I went out to start my brother's 1999 Honda Civic just now, and found that it wouldn't turn over. Figuring it was just a battery issue and that my brother left a light on or something (found the door light on when I got in, I figured that was it) I decided to jump start it.

So, I hook up my dad's Infiniti I35 to the car, and attempt to jump it. However, the Civic doesn't turn over. the a/c and the radio come on, as well as the ubiquitous sound you hear when a Honda has keys in the ignition but the door open (I was doing all this with the driver's door open)

I try to start the car again, same thing. I wait a few more minutes, same thing. The car was perfectly fine yesterday (in fact, my brother drove it to school today) so I find this somewhat puzzling.

I figure it's not actually a battery problem, but instead maybe something related to the starter motor, since I do get electrical power when the Infiniti's battery is hooked up, just no cranking starter. Also, when I finally gave up and decided to take off the jumper cables, the cables felt really hot in my hand- hotter than the time I jump started a friend's BMW.

Thoughts? Advice? The car's got 150,000 miles and is probably worth about $4,000-$4,500, (edit: just checked KBB on the car and I would guess it is worth somewhere between $3000-$3500) so I am not sure how far I (or my parents) would be willing to go to fix the problem in terms of money.

 

Is it a stick shift?

 

no it's an automatic.

 

It may just be a very dead battery-- have the auto club come by and jump the Civic, or get a buddy with a truck battery to try jumping it.

 

make sure the connection to the battery is free of corrosion and the terminals are securely fastened. Then check the grounds. Do you hear a fast click when you turn the key?

 

I can't remember whether or not I heard clicking, but I want to say I did. And I am thinking of simply replacing the battery- if I dropped in a new battery, would that solve the problem if it's a really dead battery?

 

If the battery is fine, or the car boosting the car is operating correctly, then it's most likely the solenoid. I don't think the Civic has a serviceable solenoid and most likely the starter will need to be replaced. The heat you are feeing is resistance, and most likely the result of the contact points in the solenoid fusing together. Also make sure all cables are secure, including the ground.


Terry

 

Maybe a bad main relay.

 

Starter (cheap fix)

NEW battery (cheap fix) <-----most likely. Sometimes when the battery's so old. it wont charge anymore. Take a battery out from a NEWER car and try it on the civic. If it works then you know what the problem is.

Sometimes it might seem radio and all electronics work fine.. but the battery still might not have enough charge to start the car. It happened to my G37... 2 years old battery... everything works fine but couldnt start. Just needed a new battery.

 

I'm going out on a limb and say it's the starter but it could be a few other things.

When you try to crank the car. Do the lights dim?

 

I was doing it during the day, so I couldn't really tell, but I don't think the lights dim. All the electrical (warning lights, radio, etc) work with the booster car hooked up to it, and without it, nothing.

I am going to try a new battery this morning, and if that doesn't work, will have it towed somewhere.

 

no clicking or turning over, could like others say might be a bad starter. have the battery checked also.

 

First, take the battery out of the I35 and put it in the Civic. Try starting it directly off that battery.

If that doesn't work, then I would suspect the starter may be bad. Good news is that, if you can take it out, many auto parts stores will check starters for you to see if it needs to be replaced.

Go from there.

 

Problem solved:

I went and bought a new battery for the Civic, dropped it in there, and it started right up. Runs like new.

Thanks everyone!

 

That's the sign of a very, very dead, kaput battery.


Make sure the battery cable ends are attached tightly, too.