I am a little confused by this one. It's a 98 Honda EX with the 4 cylinder engine. The other day it would not start, so I replaced the battery which was a little under two years old.

About four days later it would not start again. No power at all, no idiot lights, nothing. I took it to Autozone and they tested both the battery and the alternator. The alternator is putting out electricity so we thought well maybe its just a bad (brand new) battery. The gave me a new battery and it would not would not start the car either.

BUT, if you put jumper cables on the battery terminals (as if you are jumping a bad battery) it will turn right over and start.

This is beyond my reasonably simple car repair knowledge......I was hoping someone here might have a solution. Thanks!

 

i might be retarded but i would say starter. my roommates 'lude had the same problem. it would only start when jumped, even with a good battery. apparently the starter was worn enough that it took a huge jolt to move it. i would get the starter tested. and of course, chase down all the electrical connections in your engine. ground etc, is where i would start.

 

is the motor cranking?
is it a no crank or a no start?

there IS a difference....

 

Yeah sounds like a bad starter... it happens over age that they just don't kick out with as much gusto. Does is still click and try to engage or whirl at all when not jumped? Check for corroded cables and stuff too man, that can cause all sorts of weird problems.
Also try pounding on the starter while someone turns it over, see if that lets it start on its own. I say just take the thing off and test it buy jumping it with a fresh battery (make sure its secured well or else it'll come up and bite you), its not that hard to get to at all.

 

No, there is no electricity at all making it anywhere.....with the new battery only, nothing comes on...no dashlights when key turned to on position, no key in the ignition beep, nothing at all. So there are no clicking, no starter noises, nothing at all. I also replaced the starter waaay back in the spring.

When I put a jumping battery into the equation and turn the key to on, it works and starts normally. No funny noises, clicking etc.

Battery terminals are clean, no corrosion, and I even put the small amount of some type of anti-corroision jelly like stuff (that autozone recommended to put on the terminals) on the terminals when I put the new battery in. It's just a small amount and I really don't think it would interfere with the connections......

 

I would suspect bad ignition switch. No Alt or CEL lights mean the switch isn't making contact. Check for voltage to the distributor. It should have 12V on supply line (wiring diagram needed to identify correct pin). If zero volts, the ignition switch needs replacement.

good luck

 

ignition switch that's what i think also

 

Have you checked all your grounds? Maybe the negative came loose under the battery tray and when you jump the car it is being grounded at this time by the jumper cables. Thats where I would look first, either that or you need to pick up a helms manual, if you dont have one already.

 

it can not be a ignition switch problem .... get a test light and check the battery cables to see if there is power going in ... i would bet your battery terminals are junk and need to be replaced or cleaned... it happens... .. use boiling hot water to pour on the terminals to remove acid ... it works great and they look new after

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Z_Malloc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">BUT, if you put jumper cables on the battery terminals (as if you are jumping a bad battery) it will turn right over and start. </TD></TR></TABLE>That really make it sound like the battery terminals...
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Z_Malloc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Battery terminals are clean, no corrosion, and I even put the small amount of some type of anti-corroision jelly like stuff (that autozone recommended to put on the terminals) on the terminals when I put the new battery in. It's just a small amount and I really don't think it would interfere with the connections......</TD></TR></TABLE>That should have fixed it. Take the battery cables off again, clean them again. Maybe it's where the cable itself is attached into the clamp? Don't forget to check the other end of each of those cables.

How about the ground cable from engine to body? When you hook up the jumper cables, maybe that makes a good ground connection allowing it to work?