[Shop-talk] Stranded by a bad car battery.

[Ronnie Day]

We have a '15 Odyssey EX-L that we bought used about 4 years ago and I just
had to replace the battery in it for the second time. This time I went with
a Duracell AGM ($150, IIRC) from Sam's, The previous battery was an old
style lead acid from Wally World, bought because that was pretty much all
that was available in the small town where we were at the time it quit on
us. We live about 35 miles NW of Bryan/College Station in Central Texas and
have only just begun to get occasional sub freezing weather, The old
battery didn't give much indication that it was on the way out before it
quit, and due to the battery location it's not easy to use a load tester to
check it. As you discovered it's risky to sit and listen to the radio
without the motor running. Been there...!

As nice a vehicle as the Odyssey is, IMO it's too maintenance critical much
beyond 100K. At least Honda uses a larger 24F battery in it instead of the
smaller batteries we had in our Accords.  It draws a LOT of power. The
vehicle is basically a computer with wheels and a motor, seriously! And you
have to be careful with maintenance on that motor. If you go past the 105K
timing belt replacement recommendation, there's a very real risk of
lunching the motor due to a broken belt. The cylinder deactivation setup,
designed and included primarily to get that V-6 through the
required emissions period from new, is known to probably cause excessive
oil consumption on engines much past the 105K unless it's deactivated.
Honda dealers get around $2500 to do the timing belt service, and then get
another $500 to swap in new spark plugs! I also feel the vehicle is
relatively hard on tires, even though I religiously have the tires
rotated every 5K and keep a close eye on the air pressure.

We bought the Odyssey instead of a CR-V for a couple reasons, but we
haven't really needed the extra seats as often as we did when our grandkids
were younger. Next summer we're planning to buy a used Civic (manual trans)
or a Mazda 3 (manual or A/T) for use when it's just the two of us. I don't
like CVTs, Mazda doesn't use them at all. Either car gets far better
mileage than the low/mid 20s we get with the Odyssey, and this will extend
the useful life of the Odyssey considerably.

This info may not help other than to let you know your experience isn't
unusual.

RD



On Wed, Jan 10, 2024 at 12:54 AM Dwade Reinsch <dreinsch at swbell.net> wrote:

> This afternoon I was sitting in the 2016 Honda Odyssey van waiting for
> granddaughter to finish a theater activity and I went to sleep in the front
> seat.  Had the radio and inside lights on.  When she finished and came out,
> car would not start.  Completely dead.  Electric seat would not come back
> to driving position, etc.
>
> Here's the question:  In the old days a weak battery would give notice by
> cranking slowly, etc., before failing.  This is the car I drive regularly
> and it gave NO warning.  Luckily, I could call son-in-law and he came to
> help.  Would not start with good set of booster cables.  Would not start
> with 15 minutes of charging on cables before attempting to start.  So in
> the morning I'll take pickup and tools and pull battery, get a replacement,
> and move the van home.
>
> Does anyone have a suggestion for identifying a failing battery before
> being stranded?  (Battery is about 4 years old.)
>
> Thanks,
> Dwade
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