95 Accord Won't Start but Battery is OK
 

I have a 1995 Honda Accord LX 2.2 Automatic with 64K miles. Doesn't get driven that much as you can see. But I did just drive it Saturday and it seemed like the battery was getting weak, but it started. Here are the symptoms:

Cranks slowly and chugs to a stop....sounding like the battery is dying.

Then it just won't turn over at all.

There is a strange humming sound in the dash after I try to crank it. But the fan is turned off.

This may or may not be relevant but the trans seems to take just a little bit to engage lately, which it never used to do.

I checked the battery and cleaned the connections. I put a charger on it and it read fully charged, but it cranked better and almost started when I left the charger on and cranked it over.

Also about 2.5 - 3 years ago I put in a new factory ignition switch.

Thanks for your help.

Sounds like the battery isn't holding a charge. How old is it?

That was my 1st thought too. I've even bought a brand new one with a dead cell before. Might be worth it to take it somewhere else for testing.

Another thought might be that the starter is on it's way out or the terminals are corroded, causing excess drag, and not allowing the starter to do it's job.

I'll have to check the age of the battery.....though the all the lights were working even when it wouldn't crank. I'll check the terminals on the starter. Can I jump the starter from the battery to see it it works?

Starter requires far more current than all the lights combined - so working lights doesn't prove the battery is strong enough to run the starter.

Clean & tight connections at the battery posts, right? You said you cleaned them. A bad connection there can mimic a bad battery.

You can jumper from the battery to the small terminal on the starter, depending on what you suspect is the problem.

- The small terminal is the signal wire from the starter circuit of the ignition switch. If you jumper (+) to this terminal, and the starter runs fine, that means that the big power cable is OK & you should concentrate on the interlocks like the AT selector (or the clutch switch if it was a manual).

- The large wire bolted on is the power, and jumpering to this should be done carefully with big wires & be very careful not to short it out.

Looks like it is the battery. Never had one act like this...however it was blown out on the bottom. Used a meter to check it and it was at 10.10 dcv. So I pulled it and the bottom was corroded and one of the cells blew out. Always check the easiest thing right?

Thanks for taking the time to help guys!