Strange electrical problem -- 2005 Accord

I have a 2005 Accord that's had absolutely no problems until today. I
spent an hour or so in a bookstore during a major thunderstorm. When
I came out to the car and turned the key, nothing happened. After a
few minutes, turning the key lit up a couple of dashboard lights and
resulted in a rapid clicking sound. I figured that some sort of short
from the storm drained the battery, so I called a friend to come and
give me a jump start. The car started right away.

On the 20 minute drive home, however, some strange things happened.
First, the check engine light was on the whole way home. Second, the
radio turned itself on and off several times. Third, every few
minutes the instrument panel would lose power for just a moment, with
the backlight turning off and the needles falling to 0s and then
immediately coming back. Fourth, the ABS and Battery Check lights
each went on for a few moments a few times.

None of this makes sense! I'm going to bring it in on Tuesday, but it
would be nice to have an idea of what I'm dealing with. Any help?

Thanks!!

-Ben

 

I think your first guess is probably right. The water got to an exposed
wire somewhere and caused a short. Since the check engine light came on,
you might get a clue where to start looking from the trouble code, but don't
count on it. Look around under the hood and under the car for any wiring
with broken insulation or electrical connectors that are wet & don't appear
to be properly sealed. Start with the main ground wire from the battery to
where ever it bolts to the frame/body of the car.

 

I am not a mechanical/electrical wiz, don't claim to be, but, 4 year old
car, 4 year old battery, I would start with a battery stress test.

 

There has been some discussion on issues with the main relay in
Hondas, but I'm not sure if this has been the case with the newer
models. The symptoms you describe seem to be similar in nature to that
(or a battery issue). Try Tegger's web page....Good luck.

 

Here's a quick update. The car wouldn't start again today. The
battery is clearly low. Either something is draining it, or the
battery is bad. Is there an easy way to determine how much current is
being drawn from the battery? And does anyone know what is "normal"
when the car is off?

I'll get a jump tonight and bring it in tomorrow. Thanks for the
helpful suggestions; please feel free to post or send me more ideas!

Thanks,
-Ben

 

The winner is: Justbob30. Turns out I just needed a new battery. The
old one was only putting out 8V. Somehow that produced the weird
symptoms I described. Who knows?!

 

Glad to hear you found the problem with the least amount of
trouble....!