Inkubus

The first symptom I noticed was my stereo was restarting itself unless I turned the volume and/or the bass down.

The second symptom was the car would not start.

The battery is brand new (as in a couple weeks), and the alternator new as well (reman). I do not have any codes and the battery light is not on (but I do know it works because that's the reason I got a new alt+batt).

Checked the fuse for radio, looks fine. Unplugged speakers (of which I have 4) one by one and tested, it still shut off except for one time when I unplugged every speaker. No amp installed.

All of this testing was done with the car only turned to accessory, because it won't start unless I jump it.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I wonder if the negative cable could be the problem? I am admittedly not completely educated on electrical.

Wankenstein

Clean battery cable terminals and battery posts as thoroughly as possible. Lube cable terminals and battery post with vaseline.

With battery disconnected check positive cables/wires on starter and starter solenoid for tightness. May have to clean them as well. Testing: http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/hon...gnostic-test-1

Check all chassis and engine grounds for tighness. Might even want to clean all chassis and engine grounds with 220 grit sand paper, wipe well and then tighten.

Could possibly be an ignition switch issue as well. Was radio fuse loose? To properly check the fuse you need to use a test light or multimeter to test voltage and ohms.

ezone

Sounds like what happens when the battery doesn't have enough power to run the radio, it cuts out.


Jump start the engine.
Get a volt meter and measure voltage at the battery while the engine is running.
You may need to turn the headlights on in order to get the charging system ramped up and get a good reading.

Reman alternator may be crap.
Might have an electrical drain, something still consuming power after the car is shut off.
Could have poor connections between battery posts and cable ends.

Inkubus

I did just clean the posts and connectors today with a wire brush. One problem with my negative cable, and why I mentioned it, is it doesn't seem to tighten anymore. My positive tightens just fine but I have my negative cable's nut as tight as I could get it, and the connector still slips right off the post...so, I was wondering if a loose connection could have this effect.

I bought a charger for the 12v port recently, thought that was it, but I have since unplugged it. Now I have nothing plugged in. So I will be finding a volt meter to test the battery and stuff.

ezone

Sounds like the clamp is stretched out.....

One option is replacement of the clamp with a cheap universal from a parts store, this style is usually in stock at all of my local stores but you can google search and find other styles


Another option is to get a battery post shim, shove it onto the post then open up your clamp and shove it down over it


Both of these are cheap, like maybe $2 or less.

You could price a negative cable from Honda.

Inkubus

The question being, then, whether my problem can simply be attributed to a loose cable.

ezone

IF fixing the loose cable allowed the car to start--- on battery only without a jump start, then yes.

Did that happen?