PatrickM

So today I go and get ready to head out, and my car will not start. It does not crank and I cannot hear any clicks from the starter. I do not know where the starter solenoid is on my car which is a 1994 Honda Acccord EX. I know the battery is good, I have done tested it, I also know thanks to a Smart Start interlock device, that the ignition voltage is right on the money. So i was hoping if I could locate the starter solenoid I could test that and find out if that is in fact the issue and not the entire starter. I can get a new starter solenoid for about 30$ on Ebay...where as a new starter is more than I would like to dish out right now lol. How would I go about testing the solenoid and where is it located? Any other suggestions as to what the problem may be? I cleaned all my battery connectors, so they are all sparkly now..

PatrickM

Oh I forgot to mention, all the dash lights are on and the dim when I go to try and crank it. headlights are bright when turned on as well.

holmesnmanny

the solenoid is attached to the starter

PatrickM

ok thanks a lot. I'm going to try and test the wires going down to the solenoid to see if any are broken.

PatrickM

Ok I read somewhere that the wire your suppose to test is the black and white wire going to the starter. I disconnected that wire and put a multimeter on it and when we go to crank the car I do not get any reading whatsoever from that wire, so if I did it correctly there is no juice running to that wire. Hopefully that is the problem.

PatrickM

after looking at some wiring diagrams it looks like the next culprit may be a AT gear Position Switch, I have no idea where this is located and after calling a local O'reilly's they tell me they cant find any information or part numbers for this. The guy told me to check the Neutral position switch...would this be the same thing or completely different parts?

MAD_MIKE

If the PRND4D3D2D1 lights on the dash coincide with the shifter location, and the shifter interlock works correctly(only lets you shift out of park with your foot on the brake, and the key can be removed when the shifter is in Park) Then the switch and shifter cable are most likely fine.

I would check the ignition switch itself...
http://techauto.awardspace.com/ignitionswitch.html

Of course, I'm sure you already checked that your battery is fully charged and that the terminals are clean and tight.... right?

PatrickM

Yea I have checked the battery terminals and they are sparkly clean. They battery is fully charged so all should be well there. The black and white wire to the starter just gets no juice and I cannot figure out why. My wiring in my car is a mess due to the previous owner so it will be a task all in it's own to try and trace it without having to remove a bunch of stuff. I will check out the ignition switch though, I appreciate greatly the help!

PatrickM

Ok I have read the symptom list of the ignition switch and my car doesnt really seem to show any of those symptoms. I know before all this happend, my car intermittently would decide not to go into over drive...when I would put it into overdrive my car would not move and I would end up having to hobble back home manually shifting my car from first to second. I initially thought my transmission was about to go out, but it just happened so infrequently that I didn't even bother trying to find out why. Now with all this happening and putting it altogether, it led me to believe it may have been the switch going bad. I really don't know much of anything about cars so there's a very good chance I'm wrong.

holmesnmanny

if u have a stickshift, check the clutch switch

PatrickM

I have an automatic so I don't think I would have one. I could be wrong of course. If I would have one where would it be located?

MAD_MIKE

A simple way to note if it is the switch is to bypass the Start(III) position. Using a suitable sized piece of wire, jumper from the solenoid directly to the (+) positive terminal of the battery. The starter should spin and crank the engine. If it does, turn the key to the Run/On(II) position, then do this test again. The car should start.

PatrickM

Ok awesome guys , Thank ya so much for the help! I will try to jump it as soon as possible, most likely first thing in the morning. Hopefully it's something simple and cheap to replace and nothing to extravagant lol.