Hi all,

I saw a couple of post which were really mean so please if i have anything obvious, I'm sorry but I'm a woman which doesnt know anything about cars..

I have a 1995 Honda Accord 4 Doors, power windows, Automatic.. which I purchased about a year ago and had an alarm system. I did not have the key beeper for the alarm. For some reason every time I opened the doors the alarm would go off, I'm guessing the previous owner had the same problem since the sound was disable I knew the alarm was set off since the lights would blink and the car wouldn't start. So I would have to use a button which would deactivate it and that would allow the car to start.. well that worked for a while.. Last week when I got home and parked the car, my windows wouldnt close, so I tried all four windows and none would work with the car on. When I was going to drive off, the stick shift was locked like when you dont have the key in the switch, I noticed all the accessories do not work, fuel, termostat, a/c, windows, everything that is on the dash board does not work, BUT the car starts. well I have to stick my key into the key hole next to the stick shift, place the car on neutral and start it and then place it on drive in order for it to work.. Wipers do not work unless i hold it down. I have taken it to 2 mechanics and they have no idea whats going on.. I thought it was the alarm so i had one of the mechanics remove the alarm system and he did, but nothing.. ofcourse my first instict was check the fuses, they are all good, Checked the big fuses I forgot what they are called, they are also good, right now I have a cable from the battery to the window fuse in order to make the windows work. but really i cant drive this like this, I can but I shouldn't I have kids with me and it scares me that something worse happens. I have searched to see if anyone has this same problem and cant find anyone, so i found this forum and decided to check if anyone has experienced this.. By the way i was told by one of the mechanics that it was the ignition switch so i bought a new one and it was replaced and that did not fix the problem. Thank you for your time.. any suggestions are really appreciated...

 

Hey, you posted in the right place, you included details about your car and details about what you've already tried. That's better than a lot of new members...

That would have been an aftermarket alarm because I don't think factory alarm had any kind of deactivation-button you press inside the car. So... it can be wired into the car in 100 different ways, which is really nasty to figure out over the net.

Might have to go after each problem separately, like troubleshooting the brake/shift interlock. When you press the brake pedal, do the brake lights turn on? They're triggered by the same switch as the shift-interlock. Sometimes that switch gets out-of-place or just fails.

 

=] I'm glad I did..
Yes it was an aftermarket alarm.

Yes if I hit the break pedal the lights turn on.. everyone tells me its weird since if the accessories dont work the car shouldnt start but it does. I think I'm just gonna give up on it and salvage it.. its sad cuz inside and out its like new and leather seats.. but I dont have the time or money to spend on it.. I have searched in sooo many websites and I only found ONE person which said the same thing happened to his car, but he had a Toyota... and guess what .. not even one reply on his post..

Thank you for your time.. =]

 

The accessories are not related to the engine starting. The ignition switch has 3 separate circuits that it controls.

Accessory circuit - this is ON in position 1 and 2 (ACC & ON)

Ignition circuit (fuel injection & spark) - this is ON in position 2 & 3 (ON & START)

Starter circuit - this is on in position 3 (START) only

What you're describing is a failure of the accessory circuit while the ignition and starter circuits are OK. Doesn't sound like a good reason to scrap a nice car...

 

That makes sense (ignition switch explanation) ... thanks..

Yeah I know (scrap a nice car).. its hard tho.. I drove it to work today and it heated up .. and it never did that before.. Like just 5 minutes of driving it, it was fumming.. I work 15 minutes away.. So I HAD to drive it back home the same way .. Thank you.

 

If it was my car, I would remove the alarm system and get the wiring back to stock setup. I would disconnect the battery, find the control unit, then trace and remove all wiring that is spliced into the stock wiring harness.

The overheating sounds like a different issue. When the engine is cold remove the radiator cap and see if the coolant is at the top of the radiator. If not, fill up the radiator with coolant. If you keep losing coolant, you have a leak and need to repair it.

If you are not losing coolant, then you will have to diagnose for a stuck thermostat, clogged radiator, etc. Thermostat is easier, when the engine is past the half way mark on the temperature gauge, feel if one of the radiator hoses is much hotter than the other. Be careful that you don't burn your hand when doing this.

In a pinch, you can turn on the heat full blast to help cool down the coolant. The heater core is a smaller radiator used to heat up the inside of the car.