Honda Car Forum

Thank you in advance to anybody with advice!

We have a 1993 Honda Civic that had been t-boned on the driver's side.
We had a guy replace the driver side door (it was done with a 95 door
which we think is heavier), replace front driver side thing (not hood
but the thing that goes over the front tire) and he did bondo on the
back driver side (the part that goes over the back tire).

Since he did this work, we have to keep the overhead light in the off
position becuase it stays on continuously otherwise.

I'm not sure if any of this has to do with our current situation, but I
have a gut feeling that it might.

So, the car wouldn't start. We jump it and it would run fine until you
turned off the ignition. Then you couldn't restart it. It didn't
hestitate, click, growl, grind or anything. It was just dead.

So, I didn't have money to buy a new battery (which I thought was the
problem). It sat for a month. I bought a new battery and the battery
goop (which I swear is vaseline) and the foam rubber things to put on
the posts, all which Autozone told me we needed. Just to make everyone
laugh it took us 2 hours to change the battery, somewhat because of
improper tools and more because I was scared of it zapping me or
something like that.

We got the new battery in and when I put the key in the ignition and
turned it part way I got dash lights and then full turn I got nothing.
The next several attempts I didn't even get dash lights.

If any one can tell me what I should be checking or doing differently,
I would greatly appreciate it. We (my daughter and I) have gone beyond
our knowledge and comfort zones. She needs her car for school and I'm
willing to tackle other mechanical things, with good instructions, if I
need to do so.

We don't really have the money to take this to a mechanic, especially
after the auto body repair.

Thanks, Stephanie

On 10/29/05 1:52 AM, in article
1130568773.354849.23150@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.c om, "teachme"
<one_bibliophile@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Thank you in advance to anybody with advice!
>
> We have a 1993 Honda Civic that had been t-boned on the driver's side.
> We had a guy replace the driver side door (it was done with a 95 door
> which we think is heavier), replace front driver side thing (not hood
> but the thing that goes over the front tire) and he did bondo on the
> back driver side (the part that goes over the back tire).
>
> Since he did this work, we have to keep the overhead light in the off
> position becuase it stays on continuously otherwise.
>

The button that turns off the light is on the door frame. It is pressed in
by the door when it closes. Check to see if it is still there. Chances are
that it was damaged in the accident, not replaced properly when the body
work was done, or the wires to it have been damaged or not reconnected when
the back fender was worked on.


> I'm not sure if any of this has to do with our current situation, but I
> have a gut feeling that it might.
>
> So, the car wouldn't start. We jump it and it would run fine until you
> turned off the ignition. Then you couldn't restart it. It didn't
> hestitate, click, growl, grind or anything. It was just dead.
>
either the main relay is going bad. The ignition switch is going bad. The
wiring in the vicinity of the left front fender was damaged by the accident
or by the repair effort, the wires between the battery and the starter are
loose/corroded, the ground wire from the battery to the car body is
loose/corroded, or the starter is going bad.


> So, I didn't have money to buy a new battery (which I thought was the
> problem). It sat for a month. I bought a new battery and the battery
> goop (which I swear is vaseline) and the foam rubber things to put on
> the posts, all which Autozone told me we needed. Just to make everyone
> laugh it took us 2 hours to change the battery, somewhat because of
> improper tools and more because I was scared of it zapping me or
> something like that.
>

Your symptoms do not sound like a bad battery. You probably did not need
one. Did Autozone load-test the battery before selling you another one?

> We got the new battery in and when I put the key in the ignition and
> turned it part way I got dash lights and then full turn I got nothing.
> The next several attempts I didn't even get dash lights.
>

Did you clean the corrosion from the cable connections before attaching them
to the new battery? If so, you either have a bad ignition switch, or the
wiring from the battery is messed up. There is also a circuit breaker or a
fusible link between the battery and the starter you should check.

The more I look at the description, I think the ignition switch is the most
likely culprit.

> If any one can tell me what I should be checking or doing differently,
> I would greatly appreciate it. We (my daughter and I) have gone beyond
> our knowledge and comfort zones. She needs her car for school and I'm
> willing to tackle other mechanical things, with good instructions, if I
> need to do so.
>
> We don't really have the money to take this to a mechanic, especially
> after the auto body repair.
>
Given that it took you 2 hours to change the battery, which is normally a 10
minute job, I think you are probably not going to be able to fix this
yourselves. Take it in.

> Thanks, Stephanie
>

"E Meyer" <epmeyer50@msn.com> wrote
snip
> The more I look at the description, I think the ignition switch is the
most
> likely culprit.

Yeah, hey, give the women a chance. Stephanie, take a look at the following:

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/start...ignitionswitch

Bear in mind that, as E Meyer is implying, there are a number or
possibilities here. Ya just gotta eliminate them one by one. Also, it's hard
diagnosing over the internet. Keep posting back as people ask questions to
help you, and maybe this newsgroup can solve the problem. Only difficulty
may be that it can't do it within hours, but rather over days.

Other resources for an aspiring do-it-yourselfer bibliophile that might be
of assistance as you troubleshoot:

www.autozone.com 's free repair guides, specific to your Honda. Follow the
pointers. Enter your car's year and model, etc.

http://www.honda.co.uk/owner/workshopmanuals2.html Try the Concerto manual
for your 93 Civic. I have a 91 Civic, and much of the engine info in the
Concerto manual works for it.