Mr.Saturn

For starters, the battery and alternator have already been replaced trying to solve this, so it's not either of those.

For the last month, about 1-2 times a week I've been trying to start my car and occasionally having a dead battery. In most cases, the starter will turn once or twice (slowly) and not spin fast enough to get the engine started. In one or two cases, the battery was low enough to reset the radio, but generally it isn't that low. I've checked for a parasitic draw and never seen more than a few mA when the car is just sitting. A jump-start has always succeeded in starting the car right up.

I'm getting about 0.3 mA with nothing (fuses or relays, aside from the 100 A battery fuse) connected.
Add 0.5 mA when I connect the ABS fuses.
Add in another ~5 mA with the "Backup" fuse is connected under the dash.
Add in 5-10 mA with the "Radio" under-dash fuse connected.
Lastly, add in 5-10 mA with the "Keyless" under-dash fuse connected.

Added all together, I'm seeing anywhere from 5-15 mA idle draw - though today I'm leaving the radio and keyless fuses out just to see if it helps.

The only things I can think of at this point are the ELD causing a constant low-charge (maintain 12 V) situation with the alternator (which should throw a code, but hasn't), or a failing started (which wouldn't explain the radio being reset).

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

miloking

Hmm strange just wondering about few things tho...

Started motor old and siezing up? (does happen do a search)
What battery? OEM?
After market header/heat shield removed causing it to overheat?

Mr.Saturn

Starter motor is engaging and turning, but very slowly. Dash lights go extremely dim and a jump-start fires right up, without issue.

Battery is a new Odyssey PC680 with metal case.

Header/heat shield are OEM, and installed.

Billman250

Only three possible answers:

-Something in the car is using the battery
-the battery is defective, and unable to hold a charge...in other words it is killing itself
-the battery is not taking a full charge during vehicle use, in which case it will go dead

Disconnect it for a few days after a nice ride. In 3-4 days, reconnect and start, if its dead, go get a new battery.

If it cranks strong, find out what in the car is pulling it down, or causing an incomplete charge.

I can't even tell you how many defective brand new parts I have seen.

Mr.Saturn

1. Verified the car is not draining excessively while off - unless it is randomly turning something on during the night.
2. Possible, but my previous battery was doing the same exact thing before replacement.
3. Alternator has been replaced, and car does not die or lights dim during driving. I am expecting a bad ELD and trying to source one now. If it is holding ~12 V constant while driving and never kicking it up to ~14 V, I'm guessing the results would match my symptoms.

Mr.Saturn

An update this morning.

Last night I left it on the Battery Tender until I went to bed. Disconnected the Tender, but left the car attached to check if there was a draw overnight and to rule out the alternator/ELD.

This morning, I got one good start, and stopped the car immediately. A full battery should give me two full starts easily. Second try was a no-go... starter would turn, but extremely slowly.

Checked the battery voltage after the first start - 12.8 V. After attempting a second start, it was 12.0 V with the ignition on, and steadily dropped to 11.50 V.

Now I'm leaning back towards the battery - a parasitic draw past the ignition circuit would not only allow me one start this morning.

Right now I'm charging the battery without it connected. After it's topped off, I'll try two starts back-to-back and see what happens.

Mr.Saturn

Two back-to-back starts from a full battery failed. Only got it running one time.

Battery was tested bad at the store and replaced... hopefully for the last time.

Mr.Saturn

New battery started up fine 3 times, back-to-back-to-back yesterday. Went for a drive after, then garaged it for the night.

Went to start the car this afternoon and again with the slow cranking (no start - not even a single time).

I'm now on the third battery and second alternator counting the original parts. Alternator is charging at ~14 volts when the car is running.

With the alternator fine, no parasitic draw, multiple new high-quality batteries and the ELD likely fine due to the 14+ V charging, I'm running out of ideas here.

Is it possible that the starter is seizing, and pulling the voltage low enough that it resets the radio and drains the battery that quickly (possibly ruining the previous battery, as well)?

I'm kinda running out of money at this point so my options are boiling down to replace the starter and gamble on it working, or taking it to a shop which will cost more, and may or may not resolve this.

The fact that it jump starts fine leads me to believe it *could* be the starter, as a running car would be putting out higher voltage during my cranking, and with the higher voltage, my starter might have the extra kick it needs, even if it is seizing up or going bad in some way.

Billman250

Load test the connection and ground at the starter (this is not a starter test, but a connections test)

It may be possible that all the amps cannot get to the starter.

Using a load tester, the load you can pull at the battery should be about the same as the load you can pull at the main starter connection and ground (engine block)

If the load passes, you either have a bad starter, or the crankshaft is becoming physically hard to turn overnight.

miloking

By the way don't buy new starter.... you can recon you old one, it just needs some grease or at worse rebuild but still cheaper than $400 for new one. (there is a DYI on what needs to be done somewhere here, just saw it recently..)