Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums banner

Parasitic Power Drain Linked to the Radio. Advice needed.

2K views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  FL_Ridge 
#1 ·
So, for a long time, perhaps more than a year or two I've noticed my batteries failing sooner and sooner. I drive my Ridgeline most days, though it has sat for a few days without use. I have noticed the battery cranking slower after sitting for a while. I assumed it was some type of a parasitic drain, but as long as I used the vehicle often enough, the drain wouldn't keep the truck from starting.

Then, things got worse. We left the Ridgeline at the airport for two weeks and came back to a dead battery. From that point on, it would go a day, or two max before the volts would be too low to start the truck.

The alternator puts out 14.0 - 14.1 volts, so I felt confident that the charging system was in proper working order. Cables and wiring are in good shape. There are no aftermarket accessories that were causing a drain as I tested those circuits.

AAA repalced the battery, and still no luck. The truck was dying in a day to a day and a half.

I got out to the truck with my multimeter and found a <1amp draw. Well above acceptable limits, the draw was definitely the issue at hand.

I tested each circuit and found the drain was coming entirely from the radio. I pulled the fuse nearly a week ago and now all is fine.

However, I'm now stuck without a radio. The NAVI works fine, but none of the radio functions are present without the radio being plugged in.

So, what to do? I have the RTL with Navi. I don't mind upgrading to a new touchscreen head unit, but I still would have a radio circuit that is dead, and a dead radio beneath the Navi.

Trucks without the Navi had a cubby in that area to the right of the Hazard button, right? Does anyone have a spare one of those I could buy?

Or does someone know of a shop that can fix the radio? I don't mind keeping it all original, but I don't want to buy a used radio with the risk of it also suffering from the same parasitic power drain?

All advice is welcome.
 
See less See more
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top