YACT: Car won't Start, Battery, Alternator, Cables, Gremlins?

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tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
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Car in question is a 96 Honda Civic with the original battery. Car has been sitting for two weeks and this morning wouldn't start. No power at all, interior lights wouldn't come on etc. Jumped car, and it fired right up with about 10 seconds of charging. Car was driven about 45 minutes to work and parked for the day with the expectation that it would have to be jumped again later in order to drive it to the shop to get a new battery.

Now the car won't start when jumped. Does nothing at all. I am assuming they are jumping it properly and the brand new jumper cables they bought are actually good. I can't go help them myself because I am now 200miles away.

I am thinking it is just a dead battery. Would a totally gone battery prevent the car from starting even when being jumped?
 
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TechnoKid

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2001
5,575
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I'm thinking gremlin too...make sure they don't get wet or they'll multiply!

But seriously, I think some of the 96-00 civics had ignition switch failures. Doesn't sound like your situation.

Does the dead car get power when jumpered, but won't start? That mean it could be a starter.

I'd say replace the battery, a totally dead battery can cause difficulty starting even when jumperd. Coscto has inexspensive batteries with a three year replacement, and walmart sells goo bateries for inexpensive too. Even if it turns out not to be the battery, you can rule it out as a possiblilty, and have peace of mind of a fresh one, if you buy a replacement.
 
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HappyPuppy

Lifer
Apr 5, 2001
16,997
2
71
Auto Zone will test your battery and charging system for free. You have toget the car there first, though. They don't do housecalls.;)
 
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tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
5,446
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76
Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
Auto Zone will test your battery and charging system for free. You have toget the car there first, though. They don't do housecalls.;)
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I know..that is what I recommended to my wife. The problem is it is parked on the pier at a navy base and she only wants to make 1 trip, not hauling the battery around to be tested. I suggested she just go buy a new one and put it in, not a huge job.

I think it is the battery, unless thier is something weird going on.
 
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flxnimprtmscl

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2003
7,962
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Dead battery. It really doesn't sound like an alternator to me anyway. Make sure to check your battery teminals and cables for signs of corrosion though while you're at it. The ground is especially important of course.
 
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GalvanizedYankee

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2003
6,986
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The battery my have shorted out internaly. When its jumpered, that current just turns into heat. I bet ch'a. Replace battery at its present location....Hope she's up to it. If she is she's a keeper.......;)
 
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TechnoKid

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2001
5,575
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Originally posted by: galvanizedyankee
The battery my have shorted out internaly. When its jumpered, that current just turns into heat. I bet ch'a. Replace battery at its present location....Hope she's up to it. If she is she's a keeper.......;)
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Any lady that will replace a battery in a car is a plus in my book. :p
 
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Spoooon

Lifer
Mar 3, 2000
11,563
203
106
I helped a friend of mine out with a ~95 Civic. It had a dead battery and wouldn't jump start. Replaced the battery and the terminals and all was well.
 
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HappyPuppy

Lifer
Apr 5, 2001
16,997
2
71
Originally posted by: galvanizedyankee
The battery my have shorted out internaly. When its jumpered, that current just turns into heat. I bet ch'a. Replace battery at its present location....Hope she's up to it. If she is she's a keeper.......;)
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Fer sure, good budddy. :D

 
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Talon02

Senior member
Mar 17, 2002
486
0
0
The battery is 7 years old, bite the bullet and buy a new one.

Or my sig. 'nuff said.
 
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CombatChuk

Platinum Member
Jul 19, 2000
2,008
3
81
There's just something about a woman who knows her way around a car. Hell, my g/f is capable to change the oil on her own. :beer: To women that are mechanically inclined
 
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Thegonagle

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2000
9,773
0
71
If the new jumper cables are skinny cheapies, then they aren't going to carry enough current to start the car. Cables with 4 gauge wire is the minimum anyone should ever buy. Cables with thinner gauge wire don't start a car, they merely charge the dead battery. Inadequate cables won't do any good if the dead battery won't take a charge.

Assuming they bought the cheapest cables they could find without knowing any better, I blame the cables. If the cables were less than $25, maybe $20, they're probably too skimpy.
 
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Wuffsunie

Platinum Member
May 4, 2002
2,808
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A 7 year old battery would do that, yeah. The materials just can't conduct the power any more. DEFINETLY time to replace that sucker.
 
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TechnoKid

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2001
5,575
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0
Funny thing is that on my bro's 1994 civic, its on its original factory battery(panasonic), and it still works, although I am going to change it out for the winter for peace of mind.
 
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Walleye

Banned
Dec 1, 2002
7,939
0
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i'd guess you just killed the battery when you jumped and started on only 10 seconds charge.

you buckle the plates like that. should always wait 2 minutes or so before trying to turn over the engine.
 
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TechnoKid

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2001
5,575
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Waiting two minutes for the dead battery to charge before starting puts a lot of strain on the alternator of the car that isn't dead. My understanding is that you have the healthy car jump the dead battery, then disconnect as soon as the dead car is started so the alternator can start charging the dead battery.
 
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tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
5,446
0
76
Originally posted by: Thegonagle
If the new jumper cables are skinny cheapies, then they aren't going to carry enough current to start the car. Cables with 4 gauge wire is the minimum anyone should ever buy. Cables with thinner gauge wire don't start a car, they merely charge the dead battery. Inadequate cables won't do any good if the dead battery won't take a charge.

Assuming they bought the cheapest cables they could find without knowing any better, I blame the cables. If the cables were less than $25, maybe $20, they're probably too skimpy.
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That sounds like the ticket. My cables are heavy duty, and they probably bought the cheapest ones.
 
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B00ne

Platinum Member
May 21, 2001
2,168
1
0
Originally posted by: tnitsuj
Car in question is a 96 Honda Civic with the original battery. Car has been sitting for two weeks and this morning wouldn't start. No power at all, interior lights wouldn't come on etc. Jumped car, and it fired right up with about 10 seconds of charging. Car was driven about 45 minutes to work and parked for the day with the expectation that it would have to be jumped again later in order to drive it to the shop to get a new battery.

Now the car won't start when jumped. Does nothing at all. I am assuming they are jumping it properly and the brand new jumper cables they bought are actually good. I can't go help them myself because I am now 200miles away.

I am thinking it is just a dead battery. Would a totally gone battery prevent the car from starting even when being jumped?
Click to expand...

Could happen - had that once but it also was very cold - so the engine could have been drowned too. Did u try to not start the car immediatly? Just leave the helper car running for a while with the jumpcables attached to your battery and then try again....

 
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HokieESM

Senior member
Jun 10, 2002
798
0
0
Just from my experience with my '96 Civic: a dead battery CAN prevent a car from being jumped. Batteries tend to "go" after awhile--sometimes from the catalyst being depleted, sometimes because one of the lead plates has a hole. Especially in the latter case, the car won't start. :)

Just a note: a car with a "low" battery may have a harder time starting--ESPECIALLY if its cold outside. THe last time I replaced the battery in my Civic (about two weeks ago, oddly enough), we had a cold snap. One week, it didn't seem to miss a beat--then the next, it started turning over more and more slowly--especially in the morning when it was 30 degrees. A little digging on the internet revealed that the amount of mechanical energy required to turn over the engine when its 30 degrees outside is close to four times the amount needed to turn over the engine when its 70 degrees outside (oil viscosity is a big contributor).

Anyways.... definitely go buy a new battery. Hopefully, the car will start right up. :)

Good luck.
 
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dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: tnitsuj
Car in question is a 96 Honda Civic with the original battery. Car has been sitting for two weeks and this morning wouldn't start. No power at all, interior lights wouldn't come on etc. Jumped car, and it fired right up with about 10 seconds of charging. Car was driven about 45 minutes to work and parked for the day with the expectation that it would have to be jumped again later in order to drive it to the shop to get a new battery.

Now the car won't start when jumped. Does nothing at all. I am assuming they are jumping it properly and the brand new jumper cables they bought are actually good. I can't go help them myself because I am now 200miles away.

I am thinking it is just a dead battery. Would a totally gone battery prevent the car from starting even when being jumped?
Click to expand...

Good grief, 1996, you don't have a battery anymore, you have lump of Nickel in a plastic case.

A giant short, your lucky you don't blow the Alternator/Regulator of the vehicle who is trying to jump you.

I just got back from changing my Battery out. I change it out every 3 years.

How Batteries Die (They sacrifice themselves):

Did you know the bottom third of a battery case is empty space? There is a reason for that. (It's called Reserve)

The chemical reaction to create current (Power) sloths off metal from the plates in the top 2/3 of the Battery. The Metal falls to the bottom space, after enough time (3 to 4 years normally depending on a lot of factors) the Metal gets high enough to touch the plates, when that happens you get a short in the battery thus a DEAD battery.

Batteries are then recycled by opening the top, cleaning it out, putting in new Plates with fresh metal that reacts to the new fresh Battery Acid and the process starts all over again.

:)




 
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isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
I tihnk you probably have bulb in the trunk or somewhere that's not going out when you close the doo, hence draining your battery.

Had the same problem in my first car ;) 91 Toyota Corolla.

Check all the lights in your car to make sure it's not staying on while the ignition is off.
 
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