My girlfriend's 2005 Acura MDX had the exact same problem. A little internet research led to the hands free unit being a likely suspect. I don't have electrical diagnosis equipment so I did a brute force diagnosis; I unplugged the module and viola, no more draw.
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics The battery stopped dying so I figured that was sufficient evidence. Obviously if I were doing this as a business I'd need to verify it more thoroughly, but unplugging the module accomplished all I needed it to.
Thank you for your easy to follow instructions and demonstration!! I replaced the battery less than a year ago and my car kept having a dead battery. Checked the battery and alternator at both O'Reilly and AutoZone and they tested fine. After checking with the multimeter I was able to trace the power draw back to the handsfree system just like you suggested. Since unplugging it my car battery has been holding a charge for 2 months. Appreciate your help 🙂
fuses are resistive elements, which are meant to open upon over-current by burning the lower temperature meting point metals, before wiring and maybe devices go fully up in smoke. none are exactly perfect and the reading could vary some from fuse to fuse, so don't expect "ohms law/electrical pie chart and calculations to be exact or anywhere near. but yes it does aim you at what circuits are drawing current rather quickly :)
Knowledge is a valuable commodity when you have seen it before, in some newer Volvo's disconnecting the battery with out the modules at sleep leads to big problems. Great video
I had the same issue on a 2007 Honda civic here in the UK. I also noticed it stayed warm to the touch which was another observation when I tracked it down! I did the same thing and left it unplugged as it was never used anyway.
@@malcolmy11 Internal failure of a power switching transistor. It could be repaired but the ones I have looked at were potted so it wouldn't be an easy thing.
Excellent diagnostics, using a professional workflow that respects your time. I wonder why they designed the hands-free remote to run off of unswitched power. It would seem a no-brainer, to power it from a source that is turned off when the key is removed. What am I missing?
likely intended on near future use of same module to link/sense phone for proximity control of vehicle ( auto unlock, keyless entry, keyless start/run, etc.) and then reality set in :))
@spelunkerd The Hands Free Link system stores your contact list, text messages and internet searches. The kind of things law enforcement would desperately want access to, and has gained access to in many cases. So to do that the system has to be powered at all times because the safest way for them to retrieve that info is when the car is not occupied. Manufacturers of cars use your info and sell it to advertisers. That's why they are so eager to show you how to use the system when you buy a car.
That was a pretty straightforward and easy one. But I have been involved with some crazy ones. When I hear parasitic draw on a 2010 or newer model I don't like it
Thank you for the video. My battery was having issues starting my acura rl, and then it died. My new battery seemed to work great for a few weeks, and then started to seem like it was barely turning the engine over upon starting it. (I noticed it would seem to have this issue starting in the mornings) I saw this video and removed the Bluetooth unit first, and now my acura now fires up great each time. (My hands free bluetooth unit was located in the front passenger side kick panel just on the right side of the legs under the glove box.)
Comes down to whether the customer wants to pay for that 'fix' and if they even care about the HFL to begin with. And should the owner want to replace the module later that wiring would need to be undone again.
bluetooth is and was always a sad joke, followed by wifi and all preceded by cellular/smartphones. as a user of said junk I have plenty of rights to claim so ;)
My father's 2008 Acura TL hands free Bluetooth module was getting hot and read online on Acura TL forum that other people had the same problems and it was also draining the battery. What I did, was just completely remove the hands free Bluetooth module and it no longer gets hot and battery voltage no longer getting low, common problem for it to happen and heard they had a recall on them but they stop doing them already.
I just got a 2007 MDX which has a parasitic draw and I was hoping it would be this simple only to find that the Bluetooth module was already unplugged and removed. Are there any other common draws on this vehicle or do I need to do a full on test?
If the HFL still works but won't go to sleep you could add an inline fuse from an ign ON only power supply in the fuse box to kill total power when the key is off. This gives you back the HFL while running and keeps it fused.
Same thing I was thinking.. but they've powered it for a reason. I own a 2015 RDX that I need to track down parasitic draw. Sure stinks in winter when can't start the car. @@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics
I have a nice amp meter but im a little unsure how you hooked up your leads. Could you please update the connection process. Others seem to want this also. Thank you in advance
Cool I had a similar issue in a Honda Odyssey. 70ma drain on the radio Turns out a aftermarket kit was installed in back of the radio causing drain 50ma. Uninstalled it and it was down to 20 ma which is acceptable ( anything < 50 ma when everything is off )
My 2018 TLX just began having this issue. Any information on a class action lawsuit? This is unacceptable since it’s a know problem and is potentially dangerous depending on the weather and location.
Super awesome video. How did you measure the voltage (assuming it is voltage) from the inside? Did you put black on ground and touch the red on the fuse contact point?
Ivan radiates a common sense, that only exists with a deep understanding of the subject, and the use if the appropriate tools. Once you know both aspects well enough, "picking up on the scent" becomes a natural reaction.
I’ve already disconnected my hands free link on my 2005 TL but still find the battery around 12.3-12.4v in the morning. It is only a few months old. Cranking voltage is 10v. Fuse 6 measured .05 mV and fuse 7 .12 - .27 mV all the others see 0. Guessing fuse 7 has to do with the security light on the door. Any ideas?
I still have battery drain and replaced it two or three times, it’s a second car so figured I just wasn’t driving enough during Covid. HFL was already disconnected when I opened up the rear console cover. I think its the radio or GPS but have heard it could also be the HomeLink or CD Changer. Might need a second multimeter.
Hi. So I disconnected the negative battery post and the negative cable. Now, when i touch one electrode of my multimeter to the negative battery post and one electrode of my multimeter to the negative cable the reading it shows me is O.04 A. Is this ok? Or is it a parastic draw? Because whenever i check my battery voltage in the mornings it shows me 11.94 V.
My 2000 acura 3.5 RL has gone through 4 batteries in 14 months. I have taken it to 4 shops and all tell me nothing is wrong, replace battery. I don't know how to do what you did. Can you recommend a shop willing to view your video and help fix it?
You mentioned let’s pull that fuse with the voltage and see if that draw goes away. What situation would have to exist when pulling that fuse would cause the draw to not go away? Thanks
Yes they do. Very common to the point there was a class action lawsuit about them, because Honda has known the modules fail regularly and have since they started using them.
Is the module expensive? It's easy to reach so if it is under a hundred bucks why no preserve the functionality. If the owner never uses it, however, I understand
It should draw a miniscule amount with the power off, fuse 5 is it's main power feed, there is also a control wire. An internal transistor fails and locks the unit on.
@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Yeah the only issue would be that any saved Bluetooth devices would have to be reset every single time you got in the car and it would be really annoying to have to reconnect your phone and initialize the Bluetooth connection every single time you wanted to use it!
@@lustfulvengance I would be surprised if the BT module lacked some non-volatile memory in which to store its list of saved devices. So power off shouldn't be an issue.
@@engeneer_ru5827 You got it. The B+ is the white wire fed from fuse 5, it is the primary power, then the control wire is hot in run/acc and that's the purple wire. The unit should power down when the key is off and only use enough power to retain memory.
Yes, there is a drop across a fuse -- only a few millivolts. In this case I think it was 1.5 mV, for the fuse on the circuit that was drawing about 220mA. So R = V/I = 1.5mV/220mA = 6.8 milliohms. A small but noticeable resistance in this situation.
Internal resistance in the fuse itself causes the voltage across the fuse. You can get charts from power probe that show the draw/amps for the different types of fuses.
@@Blazer02LS just keep in mind, not all fuses are exactly perfect made and the drop can vary, so calculations and charts may be skewed quite a ways.(recalled fuses, etc.)
@@throttlebottle5906 True, however in any reputable fuse the resistance is going to be very close to the spec for the rated amperage. The cheap china crap is an exception, but for the better brands they tend to be very close.
My 2013 RDX now has a parasitic draw :(.... but I can't find the location of the Bluetooth Module. Do you or anyone here can help with locating the Bluetooth Module?
Alldatadiy provides wiring diagrams as a subscription package. The cost is $19 for 1 year per car or $35 for 5 years, which is very reasonable, in my opinion. It includes not only wiring diagrams, but also repair procedures, technical service bulletins and book times for repairs. It is good for DIYer, who needs the data for only 1 or 2 cars. Personally, I found the technical service bulletins especially useful. Mitchel1diy offers a similar package, but I have not tried it because it is more expensive and I am too cheap.
