Strange battery issue

[iwaters]

Got a funny issue with the battery on my wifes Honda Jazz. A couple of months ago it wouldn't start, flat battery. I jumped it from mine and it started fine. Not sure how it became discharged.

It was ok for a couple of months then this morning it won't start again. I popped home from work and when I tried it it started first time. My wife said she tried loads of times and it would barely turn.

I checked the Volts with the engine running and it was 14.3 - 14.5 V so it is charging ok.

Is the battery on its way out? The car is only 4.5 years old, seems a bit young for the battery to go. I still have the original battery in my Audi and its 10 years old and has to churn over a V6 every morning.

The only other thing I could see is a small amount of corrision on the earth battery clamp, but not much.

 

[jonnyfishing]

Remove the clamps and give them and the battery posts a good clean with grit paper or a file, then give them a coat of Vaseline. If it is not a sealed battery, check the fluid level in the cells. Then you could also have your battery checked at a garage or motor factors if you are still not sure.

 

[Whitworth]

Agree with above, surprising how a little corrosion can affect performance.

 

[iwaters]

Cheers, Will give the clamps a clean. Was going to drop test the battery later anyway so will do it then.

 

[Whitworth]

Just a thought, not sure about your area but after the winter the roads round my way are shocking for potholes, perhaps if the battery's goosed it could be the reason. A healthy jolt may have caused something to come adrift internally causing intermittent fault.
TTFN

 

[iwaters]

Just a thought, not sure about your area but after the winter the roads round my way are shocking for potholes, perhaps if the battery's goosed it could be the reason. A healthy jolt may have caused something to come adrift internally causing intermittent fault.
TTFN

Well I did a drop test by pulling the fuel pump fuse and turning it over. It didn't drop lower than 11 Volts. It is at 12.5V No load and 14.4V charging so as far as I can see the battery is fine as I tested it, but perhaps as you say something is damaged internally, hence the intermittent problems.

I inspected the terminals again. It was only the bolt which had corrosion on it but I gave it all a good clean on coated the terminals in copper grease (couldn't find vaseline).

See how it goes I guess

 

[1550]

Is the car frequently used to keep the battery optimally charged. modern cars have a big demand on the battery and charging system , and a significant drain if they stand for extended periods.

 

[iwaters]

Is the car frequently used to keep the battery optimally charged. modern cars have a big demand on the battery and charging system , and a significant drain if they stand for extended periods.

Yes it is used every day. Admittedly only in and out of town but that is about 7 miles each way. I drive my car to work every day the same distance I never have a problem.

 

[1550]

A lot depends on the amp/hour rating of the battery and the current draw when the car is standing, and also how quickly the car starts from cold.A battery can slowly drop below the starting threshold over a period of time /demand that the alternator can not replenish in the time the engine is running. Just a thought. good luck.

 

[JohnD]

Is that 7 low-speed miles with blower, headlamps and HRW all going?

 

[iwaters]

Thought I would dig up this old thread and a something new.

We recently changed the Jazz we had to a slightly newer and higher spec Jazz. Guess what we have just had the same problem.

Interestingly when you Google search "honda jazz" the suggested search terms has honda jazz flat battery problems as the second suggestion.

It appears that it is quite common, and not just with the Jazz, although no-one seems to be able to agree on the cause. Certainly either seems to be something causing an increased parasitic draw or a fault with one of the cells in the battery.

Anyone else had anything similar with Hondas?

 

[thompo]

Not a honda but had a customer whos battery would die for no apparent reason, charging and tests ok etc.

Found the cause by accident whilst changing bulbs, the boot light switch was corroded, sometimes it would catch and stay on leaving it to draw power, other times it would stay off and the car would start fine the next day.

 

[iwaters]

Not a honda but had a customer whos battery would die for no apparent reason, charging and tests ok etc.

Found the cause by accident whilst changing bulbs, the boot light switch was corroded, sometimes it would catch and stay on leaving it to draw power, other times it would stay off and the car would start fine the next day.

That's interesting. We swapped the old Jazz with the in laws as they were trading in and were not going to get much for it. The point is that we didn't inspect the car. They live on the seafront and suffer from salt corrosion quite badly, I noticed when checking the battery that a lot of parts in the engine bay were rusty so maybe that is it.

Doesn't explain why it happened on the old car though

 

[Mursal]

More likely to be a bad switch on the boot lid, as already said, corroded. Remember an old Mazda with the same problem, just disconnect if you are in any doubt.

 

[Crickleymal]

I had a similar problem on a Lada (yes I know) several years ago. Most of the time it would start ok then sometimes it would refuse to start. Banging the starter solenoid cured it but it wasn't the solenoid. It turned out to be a fracture in the cable that runs from the battery +ve to the starter solenoid, the fracture was near the solenoid which is why hitting the solenioid cured it. The fracture was in the copper core under the insulation so it was invisible too. Took me some time to find it!