Now it won't even attempt to crank

[DaraSue]

So that intermittent problem I was having where I turned the key and nothing happened? It's suddenly become constant. I tested the battery this morning and it tested good, I drove it to work and then a couple of miles to the library and back on my dinner break. When I went to start up a few hours later, nothing.

The dash lights come on but the engine doesn't even attempt to start. I can sometimes hear the relay clicking from the back. After I take the key out for a few seconds there'll be a kind of medium-pitch buzz that sounds like it's coming from under the dash, like an alarm that tells you your keys are still in the ignition, but they're not. The previous times this has happened, it went away when I took the key out and reinserted it. I tried that about 5 times with no success.

I replaced the ignition relay and it didn't help. I poked around the inertia switch but nothing looked obviously amiss. Is there anything else I can try before expending my 3rd of 4 allotted AAA tows for the year?

(Other things I've already replaced: RPM relay, coil, terminal on Y/W wire on lower right side of resistor, terminal on B/W wire going to negative side of coil. The car still started after all of these, but I was having the issue where it would run rough and die if I didn't keep my foot on the gas until the idle evened out.)

[Bitsyncmaster]

When you say won't crank, I take that as the starter is not turning the engine. But I think you are saying the starter is working but the engine does not "fire" (start running).

[Jonathan]

Start taking good quality close-up photos of suspected problem areas and post them here. Inertia switch, ballast resistor and connectors, ignition coil to begin with.

[Dangermouse]

When you say you "tested the battery", what do you mean?

A proper load test, or simply measuring the voltage with a voltmeter?

If the latter, take the battery to Autozone or similar and get it load tested. It may have 12V but no capacity worth talking about. 8 AAA batteries also have 12V, but they certainly wouldn't be able to start the car.



Can you get the car jump started where you are?

[DaraSue]

When you say won't crank, I take that as the starter is not turning the engine. But I think you are saying the starter is working but the engine does not "fire" (start running).

Nope, it's the first one. There's no rrr-rrr-rrr sound of the engine turning like it normally would. I don't think I'm hearing the fuel pump or anything either. So I'm thinking the problem might be between the switch and the steering column or the relay and everything else?

When you say you "tested the battery", what do you mean?

A proper load test, or simply measuring the voltage with a voltmeter?

If the latter, take the battery to Autozone or similar and get it load tested. It may have 12V but no capacity worth talking about. 8 AAA batteries also have 12V, but they certainly wouldn't be able to start the car.

Can you get the car jump started where you are?

I used one of those little battery testers with the probes on the end and it read green. The other day when I hooked up a trickle charger it showed just between green and yellow on its meter, and the car's started every day since then (just with difficulty). The battery was supposedly replaced by the seller so it should be new since last summer, but I can try jump-starting it with my CRX or off one of the security trucks at work.

I'm at home right now but I'm going to head up there in a little bit so I'll get some pictures if jump-starting it doesn't work.

[Michael]

Make sure the starter circuit mod has been done.
Sounds like a textbook case of it.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Well you don't need to worry about the ignition, fuel pump, etc. for now since those have nothing to do with the starter not turning the engine over.

If this happened suddenly you may have left something on like a light and drained the battery or you may have a bad connection on the starter or battery cables. Those little battery testers are just measuring voltage which does not really show you how good the battery is. One quick test is to put the headlights on and then read the voltage.

Probably best to have the battery load tested since that has the least amount of work required.

[DaraSue]

I've got another appointment so I'm going to come back to this later but here are the pictures I just took of my wiring:

DSCF9397.jpgDSCF9398.jpgDSCF9399.jpgDSCF9402.jpgDSCF9404.jpgDSCF9414.jpgDSCF9416.jpgDSCF9417.jpgDSCF9418.jpg

[DaraSue]

DSCF9424.jpgDSCF9430.jpgDSCF9431 - Copy.jpgDSCF9428 - Copy.jpgDSCF9429 - Copy.jpgDSCF9430.jpg

[Elvis]

a $10 multimeter and the schematic are very handy in such a case.

in 5 minutes the problem can be found


Do you have basic electrical knowledge ?



BTW - very clean electrical compartment, where is the power lock ECU ?