I had trouble starting my car, but eventually got it to start. While driving it the the gauges dropped to zero. Someone told me I might need a fuel pump to fix the car not starting issue. Could these problems be related? The gauges started acting up today & yesterday was the first day I had trouble starting my car. 1994 Honda Accord.

 

Your starting problem and gauge problem sounds electrical. It could be due to a bad ignition switch, a part inside the distributor, a faulty alternator which would cause the battery to also not be fully charged. Answer the following and I will try to post more.

1. When the gauge drops to zero, does the car remain on or does it die too?

2. Is the Check Engine Light on? Post what happens with this light when you try to start the car.

3. Is the battery charging light on? Tell us what you may or may not see when the car is started or running with this light.

See image for the lights I am referring to.

 

The car remains on. It happened whole I was driving down the rd. I didn't notice any change in the Way the car drove & the radio stayed on. The battery light does not come on when I try to start the car. The check engine light does not come on when I try to start the car. I hope this answered your questions. If you have more questions I will answer them to the best of my ability. Thanks so much for your help.

 

Under normal operations, when you start the car, the Check Engine Light should come on for a few seconds than go off (a self-check of the car's computer). Turn the ignition without starting the car, does the bulb even light up? After that,try starting the car and see if it does the self-check. Just trying to rule out a burned out bulb or the car's ECM (computer).

Since you mentioned the starting and gauge problem only started recently, they may be related.

Go to an auto parts store like Autozone, O'reillys, etc. and get the battery and alternator tested for free. This way we can try to rule out the problem as related to the alternator and/or battery. This wouldn't cost you anything other than a little time. You don't want to throw parts at it without being more sure.

So, does the gauges go back to normal sometimes or does it stay always at zero right now? If it stays at zero, let me know and I try to look up the fuses to check.

 

The lights blink on then turn off. The gauges go right back to normal after they drop to zero.

 

Okay, sounds good on the Check Engine Light bulb and car's computer.

Look at the battery cable connections and the alternator connections. See if there is a lot of corrosion around the battery cable connectors and make sure they are tight. If there is corrosion on the battery connections, you can clean it off with baking soda, water, and a toothbrush you don't want anymore. It would even be better to remove the battery cable connector with an adjustable wrench or a 10mm wrench and clean both the battery posts and cable connectors. No matter what you do, do not accidentally touch both the positive and negative battery post at the same time with anything metal.

Get the battery and alternator tested. Maybe the auto parts place can clean the battery connections and post for free too, since they do install batteries. If it is a bad battery only, you probably will get a better quality battery from Costco or Walmart. There are actually only a few battery makers, and stores just have their labels put on them. Most of the Costco and Walmart batteries are made by Johnson Controls.

 

OK. Thanks so much. I will let you know what the auto Parts store has to say. It will probably be tomorrow before I can get it tested. I really appreciate your help.

 

No problem. It may just be the battery connections or a dying battery.