Blackhead

Hi everyone,
I have a 2007 Honda Civic I just bought off a guy. He thought car didnt start because of battery. I switched battery but it still doesnt start. Heres the symptoms:
(i) Turn key no click no nothing
(ii) In position ii of key the dash lights come on extremely dim then go out. Makes a very small noise as well. Cant tell what it is. That also stops when lights go out
(iii) Dome light works, horn works

I quickly replaced negative battery cable and checked ground just to see as I had a working one there and thought it was grounding out or something. No difference. Thats it for today as I had only allotted time to change battery. It seems electrical. I can post a video if necessary.

Thoughts?

Colin42

Sounds like the starter is pulling all the power, try smacking it and see if that helps, if not grab one from the junkyard, way more reliable and cheaper than a crappy parts store one

ezone

You bought a car that doesn't run? Is the engine locked up?

Power loss through a cable, cable clamp, or any other high amperage connection point?

Inspect the Ground cable where it bolts to the frame, it can get really corroded/rusty where it bolts on. Same for the other fat cable nearby that goes from frame to transmission.

Battery good?
Many people replace starters, but I'd sure want proof before I waste time and money on that.

A little working knowledge of electricity and some diagnostic ability can save you a crapton of time and money. A $3 test light might provide seriously correct answers if one knows how to use it


Get your airbag recall status checked ASAP, see links below

Colin42

Locked up engine is also a possibility

Blackhead

So I have solved the problem. It seemed to be two fold.
(i) Firstly, battery I put in it was low(er) than it should be. While it would start an identical car with no issue it must have run down a bit trying to start this car (And the car it came out of had blown a rod... so a few attempts at getting that engine to turn over had run it lower). Upon boosting it wouldn't start but then a new problem became clear
(ii) Alternator was seized. Had been sat up a few months. Upon hooking the wrench onto it and working it loose car started up fine and charged battery and all is well!


Thanks for the fast replies! Great community!

ezone

I wasn't expecting to hear that one, but it could certainly cause the same effect as a seized engine.
Glad you got it going!

Don't forget to check your recall status and get them taken care of ASAP