Honda Accord 1987 LX - Won't turn on.
 

Hello,

Here is another, and much more serious problem I am experiencing with my 1987 Honda Accord LX. Today, this morning, I went to turn on my car, and everything died in the first few seconds. I tried turning on again, but it just makes a one click sound from beside the key ignition. I tried turning on my car beams and inside light, but they won't turn on. It is safe to assume that this is an electrical problem right?

I have a BRAND new car battery that I purchased at Walmart over the summer... I, ALSO, have replaced the STARTER. I just filled up gas in my car LAST night!

This Honda is really starting to get on my nerves...

Sure sounds like a dead battery. Possibly a bad alternator that isn't keeping the battery charged?

Measure battery voltage with nothing turned on.

Measure battery voltage WHILE someone tries to start it.

Jump-start the car then measure battery voltage while it's idling.

Tell us what your measurements say.

I will do it as soon as I get home.

Does this have any correlation with my recent car idle rpm surging problem?

Sorry, can't remember. Is this an LX-carb or an LXi- Fuel Inj.

As Jim said, sounds like a connection issue (clean, tight-all ends-both pos and neg) or something with the battery and or alt.

I would also suggest that you check the voltage at the starter as well as the battery. The battery maybe good but if something is "up" with the cables that voltage/ground is not making it to where it needs to be.

I asked about the carb vs FI as the carb models have/had this funny charging thing that had to due with the choke coil on the carb.

Surging idle for a carburator car is a whole different animal vs a FI car. So we need to know before going too far on the idle. It may not be related to the dead battery.

Hello,

My friend and I tried giving the battery a boost, and we ruled out that the battery being dead. It works. The inside of the car lights can be turned on and off, but the car beams can't turn on when the car is off. When it was being boosted, when my friend tried turning on the car, he said he heard clicking sounds all near the gas pedals and brake pedal. He says it sounds like a starter problem... The thing though, I got it replaced in Octomber with a refurbished ones..

So in a nuthsell, my car is a fuel injector, it doesn't turn on, the lights inside turn on, my beams do not (their fliip beams they do not open), when being boosted and my friend tries to turn it on he hears clicking in the general pedal direction.

What could be the problem now?

How about dirty/loose/corroded battery cables - at the OTHER end of the cable not at the battery?

The starter takes many times more current than all the lights & other stuff put together. A marginal contact at either end of any battery cable might be plenty good enough for the stuff you mention. But the starter tries to draw 120-amps & can't do it.

One time I even saw some corrosion within the battery cable. Between the crimped cable-end-lug & the cable itself.

Got a multi-meter? Measure voltage drop across each battery cable. From the actual battery post at one end, to whatever it's bolted to at the other end. If that voltage gets BIG while you try to crank the starter, you found the problem.

How about the measurements I asked about in post #2?

Stupid question... but can I use an ordinary household multimeter and I just use the correct lead to the corresponding terminal of battery?

Not sure what you mean. "Ordinary" multi-meter is fine, especially for for the measurements I asked for in #2. If the battery itself keeps a good voltage while you try starting, then continue by measuring across the cables as follows:

For the cables, keep it set for measuring voltage.

Red lead at the (+) battery post. Stick it into the actual battery post, not the wire clamp. Black lead at the other end of the (+) cable, preferably on the actual stud that it's bolted to. Be real careful you don't short to ground. It should read about zero volts. What does it read WHILE you try starting?

Then put the black lead on the (-) battery post. Red lead on a big hunk of metal on the engine. Something like one of the lifting lugs. It should read about zero volts. What does it read WHILE you try starting?