the cold cold is hard on batteries. the element battery is tiny. maybe 24F would be best for cold cold winters. i shopped around and costco was cheapest, 70 bones for almost all sizes

 

Cold temps is when you notice a degraded battery. Slow flow of electron due to the cold. Heat of summer does the damage, it is not noticed until the battery is subjected to cold temps.

 

Seconded - although I can't believe you have the original battery after fourteen years plus. If it is, that thing needs to be proudly carried off to Valhalla by a flight of Valkyries.

 

We have similar issues up here.... :| I replaced my ineffectual battery with an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery - in other words - NO LIQUID to freeze/leak out, and one with LOTS of Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). I have yet to have ANY issues with it, and that includes MANY times sitting outside in sub-zero temps for hours on end. Check this thread out for owners who have upgraded their batteries:
https://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6573&highlight=battery

Good luck!! :razz: :razz:

 

I would be looking for a "Parasitic Battery Drain". Since no mention on age of battery I would use a ammeter setting on a multimeter and place in series with the ground cable of battery to check if there is current of more than an 1 amp. If it is drawing more than 1 amp than a would be checking for relays that might be stuck closed. (i.e. not opening ). Make sure that engine is off, key removed from ignition and all interior lights are all OFF before reading. If you do not have the knowledge to use a multimeter in ammeter mode have your mechanic check for you. Do this test after the car battery has been charged. You mentioned that the battery and alternator were checked. I am curious if the alternator is not outputting the current required especially if the heater is turned on with the radio and other accessories and not fully charging the battery. If this battery is over 5 years old I would think of replacing

 

So I had a similar issue with my ‘04 Element. Local mechanics couldn’t detect the problem. Replacing the battery didn’t help. If I didn’t drive it for 4-5 days, the battery would be so dead, I couldn’t jump start it with my lithium-ion jump starter. I finally took it to a Honda dealership who did an electrical diagnostics test and found that the rear hatch was not latching properly, thus trickle draining the battery. They fixed it and walla, no more problem!

 

This would drain the batter even without the key in the ignition?

 

1. Complete your profile. Knowing where you live helps when you comment about your operating conditions.
2. How old is that battery? Self discharge and reluctance to take a recharge are signs of a battery on its last legs, either from old age or from incomplete charging and excessive discharging. If you live in a very cold area, the battery is very likely to never get completely recharged by driving during the winter, and not up to cranking a bone-cold engine. That's what float chargers and block heaters are for.
3. If you need to replace the battery, a group 55/56 will fit with no modification, just discard the plastic shroud and put a piece of 1/4" plywood in the metal tray. I got one last summer at Blain's Farm and Fleet with a better warranty than any of the parts store brands for less money.
4. If you aren't using it already, synthetic oil will reduce the cranking effort during winter. The cost difference will pay for itself if it saves you one jump or hour late getting to work.

 

3. If you need to replace the battery, a group 55/56 will fit with no modification, just discard the plastic shroud and put a piece of 1/4" plywood in the metal tray. I got one last summer at Blain's Farm and Fleet with a better warranty than any of the parts store brands for less money.

Hi, my googling shows a 55/56 1 inch wider than the stock Group 51R. How did you get it in without modification?

If anyone knowa a better battery that will fit in the stock tray please chime in.

 

The battery tray is sized for the group 56 battery. Honda apparently decided to use the smaller group 51 with a plastic spacer around it at the last minute - probably to cut weight and cost a little bit. BTW, it's getting harder to find a group 56 battery these days.

 

This started happening to my 04 element last week. I couldn't believe how exactly your description matched my situation.

I actually thought my boyfriend had posted it, as we share the vehicle and he was looking into solutions around the same time you posted this.

I believe I just solved my issue and Im wondering if maybe the case would be the same for you.

Turns out my Progressive Snapshot device was draining my battery SUBSTANTIALLY.

I called and let them know it was an issue and they said they get similar calls all the time.

Not sure if its legit, but there are even law suits in motion against progrssive's snapshot device killing car batteries.

Anyway, I took it out yesterday, and my car started immediately this morning without any chugging!

Do you have a snapshot by chance? Im curious to see if this is the case with your vehicle as well!

 

Those plug in monitors cause all sorts of problems.

Mostly, check engine light fault codes.

Any vehicle that comes in the shop here, that has anything plugged into the ALDL, it gets removed. Then we have the owner/driver/whoever try it.

Most times we never see them again.

 

for those who were wondering, as i was:
Assembly Line Diagnostic Link or ALDL is a proprietary on-board diagnostics system developed by General Motors before the standardization of OBD-2.

 

Yeah, I'm old school gm tech.

Even worked on them brand new fangled ones with only 5 terminals.

Maybe should have wrote 16 pin do-hicky thingy connector under the dash....

 

the driver door open will drain the battery faster than any of the other doors. i avoid opening the driver door when i am camping. the driver door switch seems to activate a bunch of sensors while the passenger and rear hatch doesn't

desinia is right, any door open even if the light switches are off, will drain the battery.

 

Folks,
I'm also battling the problem of battery draining with my 2003 Element. If car is driven daily it seems to start fine. Sitting 2-3 days, especially if cold, it's reluctant to start. Sit a week or two and I'll probably have to jump start. Battery is less than a year old and shop said it tests good. Alternator putting out proper volatage. The symptoms seem like a parasitic drain, but I've tested for parasitic drain with a multi-meter and can't find anything. Could the ELD have anything to do with this? I do have noticeable headlight dimming/brightening when I slow down or speed up. I'm wondering if the ELD might be allowing an insufficient charge to the battery?

 

Folks,
I'm also battling the problem of battery draining with my 2003 Element. If car is driven daily it seems to start fine. Sitting 2-3 days, especially if cold, it's reluctant to start. Sit a week or two and I'll probably have to jump start. Battery is less than a year old and shop said it tests good. Alternator putting out proper volatage. The symptoms seem like a parasitic drain, but I've tested for parasitic drain with a multi-meter and can't find anything. Could the ELD have anything to do with this? I do have noticeable headlight dimming/brightening when I slow down or speed up. I'm wondering if the ELD might be allowing an i
nsufficient charge to the battery?

The ELD does that, that is normal operation. It will also throw an ELD code if there is an issue. Does the car crank slow sometimes and fast at other times? What is does your multi meter tell you for a draw? It does not take much to kill a battery.

 

I've noticed over the years here that more of this problem were caused by the switch in the rear hatch than anything else. Doesn't mean that it IS the cause every time, but opening and slamming the rear hatch is easy and infuriatingly often - effective.

 

My hatch seems to be closing okay. Any idea which circuit(s) it's on? I've noticed that anytime a door is open there is at least a 200 milliamp draw on the battery.

 

Sounds like the starter to me, I replace them all the time at work. It’s very common.

 

is it fast sometimes and slow others. When it starts it starts multiple times fast with no problems? Then when it sits it cranks slow?

 

It seems that slow starts are only after sitting overnight or a few days. Once that it's been started, it seems to crank just fine even after parking for several hours.

 

The only thing I can think of doing is leaving it somewhere for a few days then have someone test the battery before you start it. If it test good then I would point towards the starter motor. If it test bad then you have draw or battery issue. Have you checked the compressor clutch relay? They can stick and kill a battery, but you should of seen that testing the draw on the battery. My brother in law just went through all of this, he replaced the battery and it still had issues starting in the mornings. I replace the starter and all is good. If you where located in Portland oregon I could check it out for you. I know shops are expensive but they have all the tools to figure these things out.

 

Battery drain fix




I had the same issue. My problem turned out to be the radio's amplifier. The amp was drawing a minute amount of power continuously such that the battery would drain in a day or two.