Bingo. The battery was probably marginal (partly sulfated) to begin with
and the deep-discharge was enough to kill it.

Hi Tegger:

I pulled out my digital multimeter tonight and checked the idling
voltage as per your suggestion...it appears to be normal at 14.38
volts. Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but I am assuming that this
reading, in addition to the facts I mentioned earlier, suggests that
my issue is NOT charging system, starting system, or alternator
related. The battery problem, I now recall, actually seemed to start
about six months ago when my wife accidentally left the dome light on
all night, necessitating a jump the next morning. Everything charged
back up OK after driving around a bit, but I don't think the battery
has ever been quite the same since. I'll take your suggestion and head
down to Wal-Mart tomorrow for a new one. Thanks for your help. - Paul

Paul <paul@hotmail.com> wrote in news:sqtg03ttotnd619922icd779bq7uf86k8e@
4ax.com:

Have you checked for charging voltage across the battery terminals? At idle
it should be 14.4V.

If the battery is running down even though you have the cables
disconnected, then you truly have a weird problem. I suggest trying the
different manufacturer. Wal-Mart's Eveready batteries are pretty good.

It's NOT weather-related. If anything, Canada's cooler weather helps
contribute to longer battery life.

Greetings To All:

I have a rather mysterious issue with the battery in '92 Accord LX (4
dr. 2.2 liter) which I have been trying to resolve. In a nutshell, the
battery voltage keeps dropping to less than 75 percent (down from 12.6
v freshly charged) to about 12.25 to 12.35 v after only a few hours of
sitting. This voltage drop occurs whether the battery is connected to
the cables or not, and a "probe light test" revealed no hidden drain
such as a trunk or glove box light. I guess my basic question is: do I
need to buy a new battery? I know this may seem obvious, but a
mechanic did a full electrical test on the vehicle a few months ago,
and the only thing he found was that the 10 amp alternator fuse had
corroded terminals. This fuse was replaced, but the alternator itself
tested as good. I just tested the alternator again yesterday with a
Motomaster Elminator unit from Canadian Tire, and it showed operation
at 100 percent. I also charged the battery in the 12 amp mode from
about 12.25 v up to 12.6 v in short order, but it quickly lost voltage
down to 12.35 v within a few hours. Please note that the surface
charge had been dissipated prior to all testing. The battery itself is
a sealed, "maintenance-free" dealership OEM model and is less than a
year old. It is the second new battery (in a row) to run low or bad in
this car within the past three years. If the car sits in the garage
for just a week, the voltage goes down to 11.5 v and of course the car
then has to be jumped in order to start. I am relatively new to
Canada, so I was wondering if part of the problem with short battery
life up here may be weather related. In any event, thanks in advance
for any information or suggestions. - Paul