YACT: Car won't start...

[weirdichi]

99 Accord Coupe LX 4 banger 100k miles.

The lights and everything are normal, but the car still won't start. The clock remains on after you've turned off the car. You turn the key and it seems like there's not enough electricity to start it up. It doen't choke either. The battery light or other lights are NOT on. We can jump it and it will start fine. There is an aftermarket car alarm on it.

Anybody have any ideas what it may be? I keep thinking it's a bad battery, but if it was, then the lights would be very dim. If it's the starter, will the car even start if it was jumped? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Zenmervolt]

Lights take almost no current to run compared to the draw on the starter. The lights can still appear quite bright even when the battery is drained too much for it to start the car.

You have a dead battery.

ZV

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: weirdichi
99 Accord Coupe LX 4 banger 100k miles.

The lights and everything are normal, but the car still won't start. The clock remains on after you've turned off the car. You turn the key and it seems like there's not enough electricity to start it up. It doen't choke either. The battery light or other lights are NOT on. We can jump it and it will start fine. There is an aftermarket car alarm on it.

Anybody have any ideas what it may be? I keep thinking it's a bad battery, but if it was, then the lights would be very dim. If it's the starter, will the car even start if it was jumped? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Is this the first time it's happened or is this something you've been putting up with regularly?


Manual or Auto?

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
You have a dead battery.

 

[jtvang125]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Lights take almost no current to run compared to the draw on the starter. The lights can still appear quite bright even when the battery is drained too much for it to start the car.

You have a dead battery.

ZV

It's probably not dead but just not fully holding a complete charge. I do suspect the battery as well and if it really is the culprit you change it asap because a bad battery is also very bad for the alternator.

 

[Christobevii3]

Dead battery or a blown fuse somewhere

 

[EagleKeeper]

3 main areas to check

Battery, alternator, starter & worn/slack alternator belt.

Bettery & alternator can be checked at any shop without having to remove the item.

After the starter then you get into sensors & switches which can be difficult to track down & labor expensive.

Not enough juice sounds like the problem, especially when you can jump start it.

How old is the battery and when was the last time you replaced either item.

Both things can be replaced by yourself; most places that sell batteries will install them for free.

 

[weirdichi]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: weirdichi
99 Accord Coupe LX 4 banger 100k miles.

The lights and everything are normal, but the car still won't start. The clock remains on after you've turned off the car. You turn the key and it seems like there's not enough electricity to start it up. It doen't choke either. The battery light or other lights are NOT on. We can jump it and it will start fine. There is an aftermarket car alarm on it.

Anybody have any ideas what it may be? I keep thinking it's a bad battery, but if it was, then the lights would be very dim. If it's the starter, will the car even start if it was jumped? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Is this the first time it's happened or is this something you've been putting up with regularly?


Manual or Auto?

It's a manual transmission. It's been like this for a couple of days. However, about a couple months ago, I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden the whole car just died while I was rolling along. I stopped on the median, started it back up, then it was fine. Sometimes I would start it and it would turn on, only to die again after a second. It's like it reaches it's highest RPM after starting, then comes back down and dies.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: jtvang125

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Lights take almost no current to run compared to the draw on the starter. The lights can still appear quite bright even when the battery is drained too much for it to start the car.

You have a dead battery.

ZV

It's probably not dead but just not fully holding a complete charge. I do suspect the battery as well and if it really is the culprit you change it asap because a bad battery is also very bad for the alternator.

For all practical purposes, the inability to start the car means the battery is dead. It has lost the ability to supply sufficient amounts of current to perform the job for which it is designed.

When your cell phone shuts down do you say, "the battery isn't technically dead because it's not at a 0 charge, it's just depleted enough that the phone will no longer transmit" or do you say, "the battery died"? Same thing here. His battery is dead.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: weirdichi

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: weirdichi
99 Accord Coupe LX 4 banger 100k miles.

The lights and everything are normal, but the car still won't start. The clock remains on after you've turned off the car. You turn the key and it seems like there's not enough electricity to start it up. It doen't choke either. The battery light or other lights are NOT on. We can jump it and it will start fine. There is an aftermarket car alarm on it.

Anybody have any ideas what it may be? I keep thinking it's a bad battery, but if it was, then the lights would be very dim. If it's the starter, will the car even start if it was jumped? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Is this the first time it's happened or is this something you've been putting up with regularly?


Manual or Auto?

It's a manual transmission. It's been like this for a couple of days. However, about a couple months ago, I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden the whole car just died while I was rolling along. I stopped on the median, started it back up, then it was fine. Sometimes I would start it and it would turn on, only to die again after a second. It's like it reaches it's highest RPM after starting, then comes back down and dies.

Those are unrelated problems. You need a new battery.

ZV

 

[chairbornrangerx]

get a voltmeter, and touch the 2 terminals of the car battery while its running, see how much voltage you get, if its over 12 your alternator is not the problem, under 12 and you need to throw a new battery in there to test again, with a good battery if its still under 12 your alternator is dead. You could always check the fluid level in your battery, it might just be low and not holding any charge. You could also be getting a short somewhere in the wiring system. Sounds like the computer in your car might be dying.

 

[amdhunter]

Start by cleaning the battery terminals...you'd be surprised how often problems like these are cleared up by taking the terminals out, scrubbing them with a metal brush, and replacing them tightly.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Clean the battery cables very well. The posts and the inside of the lugs should be bright metal. Coat with light grease and reattach after charging the battery. Start engine.
Replace battery if it fails a load test.
You live in fusking cold country and the battery should have been serviced along with the rest of the car back in September/October

 

[radioouman]

Just had a battery on my wife's car where the contact broke out of the battery.
Still had enough juice to power the lights, etc. Wouldn't start the car.

Check your wires going to the battery and the contacts on the battery itself. If it is leaking, replace it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: chairbornrangerx
get a voltmeter, and touch the 2 terminals of the car battery while its running, see how much voltage you get, if its over 12 your alternator is not the problem, under 12 and you need to throw a new battery in there to test again, with a good battery if its still under 12 your alternator is dead. You could always check the fluid level in your battery, it might just be low and not holding any charge. You could also be getting a short somewhere in the wiring system. Sounds like the computer in your car might be dying.

Wrong in several places.

A fully charged battery should deliver 12.6 volts across the terminals when the car is NOT running. A battery that only delivers 12 volts across the terminals is already 75% discharged (that is, it has only 25% of its original capacity remaining). A battery providing 11.9 volts is considered to be FULLY discharged.

A functioning charging system should deliver 13.8 to 14.5 volts across the terminals when the engine is idling and no accessories running (i.e. radio off, heater off, A/C off, lights off, defroster off, etc). Slight fluctuations are normal, consider anything above 13.5 volts to be OK.

EDIT: Extended periods below 12.4 volts will cause sulfation of the plates inside the battery and will cause permanent damage.

ZV

 

[weirdichi]

Thanks for all the replies. My mom keeps insisting it's the car alarm. I keep telling her that the alarm uses very very very little juice. I'll take it to Autozone and play dumb and have them test it after scrubbing the contacts. Thanks again!

 

[jtvang125]

Originally posted by: weirdichi
Thanks for all the replies. My mom keeps insisting it's the car alarm. I keep telling her that the alarm uses very very very little juice. I'll take it to Autozone and play dumb and have them test it after scrubbing the contacts. Thanks again!

A cheap or faulty alarm can drain the battery. I heard too many stories about this and after they removed the alarm there were no more battery problems.

 

[spidey07]

If you've never replaced the battery then it most assured is dead. They don't last forever.

Just replaced my girls battery last night. Cold weather is tough on a battery that is on it's last legs.