osn grind

So I got a 92 Civic, 1.5 sohc.

Let me start by saying I had an issue with the car a few weeks ago where it would crank all day, and wouldn't start. Took it to the shop where they replaced the dizzy, its components, and the fuel pump. Car started fine after that. It even fixed my idle surge problem, which was more than OK with me!

Now here's my problem. I go outside the other day to find my car dead. Ok..pull my truck up and jump start it right away. Head down to the gas station, got some gas. Go down to the redbox, shut the car off, and it wont restart. I only tried 3-4 times to start it before the battery died out. Luckily it was right near my house so I just got my other ride and jumped it again (everytime I jump start it, it starts RIGHT away, no hesitation or excessive cranking at all)....and it's happened like this a couple times.

Once I jump start it, it'll start 2-3 more times before it wont start again...and once I get to that magic time where it wont start, it'll only crank for 3-4 tries before the battery dies....BUT, when I hook up the jumper cables, it starts RIGHT away, every single time.
Also, it seems like the longer the drive, the less it wants to start. Like if I'm just runnin around the neighborhood it'll seemingly shut off and restart like it has no problems (it will eventually not restart but it'll make it a lot longer before not wanting to start again)...but once I gotta make a 30 min drive somewhere, the following try is usually a no go. I should also add that it never actually dies on me. This is strictly a starting issue.

I have 2 electric fans that are hooked to a switch and halo headlights..everytime I flip them fans on now you get that little noise where u can almost feel the engine pumpin juice to them...everything is wired correctly (as I had to re-do all the ghetto wiring when I first got it) but I figured I'd throw that out there as well for more..info/clarity

I thought I might have an alternator thats on its way out...then again, I usually come to find that I know nothing about nothing. Any ideas??

99civicB20V

Sounds more like a battery problem to me. If you have a voltage meter, test the battery before you jump the car, then again after it's started. If the voltage reading is low when the car is off, and closer to 14v when it's running, usually it's because your battery isn't holding a charge.

If you don't have a meter, take your battery in to any decent parts shop and they should be able to test your battery for you. Also, go buy a volt meter. Lol. They're pretty cheap and help alot with troubleshooting. And if it is the battery, the longer you run your car on just the alternator, the more likely it is that your alternator will go out to...

Good luck. Let me know if this helps.

Crashtestdummy

Yeah i know a bad cell in the battery can keep it from fully recharging or recharging at all, get it tested, if its fine then you can always get the alt bench tested at a parts store as well

osn grind

Will do today. I'll post results later.
I'm sure there are 100 other mugs lookin at this thread thinking I'm an idiot but..the help on this site is so good, and my knowledge so limited, I figured why not.

99civicB20V

You know what, who cares? Everyone had to start somewhere... I'm sure everyone who laughed at this thread and didn't help out asked PLENTY of dumb questions while they were learning. My first repair was an alternator, and second was a clutch. I couldn't afford a shop to do my work, so I bought parts and tools and got to work. Saved alot of money in the process.

When you start to learn a few things, just make sure you're the one helping out, not the guy laughing at the beginner trying to learn something.

thenext

osn grind

Alright, so took the battery down to the auto parts store and they say its a good battery. I took a look at the terminal clamps and they look hella rigged...the kid before me stretched em out or some ****..I'm thinking he was hooking his power from his amp straight to the battery...anyways...though ghetto, they were tight when they were on the battery but you can definitely see some small gaps..could it be a simple draining issue with bad clamps?
If it were the alternator would it still start w/o having to be jumped? I feel like I'd have to jump it every single time if the alternator were bad...

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Get the alternator tested and stop guessing.

osn grind

I definitely will. I work a horrible 55hr work week so actually having time off to get down to an Auto Zone or something is rough. Just trying to save a little time here on HT. Like I said, alternator is goin in asap.

delsolintegra

Clean the ground wires connected to the thermostat housing.(Main relay is grounded here thru the ECU.)
Check the main relay and resolder if necessary.

osn grind

I didn't think the main relay had anything to do with starting functions..?

alphalanos

how are the terminals? get some auto zone ones only a few bucks, make sure your wires arent corroded at all, and the terminals are clean and tight. Sounds like your alternator is not charging your battery. get the alt checked

Linked

to sum it up, check your battery terminals and grounds around the engine (the transmission ground, and ground on thermostat)

have BOTH the battery n alternator tested while your at autozone to save some time and report back with the results