can't start car, electronics go crazy when i try to...
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can't start car, electronics go crazy when i try to...
ok so as anyone living in the midwest knows, it's bitch cold out so you know how much fun it is working on a car in this weather... well my sister decided to see how far below the E she could take her car (01 honda CRV) and now it won't start. last time she drove it was yesterday morning, and i was thinking maybe she forgot to turn off the lights or something and the battery died. so i go over there, try to start the car and sure thing i hear the starter going at it... so battery seems ok. thing is... all the little lights that come on when you just start the car are flickering. i also hear this wierd clicking noise that definetly isnt coming from the starter. it seems to be coming from two different locations under the driver/passenger dash. i've never seen this before, any thoughts?
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I feel your pain man, leaving work yesterday at 11pm it was -8 F in Algonqiun without wind chill. Car started but did so very weakly had to give it gas and let it idle a litlte before moving.
sorry im no help
still got a civic? planning a meet june 2nd @ hooters in schaumburg
http://www.importpassion.com/forums/...usse-meet.html
sorry im no help
still got a civic? planning a meet june 2nd @ hooters in schaumburghttp://www.importpassion.com/forums/...usse-meet.html
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Rep Power: 0 this exact thing happened to me not to long ago. when u try to start it there is a loud buzzing/clicking noise and everything flickers really fast. my friend just took a wrench and tapped the starter a few times with it. and then it started. i dunno if that was luck or not. but then i went to get my battery tested and it was bad. so try getting a new battery because i havnt had that happened since i got a new battery.
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its the battery, not enough power to start the car. and battery power goes down in the cold so if its not in good shape, it will only get worse.
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hahah , i just read through this... yep same thing happened to me recently, on my way to work in the early morning hoping to beat the rush hour but the battery doesnt have enough power to crank the car over so I had to get my dad to move his car out of the garage to gimme a boost. got to work and ordered up a battery and its all good. But my battery is now 5 yrs old now and me having a sound system doesnt help 
change the battery!
change the battery!
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Rep Power: 0 I might have the answer to your problem.
Ok, first of all how old is your battery? A battery normally lasts about 4 to 5 years depending on the weather and what not. Since you live in a cold weather environment I would say about 3 to 4 years. BEFORE you go and spend lots of money on a brand new battery or starter or alternator. Remove the battery from the vehicle (If you have another car to drive) and take it up to your nearest parts house, Autozone, Advance Auto, etc. and get them to test the battery. Considering the situation that you're in it seems to me that your battery is less than half way fully charged. If it is then get them to put it on a SLOW TRICKLE CHARGER and charge for at least 10 hours. Then get them to test it again to give you a more accurate result. If it turns out bad then 
, there's your problem. If it's good and you said you have gas in it then you might want to try what that other post said by tapping the starter. If you have to do this to get the vehicle to start then my guess would be that the solenoid is sticking and not energizing the gears. One reason I would assume it could be sticking is because of the cold weather, but I live on the coast so I wouldn't know anything about that kind of problem. Another reason it could seem like it's sticking is that the cables or wires might be loose. I see this problem a lot. I know, cuz I work at a parts house. Or simply the solenoid could be out. Considering you live in cold weather it could be a number of things if it's not your battery. oh.. and as far as the clicking noise goes I'm not for sure what it is, but I do know it's normal, don't worry too much about that, all cars do it not just Hondas. And your lights blinking rapidly, only thing I can think of as to why they do that is cuz when you try to start the vehicle the starter moves the flywheel which turns the alternator a little bit, but if it just clicks then the flywheel is not turning at all. So I'm not sure about that. Well I hope this helped you out some. Holla at me if it worked out or if you have a question. Later...
, there's your problem. If it's good and you said you have gas in it then you might want to try what that other post said by tapping the starter. If you have to do this to get the vehicle to start then my guess would be that the solenoid is sticking and not energizing the gears. One reason I would assume it could be sticking is because of the cold weather, but I live on the coast so I wouldn't know anything about that kind of problem. Another reason it could seem like it's sticking is that the cables or wires might be loose. I see this problem a lot. I know, cuz I work at a parts house. Or simply the solenoid could be out. Considering you live in cold weather it could be a number of things if it's not your battery. oh.. and as far as the clicking noise goes I'm not for sure what it is, but I do know it's normal, don't worry too much about that, all cars do it not just Hondas. And your lights blinking rapidly, only thing I can think of as to why they do that is cuz when you try to start the vehicle the starter moves the flywheel which turns the alternator a little bit, but if it just clicks then the flywheel is not turning at all. So I'm not sure about that. Well I hope this helped you out some. Holla at me if it worked out or if you have a question. Later... 
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Rep Power: 0 well this is interesting... i got a new battery, put it in, and now nothing... literally nothing. i put the key in the ignition, try to start it, all the normal lights come on but nothing. engine doesnt turnover, dont hear any sort of clicking... wtf mate?
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Rep Power: 0 sorry, i didn't realize you had to get it charged. i got a battery for my car at that autozone before, and didn't have to do anything. they didn't mention anything when i was buying it either .
. Last edited by ricergribbs; Feb 5, 2007 at 11:53 PM.
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Rep Power: 0 well no, i haven't gone back to autozone to check if the battery is charged. i know that have that stand at the store where you can charge your battery but for now the car is still dead.
Feel safe at night, sleep with a paramedic.
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Rep Power: 290 I don't know that you do have to get it charged. It probably should come charged, but maybe that one sat for a long time and lost its charge?? Who knows, but i'd check that first.
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Rep Power: 0 I might have your second answer
Unless the battery you bought from Autozone is bad, it should be fully charged. A battery can't lose its charge just by sitting there not hooked up to anything, unless it was sitting on concrete for a long time. Yes you read right.... if a battery sits on concrete (i.e. driveway) for a long time it will discharge. So I would take the battery to Autozone and get it tested. If it turns out good you might have a problem with your starter. Maybe a loose wire or bad solenoid if you can get it individually.
A battery sold at a parts house should always be fully charged before selling it to a customer. So keep in mind that if you are ever sold a brand new battery and doesn't start your car at least once then more than likely it is a bad battery and not just low. (Just a little words of advice from a parts house employee)
AmbulanceMonkee: I don't know that you do have to get it charged. It probably should come charged, but maybe that one sat for a long time and lost its charge?? Who knows, but i'd check that first.
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Rep Power: 0 Autozone batteries are remanufactured and do not hold good charge. That's why you have to exchange your old battery in to buy an autozone battery. They take your old one, fix it up and resell. Go with Diehard batteries from Sears or if you want to go with a fancy upgrade, get an Optima Yellow top.
^^X2. Sears has the best batteries.
Are you sure you hooked the battery up right? Are the cables tight?
My 1985 Voyager ran out of gas recently and I had to dump about a half a cup of gas down the carb before it would start (mechanical fuel pump).
I've never run out of gas with an FI car before but perhaps you may need to do something similar. Guys, comments on this?
Are you sure you hooked the battery up right? Are the cables tight?
My 1985 Voyager ran out of gas recently and I had to dump about a half a cup of gas down the carb before it would start (mechanical fuel pump).
I've never run out of gas with an FI car before but perhaps you may need to do something similar. Guys, comments on this?
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Rep Power: 247 you guys have no idea what cold is. -8 is an average where i live. a few weeks ago we had a week where 7am the temp would be -25, noon it was -10 and then right back to -25. but dont buy batteries from autozone they suck. sears or napa sell good batteries. i have had good luck with wal mart batteries also. when you get it, charge it overnight then pop it in and it should fire right up.
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Rep Power: 0 Ok, well I took that battery back, and they told me to give them 40 minutes to "charge" it. I told them I already tried charging it with a home charger, they said let them do it anyways. So fine, go back 45 minutes later, get the battery that they say works fine now, take it back, put it in, try to start the car, and sit there in complete silence. Go back again, bitch them out, *******s took 30 minutes debating wether they should give me a new battery, but I finally got a new one. Take that home, put it in the car. Get the clicking again, but car still doesn't start. Fortunately, when I charged this one with the home charger thing, it actually work after I put it back in.
hm.
wait, the engine didn't produce any kind of sound? total silence when you turn the key to the ignition?
or is it trying to fire but couldn't fire up?
gas line freeze is possible, but unlikely.
your alternator gone bad, one possible problem. try tapping them from the bottom of your car, perhaps?
wait, the engine didn't produce any kind of sound? total silence when you turn the key to the ignition?
or is it trying to fire but couldn't fire up?
gas line freeze is possible, but unlikely.
your alternator gone bad, one possible problem. try tapping them from the bottom of your car, perhaps?
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Rep Power: 0 No, the engine didn't produce any sound when I tried starting it with the new autozone battery. The old battery starts it fine after I charged it though so nothing is wrong with the car.
Guess what though, car didnt start again this morning! So I'm going back to autozone when I get off work and I'm going to rip someones head off if they don't make the return process easy and fast... and even then... we'll see how I'm feeling after work...
Guess what though, car didnt start again this morning! So I'm going back to autozone when I get off work and I'm going to rip someones head off if they don't make the return process easy and fast... and even then... we'll see how I'm feeling after work...
