Q: Suffering a battery drain.

When there is an electrical draw that drains your car’s battery, it is known as a parasitic draw. A parasitic draw or drain is usually first noticed when the battery is discovered dead after the vehicle has been off with the key out of the ignition. In order to identify the culprit, we need to figure out which electrical component in your car is draining the battery.

A certified mechanic will have the proper tools and training to perform a parasitic draw test to confirm if this is indeed the problem. The test is done by connecting a digital amp meter in a correct series with your Prelude’s battery, verifying the amount of amps that are being drained out of the battery. After this is completed, the next step is check every component in your vehicle one at a time to determine which component is at fault.

This job is best left to the certified mechanics, however there are a handful of things you can try yourself that may help you reach a proper diagnosis quicker. Check the lights in both the trunk and glove box, making sure they turn off when they are shut. Verify that all of the lights, external and inside the vehicle, are completely off before you lock up your vehicle. Remove anything plugged into your Honda’s cigarette lighter as accessories like phone chargers may drain the battery continuously, despite the phone not being plugged in. If you have an aftermarket stereo and/or amplifiers for speakers or subwoofer, try removing the fuses for the amplifiers before you lock up your car for the night and see if your battery draining issues remain or disappear.

These are just a handful of ways for you to verify what is causing your Prelude’s parasitic draw. If you aren’t comfortable performing some of these tasks, it is always best to enlist the help of a certified technician to track the issue down for you.