Honda Car Forum

Has a brand new battery, sometimes the car starts, and other times its as if the battery is dead. When i turn the egnition all the dash lights come on but not enough power to start the car. As soon as i jump start it with some jumper cables it starts right up. Does anyone know what might be my problem? Everything is turned off in the car, i dont know why at times it starts and sometimes it doesnt. Any help would be greatly appreciated...

The battery may be new, but there is obviously a problem in the electrical system. It could be the wires, the solenoid, starter motor, or sometheing else, but that's where the problem exists. It could even be the battery. I remember one case where a brand new battery, litterally right off the shelf, was below spec. We didn't find that out until we had spent a couple of hours testing everything else. Then we went back to the battery, and bingo. New, but half-dead. There are basically two parts to the start-up process--the electrical system and fuel. If you are starting right up when you get a jump, then it's not the fuel, so the problems is eletrical. I think it is time to take your car into the shop for a definite diagnosis.Good luck!!

HA I thought that "Hondas run forever"

I have a feeling that it could be the alternator, its purpose is to charge the battery.Have some one do a voltage drop test, it could just be that you have a corroded ground wire that's draining your battery. This also sounds like your main relay is going bad. I know in 88-91 Honda preludes, it is a common problem. All you have to do is find the fuse box under the dash. There should be a black box with a connector on it on the left side of the fuse box. That is the main relay. You open it up and re solder all of the points with new solder.And yes Honda's do run forever as long as you keep up with the maintenance schedule. My friend had an 82' honda prelude that he bought brand new and had over 390k miles on it before he junked it in 96' because of rust. Try that with a domestic.

I had a similar problem with my 94 Accord a few weeks ago. My battery was fine and my car would start some days and not others. Sometimes it would start for about 1 second, but not rev up so it would die as quickly as it started.I had my ignition relay replaced and it starts without problems now. Apparently the relays struggle in areas with extreme temperature changes. It is located under the steering wheel area and if you are able to replace it yourself, it should only cost you about $30-40.