Odyssey Electric Shock Problem

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I have been to the dealer several times with no solution only agreement that
yes it is a problem. When we get out of our 2002 Odyssey and go to close
the door you can get a nasty shock. It doesn't happen all the time and is
usually worse during the winter. Does anyone have the same problem? If so
have you found a solution. Thanks.

Susan

 

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.

 

If you have cloth seats: some fabrics will interact

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

 

--
We have new Michelin tires but it happened before we got the new tires as
well and yes we have cloth seats. Can you explain what a grounding strap
is? Is it something you can get at a auto supply store?

Susan

 

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:
http://www.topoftheline.com/anspray.html
Office janitorial supply companies also have
anti-static spray (don't want carpet static to
zap the computers). Perhaps if you work in an
office the someone in the maintenance crew could
try 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: http://stopzap.com/index.php?cPath=21

 

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
<g>. 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

 

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 http://www.stopshox.com/

 

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

Brian

 

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.)

 

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

 

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.