doesn't really matter i'll

wait until after

so we're gonna

return to the uh

the switch

and check the current flow again

so we're down to 400 milliamps or 0.4

amps i've got the disconnect switch open

so it's going through the ammeter now

i've got the doors open but i've got the

door jam switches

held with a pair of vice grips like that

on both sides so that it simulates the

doors being closed i notice they have

the interior light

cancelled probably with the override

switch on the

but we're gonna let it sit now it's uh

10 55 and we're going to see if after 20

minutes the drug drops any lower

so after 20 minutes we're still at 404

milliamps i had to change out the

battery the battery is getting low

i traced it to

a fuse

in the fuse panel here

the

fuse

seven and a half amp fuse in the middle

there at the bottom row

this one right

here

has a voltage drop across it so

we'll set that up and we'll have a look

at it

so we got 3.7 milli volts drop across

that fuse

let's see what fuse that is

one two three four

five

okay i gotta look at this according to

that that's the seven and a half amp

backup fuse

now why would that be

causing a problem

let's pull that fuse and see if that

eliminates some of the draw so with that

fuse removed it drops to eight milliamps

[Music]

so let's find out what's on that fuse

so here's a power distribution diagram

for fuse seven at seven and a half amp

fuse it feeds a pile of stuff

it's the power window master switch

memory seat switch if it has that

the

wiper washer switch immobilizer control

unit receiver

it's a gauge control module navigation

computer navigation system

wow

it also feeds the mic rear junction box

right sliding power door now they did

say they had an issue with the right

door and there was a fuse removed for

the right i think it was the right door

let me see my notes here

[Music]

left siding door pops open and the fuse

was pulled

so that could be the cause of the

problem

i wonder if we can get

to this connector here

looks like there's a bunch of connectors

to try to figure out which way the wire

which way the circuit is

current is flowing

possibly with an amp clamp over the

wires

i don't want to start disabling each one

every one of these things

so i'm going to print this diagram

so from that fuse panel that fuse feeds

several connectors

x

x pin five

or sorry k pin five x thirty five g

three

and

g six now these connectors are

the g connectors on the back side of the

fuse panel but the

x and k connectors are on the front

so i'm going to try to identify these

red white wires i put the fuse back in

in the

milliamp draw is back

and uh i'm going to try with an amp

clamp to figure out if one of these

wires

coming off of k for instance

red white wire has current flow on it

so i unplug connector k

which is

this one right here

and the draw went from 403 down to

360.

so then i unplug connector x

which is this big connector it's a

latched connector

and the drive dropped to basically 380.

so that leaves this connector which is

on the back side and that goes to

the rear junction block so i think we're

going to find this rear junction box

because i can't get this connector on

the back side of the

fuse panel

without taking the fuse panel off so

that circuit feeds

l

and g3

feed this rear junction

rear junction box control unit i'm gonna

see where that is

so that rear junction box is behind the

right rear quarter panel

you gotta pull this uh

trim off here

and you can access it so i'm gonna try

and flip this out so we can get at some

of these connectors here

try and isolate which circuit in this

is potentially causing the draw

so i've got one of the connectors at

that rear junction box unplugged

and it's down to 30 milliamps

which is acceptable

let's see which one that is

okay so that's that connector right

there which is g

i believe that's g

yeah that's the third connector or the

second connector

one two three four

one

two yeah second connector that's g2

location five on the diagram here

g2 goes to

let's see

rear wire harness right right branch

so let's see what the diagram shows

left siding power door lock

and then power tailgate control does

have power to yes it's power tailgate

control as well

so

this is the circuit that has the issue

i'm going to plug this back in again

see if i hear any click

i don't know if the camera's picking

that up

there's a relay of some sort clicking in

the left rear corner here

so maybe this is a problem with the

power tailgate control it's not the door

well we're gonna do some more

investigating

so according to this i've got a hundred

milliamps 120 milliamps draw on that

white red wire

let's zero this amp clamp

about 100 milliamps which is about what

it takes to turn a relay on which i hear

clicking over in the left corner so

let's look at this diagram here

and where this goes to the see if

there's a relay activated in there

so i see there's a connector in here

c701

and i found it in the service literature

it's underneath the

trim panel on the left side so let's

take that off

well it turns out access to that

connector wasn't so nice it's behind the

spare tire

and to get that plastic out you got to

take both fronts both back seats out

i unbolted the seat brackets from the

center here but

i couldn't lift them out i don't know

what's involved in removing them but i

did manage to get in there and get that

connector disconnected and it drops to

30 milliamps so let's see what that

suggests the problem is

so here is the connector i unplugged

c701

and it feeds the left power sliding

control sliding door control unit

let's see where that lives

i hope it's not behind that stupid

so that seven and a half amp fuse

feeds the rear junction box

a6 in g2 out

[Music]

and feeds this

control module

which is grounded all the time let's see

where that lives

behind left rear side trim on floor wire

harness oh that's that's the module

that's right above that connector

well

i wonder if we can just disable that one

wire deep in that one wire and what

little effect because he's

mentioned that they did have a problem

with the left sliding door and they had

pulled a fuse

so obviously they're not using it so

let's let's go back to this

i'm gonna print this

and i'm gonna d pin that one wire from

that connector and plug it back in again

[Music]

so let's see this connector view here

701

pin five white and red wire

[Music]

701 pin five white and red wire but it

doesn't show the connector view but i

can think i can figure it out

so i d-pinned pin five at connector c701

and plugged it back in and then

parasitic draw down to uh about 30

milliamps let's have a look

it's about 33 milliamps

so now we're gonna see

what doesn't work

i imagine the left sliding door may not

work

but i think they were manually using it

but i hope the lift gate works

i'm going to turn this disconnect switch

back on

otherwise i'll blow the fuse in my

multimeter

and then see if the

rear tailgate

closing feature works

where's the button on this thing

is there a button on it

here's where that connector lives way up

inside there

it was plugged into this

clip but i want to plug it back in after

is there a button on here to just pull

down on this

hmm

well i'm an idiot it doesn't have power

liftgate

i saw the uh

i saw the big piston on this side i

thought it was the actuator so this

doesn't have power liftgate

so everything seems to work except this

door doesn't open now i think they've

got it disabled i'm going to talk to

them and see if they're okay with it

just disabled

because the other sliding door does work

because fixing this thing is probably

going to be fairly expensive i'm not

sure what's what the issue is but

at least we've got the draw down to an

acceptable level now

25 milliamps 30 milliamps so

the spec is typically under 50.

definitely 400

would kill the battery

probably in a couple of days especially

in the winter time

400 milliamps is like a side marker a

couple of park marker lights on

so i got off the phone with the customer

and the left sliding door hasn't worked

for some time

so we're going to leave it disabled

they're just going to use the right

sliding door

it does not have a power liftgate as i

thought it did i looked at the cylinder

and i thought it was the actuator

nevertheless we're down to 25 to 28

milliamps

and that is acceptable

so we're going to take the disconnect

switch off and reinstall the battery

cable normally

and clear all the fault codes of all the

processors

so i did a post network scan and we've

still got the battery voltage code

safing sensor code

then we got some codes in the gauges for

the right power sliding door control

unit lost communication that's probably

due to me but i'm plugging stuff

so we're going to clear all codes read

by this scan

as long as there's no warning lights on

we're gonna

we're gonna ship it

i'll pick up when it gets done here

so as i said it cleared codes out of 14

controllers

i'm just going to look in

here one more time and see if we have oh

that's unit information

door locks let's try that

codes too many modules in this vehicle

and it's old already

should have a communication code with

the left sliding door lock

nope

let's try this

all body electrical codes

yeah right power sliding door lock locks

communication with left power sliding

door lock

so

makes sense that's disabled now

so we're gonna ship it

thanks for watching