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you for the serial number of the radio which can be found
in the glove compartment.
I was just puzzled and frustrated. It never happened before when I didn't drive for two or three days, and my friends' old cars start OK after being left alone for a week parked on the street. Why is this happening?
would it be worthwhile to send the car in for a checkup?
But the same car was parked in my garage for 2 weekend days in single digit temperatures, and the car started... sluggish, but OK.
My ONLY explanation to this is that SOMEHOW one of the lights was left on (dome light? maybe one of the doors was left ajar?) which drained the battery. I am also suspicious that driving to work in the morning -- because of the snow -- I switched my headlights from the Auto (that turns the lights on only when it's getting dark) position to the ON position WHILE DRIVING, which may have confused the computer and caused the headlights to stay on even after I shut the engine off (even though the Sonata has Auto Shut-Off lights)... I don't really know.
But the bottom line is: If something is wrong with the battery, or the Alternator, or anything else that causes a short or a "leakage" -- it WILL happen again. Don't use the car for 24 hours (in the weekend?) and see what happens.
now add in extremely cold temps (where do you live?), and the possibility you aren't driving your car very far each day, or the alternator may be bad, or a slipping belt...
go over to an advance auto or autozone and get someone to put your battery and alternator under a "load test". this will reveal if the battery or alternator are marginal. then have your dealership repair.
otherwise if things check out ok, make absolutely sure, specially in cold weather you are driving sufficient miles for the alternator to actually keep the battery at a charge level which will provide good starts.
a good battery in a vehicle with a working alternator that is driven properly should be able to handle that situation ok for a night. --- Even after leaving your headlights on all night? I don't think so. I don't think ANY car would have with ANY juice after leaving its headlight on all night....
make absolutely sure, specially in cold weather you are driving sufficient miles for the alternator to actually keep the battery at a charge level which will provide good starts. --- I agree. It's not only for the battery's sake -- it's very important for the ENGINE and the emission system to let the car, any car, get to its working temperature, meaning HOT, so that all the condensation build-up and sludge is burnt out. Short trips are any car's KILLERS, especially in cold weather.
BTW, since we also have an '05 Accord, which does not have DRL as the '06 does, but it will shut the lights off after about 10 seconds after the car's engine is off and the doors locked --- does the '06 have the Auto Shut Off feature built in?
I've left my car for several days while on trips and never had a problem. I agree that short trips can cause some grief. Another thought is that since the original poster has an EX-L, the heated seats may have been used. Combine that with short trips and there could be a significant drain on the battery.
I'd certainly be aware of all the suggested causes here and test it on a weekend. One day (or many days) should not drain the battery.
Yes, it does. Take it from a 2006 EX Sedan owner. The DRLs shut off when the car is turned off. If headlights are on, they turn off about 10 sec after the car is locked.
Thegrad
Um, when the door is closed, the chime doesn't "ding-dong." The lights then cut off shortly after the car is locked. The only extra battery charge used comes from the lights being on during the time you are getting out of the car once the engine has been shut off.
Does this answer your question, or did I misunderstand?
Sure will be nice having my car light my path to it tonight! It's like Motel 6!
Kind of reminds me of a time when cars first got buzzers/chimes for keys left in the ignition. I was sitting in my car for awhile before I got out so I forgot about the keys still there. I was in such a habit that I got out, locked the door and shut it. Just as it was closing I realized that it was chiming.
Kind of like how you mentioned that the window lights go out when the window lock is engaged. I finally got around to checking that too. Heck, I didn't even think about them being lit until someone mentioned it here.
I'm a big believer in DRL. But since Honda, unlike Toyota, has been LAZY adding it to its cars, till the '06 model year, I made it a habit to LEAVE THE HEADLIGHTS ON ALL THE TIME on our '05 Accord. And having leased Camrys before (since 1993, they all had both DRL, light-sensitive auto-lights and auto-shut-off lights) -- the bottom line is -- in the past 14 years I have NEVER bothered to TOUCH the headlights switch, ever....
I don't drive my wife's Accord much (I drive my '06 Sonata with auto-lights and auto-shut-off lights) but -- IF I REMEMBER WELL -- the problem is with our Accord, if I wait in the car with the engine shut off, for my wife to get something from a store, or any similar scenario, the lights will STAY ON... I haven't checked it lately, but, again, if I remember well, they will shut off only 10-15 seconds after I LOCK the doors... So not only opening the driver's door and shut it, I have to LOCK it too... Or is my memory failing?
When I got out of the car and shut the driver's door, the lights went out after about 10 seconds. This happened with the doors unlocked as well as when they were locked.
When I sat in the driver's seat and didn't open the door, the lights never went out (I waited over a minute).
When I stayed in the driver's seat but reached over and opened and closed the passenger door, the lights never went out.
This was done on my 06 Accord EX-L. Now didn't this all start with a question about a battery dying? Because after all this, I'm worried that my car won't start now. :P
But thanks for the updated info.
One question. So if you leave your lights on, go to bed, then wake up the next morning. When you hit the unlock button on the remote, the lights should come back on. Might be a good idea to leave the lights on, if you park in a dark place.
Yup, that is exactly what happens. They only stay on for those 10 seconds though so you'd have to press the remote again if it takes you longer to reach the car. This would be a good argument for keeping the lights on when you get out of the car in a dark place but, like you, I always turn mine off too.
The only thing I could think of is my short-trips -- I once posted here that I only drive 1 mile one way to work (with a really low MPG, if you still recall). In the past week before the battery died, I drove from Monday to Thursday, 2 miles per day (altogether 10 starts), Friday, 8 miles (4 starts), Saturday, 6 miles (2 starts), Sunday 4 miles (3 starts) -- Monday and Tuesday no driving --> Wednesday I couldn't start the car.
This morning the car started fine after I drove 20 miles yesterday, and I circled around when I went to work to prolong the trip. sigh. I hope everything would be fine...
as a few of us have posted, going for short trips doesn't give the alternator time to recharge the battery, but worse, and we are being repititious i know, you are not allowing the vehicle to get to temperature, which is really hard on your MPG and your wallet.
but more importantly than the battery and the fuel efficiency, it's been stated that exclusively making short runs is hard on the vehicle in other ways: oil life, cat convertor, perhaps the transmission. your vehicle is in a constant state of running rich (higher fuel/air ratio) and retarding the use of the full gearing on cold days.
please take long trips in the vehicle. i feel like an idiot telling you to burn more gas than you need, but ...
did you read your manual cover to cover? there may be a comment in their about avoiding excessive short tripping.
He also suggested she drives keeping the car at 3rd gear (vs D) to get the engine hot...
So when someone tries to sell you a low-mileage car of his gramma, telling you she only drove it to the grocery store 4 block away, say NO, thank you.
I read, many years ago, that it took seven or eight miles of driving/charging to replenish the battery with the amount of juice that it takes to start the engine. With more modern car and battery technology today, the figure may be different. But that may be something to keep in mind.
Instead, I'm going out on a limb & pointing the finger at something Honda calls "Grade Logic Control", aided & abetted by its co - conspirator, "ECM", or Electronic Control Module. I came to this conclusion after reading several postings from other Honda owners who seem to have had the same infuriating problem I'm having. I'm sure the idea had the purest of intent : Honda didn't want us to go sailing down Pikes Peak out of control @90 mph into a curve that could only be negotiated @35mph. The Grade Logic is designed to automatically downshift, apply much - needed engine braking & we all live happy ever after. But in my case, the ECM gets this crazy idea that I must need a heavy dose of engine braking & goes into its downshifting mode on perfectly level terrain, when I would much prefer to maintain a normal flow w/the traffic. And maybe get some decent mpg. Would welcome any thoughts on the matter
Thanks
PS: the sensors are on the exhaust pipe.
Looking in the user manual, I could only see the recommended spots for tire changing and though I feel they might work, still cant figure out where to place the floor jack.
Just looking for advice. I may be replacing my Accord with a new one soon, not sure yet though.
BB Brock
reference voltage wire. Must be a loose/broken wire.
It's unlikely both sensors failed at the same time.
Anyway - since it got cold out, I've still gotten the rough idle at startup, but the light hasn't really happened until this past week.
Someone mentioned to me that I should possibly have the "engine idle learning process" re-programmed into the cars computer and that there is a TSB out from Honda for the rough idle that relates to this.
Could someone tell me what it is, how it relates, how expensive is it to do, and what are the chances for my success with this project? I'd gladly replace an O2 sensor to fix the engine light problem at this point, but with multiple individual and general misfire codes stored for BOTH banks, I find it hard to believe that both uptake sensors have malfunctioned at once (especially since one was replaced at about 10,000 miles).
Thanks!
-FS
The #2 is right after the cat.