Car wouldnt start, attempted to jump it nothing...


I know, I know... It could be many things, either my alternator, starter/ignition, so on and so on...

My battery died about 5 months ago and it was replaced. When my battery died the car made ticking noises and wouldnt start. Now theres no noise at all. My check engine light, brake light, maintenance light, and oil light all come on at once and stay on. Anyone else have this experience?

I have a 2000 TL and im sorta out of luck. Dealership is 15 miles away. Acura Roadside is only 3 years no? So I guess early tommorow morning im going to get my car towed to acura and have them figure it out.

I guess the only time acura gets you a rental / loaner is if you are still under warranty right?

The problems are adding up...

 

well I wouldnt think your alternator would have anything to do with it...so when you hooked it up to the other car (I assume you did it correctly!) and tried your car, did any of the interior lights come one? What did it do when you turned the key?

 

Interior lights work, clock is still ontime.

The damn jumper cables didnt fix the problem. LOL yes i did it correctly *sigh*

Nothing happens, silence when i turn the key. The lights inside ( dash ) come on.

 

sounds like a starter...but have you had any starting problems before? I wouldnt think it would just die.

 

nope no starting problems previously besides the one time my battery died.

Is a starter worth taking the car to acura for ( id hate to pay for towing etc etc.)? How much are they? I know alternators cost a pretty penny plus installation.

71,000 miles 2000 acura tl

 

DO you have aftermarket alarm, remote start? Your factory security has starter kill. Another common prob.. Loose battery terminals. Usually ground. Not common that a starter just stops working. Lots of warning.

I'm banking on loose batt. terminals.

 

No aftermarket stereo or starter.

I have the AEM pullies and im guessing it might be my alternator.

And the starter soleniod isnt ticking

 

Alternator has nothing to do with it. Headlamps work you said? If headlights work without the dash lights dimming that means that something is not connected correctly. Starter. Battery. Ground.

Try the headlights. Let me know.

 

Why don't you just unplug the battery for a few mts. and then connect it back on and see if that helps. Also, I dont know if maybe a fuse can be blown? Maybe someone else can chime in on the fuse thereoy.

 

Do you have a voltmeter/multimeter? If you can get one, check the voltage across the wires for the starter while cranking (yes dangerous). If both leads are grounded, it could be bad wiring to the starter or a burned fuse. The burned fuse might indicate bad wiring shorting the circuit. If you don't have the voltmeter, do what uncald4 said, lights on, crank her up, and check if the lights dim.

Also, again with the voltmeter, check if your new battery is dead. I highly doubt the battery is dead if the lights come on fine. If the battery is dead, then something might be draining your battery, which is gonna be a pain to find. Or it could be your alternator isn't charging the battery.

 

I agree. Sounds like corroded or loose battery connection or bad battery cable or just plain close to dead battery.

 

Headlights work fine, nothing dims drastically when I turn em on.

I checked the battery, everything is connected fine. ( the car worked the night before nothing was tampered with, doors locked, lights off, hood closed, etc etc.)

So the battery is fine, and so is the alternator...

Shall i go buy a voltmeter? How do I use this properly without electricuting myself?
Should I call AAA and see if they could help me solve my problems.

I honestly dont trust my acura dealership so Id like to figure the problem first before I take it in. They would probably charge me for my alternator and just switch out a fuse or something dumb.

Speaking of fuses, my stereo fuse blew out 6 months ago. THis could be a fuse problem. Which fuses control what when starting the engine ie: fuel pump etc...

 

If all the fuses are good, my guess is it's either the ignition switch or the starter. There's a way to bypass the ignition switch by taking a 12v source right to the starter. You'd have the ignition switch in the Run position then jumper the starter. I bet the car starts. Hopefully, one of the automotive experts knows which terminals on the starter to jumper.

 

It's the Starter!!!

Have someone hit the Starter with a crowbar or something while you are turning on the ignition.

I thought it was the ignition switch too...

 

Did you notice if a Flashing KEY is showing up on your instrumentation. If there is absolutely NO noise, I would guess it's the Immobilizer. Somehow the transponder in your key is not jiving with the engine computer. Did you try a different key? That's my guess on this...

 

its probably 1 of 2 things. either the Immobilizer or the starter. if your headlights turn on its not the battery, and its not yout alternator!

if its the starter its a easy fix. very easy to get to and just 2 bolts.
try tapping on the starter witha wrench or hammer, then try starting it (kinda doubt that will do any thing if you dont hear any clicking)

you can also take a screw driver or piece of wire and jump the leads on the starter it should crank. if not its the starter.


if its the imobilizer you will need to bring it to the dealer

 

Its your starter... I had this done before... My dad is a mechanic. When you try to start your car over and over again when there is no more juice in your battery it wears out the starter.

 

And that's the biggest line of B.S. I've seen yet. Literally....

Take it to a mechanic. It will save you much greif. Don't listen to all of the non-mechanics on your favorite TL forums.

Good luck man.