Odyssey Electric Shock Problem

Dswolfson wrote: > When we get out of our 2002 Odyssey and go to close > the door you can get a nasty shock.

So you step out of the car and when you reach for the door to close it you get a shock?

I can think of 2 possibilities: tires or fabrics

Did you get new tires? Tires are supposed to be designed to bleed off the charge. But sometimes they don't. The typical fix for this is a grounding strap (or different tires).

If you have cloth seats: some fabrics will interact with seat covering and build up a charge. I believe this is aggravated if the AC is running and drying the air. I had this with one car and the only fix I came up with was touching a piece of metal (ie: house key (not fancy car key with transmitter)) and then touching the metal to the car before touching the car with my hand.

Fabrics: are you more often shocked when wearing synthetic fabrics vs less often shocked when wearing cotton?

Tires.

I can say the worst is wool slacks and leather soled shoes! With this combo, I can almost guarantee a visible arc on a dry winter day. A long time ago on this board I read that toll booth operators don't like to take change from Hondas!

You may have to call around or even order one from the internet, but thay are standard enough devices. You can even use any piece of braided wire. They are braided straps that attach to the body of the car and dangle underneath. Many people set them up to touch the ground, but it really isn't necessary - just the sharp fuzzy end is enough to bleed the static electricity off. You will see the same things (but much pricier) on the wingtips of small aircraft - they are called "static wicks." When I was in avionics many years ago I went on a test flight with a man who complained all his radios filled with noise when he got in the air. Sure enough, before he even lifted off the noise rose and got worse with increased speed. It turned out every one of his static wicks had broken off.

Mike

You can try Static Guard spray, found in the laundry section of many grocery stores. Spray your car seats with it. That should take care of any static generated when you slide accross your seats.

are the belts original? i replaced the belts on my 89 civic recently and the alternator belt is a "bando antistatic". not why i bought the belt, but since i've changed it, i haven't had any static on the car. i used to get it before. worth a thought.

I've had success with it, although it doesn't last long - the effect wears off a lot after a day or so. I didn't keep at it long enough to tell if the antistatic effect would build up after a while... it might.

Mike

(see below for info on grounding strap)

Since the shocks were happening before the tire change that suggests it is fabric related. But let me ask a question: When you have multiple people in the car:

1) Does the shock always happen to the first person to exit the car and touch the door (and then not to anyone else)? This indicates static charge on the car body and the first person to step out is discharging the car to ground. Consider tires or grounding strap.

2) Does the shock typically happen to the same person(s) regardless of the order people leave the car? This implies fabric static. Consider an anti-static spray (perhaps using an anti- cling fabric softener would be enough).

I can also suggest an experiment to check for fabric generated static: continuously touch a piece of *grounded* metal as you exit the car. On my car there are two places I know of:

1: the place where you insert the key

2: the metal loop that the door latches to (might be a bit greasy).

Other metal items such as the door handle and key hole for the trunk/gas cap latch are metal but are not grounded.

If touching grounded metal as you slide out stops the static discharge then it is definitely fabric.

If however, when touching the metal you feel a static shock as your foot touches the ground, then it is static on the car (tires/grounding strap).

Here is something I found on the web:

janitorial supply companies also haveanti-static spray (don't want carpet static tozap the computers). Perhaps if you work in anoffice the someone in the maintenance crew couldtry giving your car a spray.

--------------------------------------------- GROUNDING STRAP: A grounding strap (or anti-static strap) looks like a 1-2 foot piece of a man's belt. It is typically made of rubber with some wire mesh inside. It hangs down from the car and touches the ground which allows the charge on the car to dissipate. Look here for the strap hanging down:

I've got the same problem with my '01 Accord (or for that matter any vehicle). Actually, it's not me that has the problem it's my Wife, every vehicle she exits gives her a shock. It's pretty funny to tell you the truth . It doesn't matter if it's dry or wet or if it's a car or the tractor trailer, she gets a shock.

Brian

"Brian Smith" wrote in news:NJbxe.101323$9A2.52016@edtnps89:

Some materials generate more static electricity than others,so it's probably due to the fabrics your wife is wearing.Nylon stockings,perhaps?

She never wears nylons in the tractor trailer and it doesn't matter what clothes she is wearing. It's just her. After being shocked exiting the vehicle, when she reaches for the door handle of a store or house, she gets a shock.

Brian

I don't know if this works but your Wife seems like the perfect candidate for

Thanks for the link. I was considering attaching a grounding strap to her {;^0

Brian

"Brian Smith" wrote in news:F1exe.102374$9A2.99720@edtnps89:

There are anti-static heel straps used in the electronics industry;I had to use one for many years.They are a nuisance to put on,and do wear out.There also are shoes specifically designed to dissipate static charges,but are expensive and probably not fashionable for women.

Maybe she should put more Downy in the wash when doing her clothes. ;-) (I can see that commercially cleaned clothes may still be static-prone.)

"Brian Smith" wrote in news:xvcxe.102082$9A2.1769@edtnps89:

Her clothes must be the culprit then.Also,the human body has a capacitance that stores the charge,and one discharge will not drain off all the stored charge.That is why electronics manufacturing uses all sorts of anti-static methods,usually two or more together.(just the static generated by swinging a leg can harm sensitive electronic devices,integrated circuits and active components.)

One thing that occurred to me is those auto cigarette-lighter ionizers;they might drain off a static charge that would generate inside an auto.That is one of the methods that are used in manufacturing and electronic servicing areas.(big commercial ionizers)

But I could not say for certain. It just might be worth a try. Post your results here,others might be interested!

I've been in electronics for 35 years; the anti-static emphasis came about during that time. Interestingly, every single incident I've ever heard of where static damage occurred involved synthetic fabrics - sometimes even worn by people walking past equipment when the covers were off! I never wear less than 35% cotton clothes to work, and if I know I'm going to be doing invasive stuff I go for 100% cotton. It does no good to ground your body if the surface of your clothes is carrying a charge.

Mike

"Michael Pardee" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@sedona.net:

At TEK,we had to wear a wrist strap,heel strap(on an anti-static floor mat),wear a longsleeve antistatic lab coat,and an anti-static bench mat covering the benchtop.Every day,we put on the AS stuff,then used a 3M tester to measure the conductivity to a floor mat,then signed off on a ISO9000 checklist.

That is even with all cotton clothes.