it didnt start so i started to.....
02-18-2005, 06:42 AM
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it didnt start so i started to.....
last night my 89 civic sir hb wouldnt start. i tested the battery and i just replaced my alternated not too long ago. at first all it would do was just click rapidly when i tried to start it and now when i turn the key the lights on the dash take about 20 seconds to start lighting up. the battery still has 13v in it when the car is running and when its off. i can push start it and it will run but if i turn on my brights the cd player turns off and back on. there could possibly be a short in the cable going to the battery in the trunk but i highly doubt it because i made sure to seal the connections. i keep wanting to think its the starter but i have never delt with a bad starter so i dont know what to look for. if you have any ideas i would appreciate it. also is there any way to test a starter?
Last edited by 89civicSiR; 02-18-2005 at 06:57 AM. Reason: ???
02-18-2005, 08:03 AM
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2 tone Rex
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Dosnt sound like a starter problem... Sounds like a short somewhere, battery, or alternater issue... But since the alt is new, and u checked the batt, that only leaves a short... Or maybe, u did say the battery is in the trunk right? I take it u relocated it? Did u use the proper gauge and kind of wire? If theres not enough power being supplied to the rest of the car, this can happen... Sounds more like this is whats going on by what you are saying...
02-18-2005, 08:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Exempt
Dosnt sound like a starter problem... Sounds like a short somewhere, battery, or alternater issue... But since the alt is new, and u checked the batt, that only leaves a short... Or maybe, u did say the battery is in the trunk right? I take it u relocated it? Did u use the proper gauge and kind of wire? If theres not enough power being supplied to the rest of the car, this can happen... Sounds more like this is whats going on by what you are saying...
02-18-2005, 08:13 AM
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i was just messin with it and all i can get is a clicking noise from the main relay. everything is slow to power up when i turn the key to acc and then it will power up immediately when i turn the key to run but once i push in the clutch everything dims or shuts off almost right away and then sometimes i will get a clicking noise from the main relay and if i try to start is but dont push in the clutch it does the clicking deal but the clicking pulses along with the dash lights
02-18-2005, 08:26 AM
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Oh, so the clicking isnt from the starter trying to spin up? It maybe the starter then... When u said clicking, I thought it was the starter trying to spin up... Which happens when the starter is good, but theres just not enough juice to crank it over... But that wouldnt explain the delay in the electronics... So I dunno... Maybe someone else has a better idea whats going on...
02-27-2005, 02:21 PM
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I know this is going to sound sooo obvious... but sometimes it's the first thing over-looked and the most common problem.
Take the battery cables off the battery and clean them "good". (Not just the part you can see, but also where the wires are attached to the clamp.)
Next, have the battery checked by a professional with a meter. (Auto Zone, Advance or even Wal-Mart will usually check it for free... they sell batteries that way!) It's best to let them check it "on" the car and "running", if possible.
I don't mean to sound condescending, but once I returned an altenator "three times" and almost had a fight with the store manager because I believed each altenator that I installed (all rebuilt alts) were bad! It turned out that the connection "inside" the cable/clamp wasn't making a "good" contact!
Anyway. it's worth a try!
Take the battery cables off the battery and clean them "good". (Not just the part you can see, but also where the wires are attached to the clamp.)
Next, have the battery checked by a professional with a meter. (Auto Zone, Advance or even Wal-Mart will usually check it for free... they sell batteries that way!) It's best to let them check it "on" the car and "running", if possible.
I don't mean to sound condescending, but once I returned an altenator "three times" and almost had a fight with the store manager because I believed each altenator that I installed (all rebuilt alts) were bad! It turned out that the connection "inside" the cable/clamp wasn't making a "good" contact!
Anyway. it's worth a try!
