TeeBoneEX

Situation with 2002 Honda Accord EX Automatic Transmission: Dashboard lite-up but no crank, no start very late one night a couple days ago. Tow was called and arrived. Portable charger was placed across battery but still no crank, no start. Tow truck driver tapped on starter with pipe while I attempted the start and car started. While talking to tow driver and car was running for a minute or so, the car abruptly cut off and all lights went off. No lights no nothing afterwards!!! Tow truck driver attempted to reconnect his battery charger and the battery post sparked on connection attempts. The car was towed home (3 am) and the next morning I checked car after removing the battery to discover with multi-meter numerous shorts to ground throughout the car at varies fuses under the hood and inside at the driver and passenger fuse boxes.

The battery + and - post leads were shorted to ground between each other as well as numerous fuses in the panels. The main IG1 50-amp terminal (fuse #42) is shorted to ground and several fuse terminals like 43, 45, 46, 57, and 58. Inside driver side fuse terminals 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 12 are shorted to ground but not fuse terminals 3, 4, 8, 13. Passenger side fuse terminals 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 are shorted to ground but NOT fuse terminals 7, 8, and 15. The battery post leads are no longer shorted between each other with the + lead disconnected from the under the hood fuse panel.

None of the fuses are blown but I removed the starter to note it is bad, the starter gear extends but does not freely spin with good torque.

This is The Worst car issue I have ever experienced!!!

TeeBoneEX

Well, the short to ground stopped in the engine compartment when I disconnected the Ref 14 Terminal 7 ( B socket ) from the under the hood fuse panel. The short to grounds are at numerous fuses at the inner drivers and passenger fuse panels This is a taunting troubleshooting task for me. I do detect a short to ground at one pin of the connector I mentioned with a large yellow wire. I'm working without an adequate wiring diagram to know what should or shouldn't be the connectors nor where wires go.

tech8

Check or re-check (if you already checked) under-hood Fuse No. 41 (100A) first.

TeeBoneEX

Yes Yes, I have #41 100 amp and #42 50 amp fuses in my hand right now and they are just fine. When I removed the battery and fuses #41 and #42, I still noted the short to ground at the junction of fuse #42 and the ELD. I also had shorts at fuses #43, #45, #46, #57, and #58 within the under hood fuse panel. No fuses blown. It was today I disconnected one of the four fuse panel connectors, the larger t-shaped connector with more pins than the other smaller t-shaped connector with only three wires that the shorts in the engine area disconnected. Yet the shorts at fuses in the passenger compartment are still there. And again, I measure a short to ground on a pin with a yellow thicker wire of the suspect fuse panel connector.

I'm now focused on the shorts in the passenger compartment noted at the driver and passenger fuse panels. I wish I knew where the yellow wire on a pin of a connector on the under the hood fuse panel is connected.

tech8

Not sure what yellow wire you're referring to. The only main yellow wire comes from the ignition switch harness.

Are you referring the a Black/Yel wire; black insulation with yellow stripe running through it?

TeeBoneEX

At the bottom of the under-the-dash hood fuse panel there are four connectors. With the 2nd connector in from the outside body of the car ( the connector shaped like a T, the larger of the two T shaped connectors with more wires ) attached to the fuse panel, I measure continuity to ground at the junction of the #42 50-amp fuse and ELD as well as ground at fuse #43 right head light, fuse #45 left head light, fuse #57 radiator fan, and fuse #58 condenser fan / AC compressor clutch. There is no continuity to ground when I disconnect the one connector from the fuse panel. Off of this connector, I measured continuity to ground on a pin at the end of the connector that has a thicker than some other wires on the connector and it's all yellow. I still have fuses in the cabin, both driver's and passenger fuse panels, measuring continuity to ground even with the one connector at the under-the-hood panel disconnected. And I have not been able to yet find a diagram of the fuse panel harness with the four connectors to know where this yellow wire go into the cabin. Additionally, I measure continuity to ground on two of the three pins of the ELD connector in the fuse panel I again have no clue where the wires go other than the wires go into the harness. And nor have I yet determined anything about the fuse shorts to ground in the cabin. And no fuse is blown.

TeeBoneEX

Correction: Above I meant "under-the-hood fuse panel" not under the dash panel there are four connectors....

TeeBoneEX

Update: I connected my multi-meter with a tone function to points between ground and the under-the-hood fuse panel connector pin where I had continuity. The multi-meter had tone. I then went to the cabin passenger panel and started removing the fuses. When I removed a 7.5 amp fuse associated with the interior lights, the tone ceased. I re-inserted the fuse and the tone resumed. I reached up and depressed the driver side courtesy lamp switch on/off/on/off and the tone followed.

At this point I have lots of things disconnected / removed to include a bad starter to replace so I'll re-install everything and go from this point.

holmesnmanny

if its still shorted try disconnecting the alternator plug to rule out the alternator

TeeBoneEX

Okay cool, will do. I do recall disconnecting the alternator cable at one point but I don't recall what measurements I made then or that I had the short and just plugged it back up and moved on.

TeeBoneEX

Additional Update: It is gosh awful cold outside and I could manage to only work on the car touching engine metal for only several minutes at a time. But I got the inoperative starter replaced and I put the under-the-hood fuse panel and other components back together. I left the cabin passenger fuse panel interior fuse removed as well as the ELD connector disconnected and the car started right up as normal. I was even able to reset the radio since I had the battery out for the several days I have been working on the car. I was able to get the car off the street and into my driveway by driving it. Hopefully I can now better determine exactly what's faulty when it's warmer than 20-degrees. Holmesnmanny, I will certainly check the alternator you suggested as I'm sure I measured ground at two of the three pins on the ELD connector that can't be correct. I still have it disconnected right now as I suspect even without a diagram that two of the three pins should be input and output and not two pins grounded.