I installed an aftermarket keyless entry in my '99 Accord and if I don't drive for a few days the battery gets drained. I connected the (+) wire of the keyless entry unit to a (+) lead from the battery and the (-) wire of the unit to ground. Is this not right? Any thoughts appreciated.
It sounds like you've got a defective keyless entry unit or a defective battery or both. I've accidentally left my lights on all night and had the car fire up on the first try in the morning. That's a LOT more current drain than a keyless entry unit should use in several WEEKS, let alone a few days. The receiver of the keyless entry unit should use about half as much energy as a cell phone that is left on. Look at the size of your cell phone battery and keep in mind that your cell phone battery can power your cell phone on "standby" for about a week. Then compare the size of a cell phone battery with the size of your car battery.
As for how it is connected . . . the keyless entry unit should be connected somewhere in a fuse box, either in the engine compartment or possibly under the dashboard somewhere. I'd be surprised if you even need a tool to get into the fuse box. If both wires are connected directly to the battery though, that SHOULD work. (not the best connection, but it should work) If you've got one wire connected directly to the battery and another wire connected SOMEWHERE ELSE, that could explain the increased power drain, as there could be gobs of resistance between "ground" and the negative side of the battery . . . especially if the connection is not very good.
I'd try this . . . use a quick connector, crimped onto the hot wire and connect that to an empty hot line in the fuse box (you'll probably have at least 2 or 3 empty fuse sockets, connect to one of those). For "ground", connect directly to the negative side of the battery. I suspect what you call "ground" might either not be a good "ground", or you might have a bad connection there.
By the way, I hope this keyless entry system has an inline fuse on the hot line. If not, you might want to add one. -Dave
I'm going to cut in here and agree. I'm going to bet that you still have the original battery in the car. Since it's now 6 or 7 years old, it's time for a change. New battery may fix it. Then again, it could be a faulty unit.
I had an aftermarket cruise control unit in my previous car. Every morning I'd come out to a dead battery, once I disconnected it all was well. This vehicle had an old battery in it so I changed it and hooked the cruise control back up. Few days later, came out in the morning to an almost dead battery. Had enough juice left to get it started, but barely.
Steve
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.