This problem has been around before, last winter it gave me trouble. My battery cable ends looked like crap so I changed those along with my battery. If I remember correctly, it helped a little bit. However on real cold night, it still would not want to start the 1st time. The problem went away for quite awhile soon thereafter.

Now, My 1994 Accord EX is doing it again. It will click once when you turn the key, but it won't start. Sometimes if you wait long enough or turn the key off and then back on it will start. However these past few days I have been impatient and repeatedly turning the key will start the engine. Once I get past the clicks the engine does a slow turn, but doesn’t start. Then usually on the next attempt it starts like nothing was ever wrong with it.

If I am not away from the car over an hour, it will usually start right back up, it seems to have issues after it sets more than an hour. Auto Zone checked the battery, starter, and alternator will their little machine. They said my alternator is reading a 50 something and they said that is low. My question is, if the alternator is going bad and not charging the battery fully...how come my car eventually starts without jumper cables?

Thanks.

 

There have been problems with the ignition switch. If the grounds and positve post connections are clean and tight, I'd suspect the switch.

 

Thanks. I was trying to find the location of my starter (no luck) when I came across a page that said my battery light comes on if my alternator quits. So it looks like my alternator is good at the moment.

 

Yes, if you alternator is gunked up completely (over charges or is dead) the battery light comes on. It still may be the culprit.

I would say ignition switch and check that. Maybe for good measure check sparkplugs and clean out gunk? (Seafoam?)

 

Same thing happened to me, and it turned out to be the ignition switch. At first I thought it was the fuel pump, but then I tried holding the key in place as I turned on the ignition, and it turned out to be the ignition switch.

 

I have an 80-amp alternator in my 91 Accord EX, yet when Advance Auto Parts tested it last year, their little machine showed it only producing 40 amps at 2,000rpms, but I don't have any problems starting my car. My car runs just fine, even at night when I'm running my 55W headlights and my 54W stereo. In your car, unless you have a huge stereo system that draws a lot of power, I would not see why the alternator would be the problem. My guess is its the starter or distributor/ignition coil. My stepdad said you cannot rely on the amperage to determine if an alternator is going bad, since the alternator will not produce full power unless it is under load. Check the voltage on the alternator. If its producing 14.4 Volts, then the alternator is fine. Nothing wrong. If the alternator is not producing 14.4 Volts, then there's something wrong. In your car, check both the starter and the distributor and ignition coil (which might be hidden under the distributor cap). The way to check the voltage on the alternator is to put a voltmeter on the battery terminals with the engine running. If the voltmeter registers 14.4V, then your alternator is not the problem. A good battery will read 12V or 12.5V when the engine is not running, and a good alternator will read 14.4V when the engine is running. Also, check the amount of cranking amps on the battery. That could be the problem. If the cranking amps on the new battery are lower than what Honda specifies (650 Cranking Amps is the BARE MINIMUM for a 4-Cylinder Honda Accord or 725 Cranking Amps for the V6 Accord), then the car will not start. Next time you get a battery for your car, make sure it is rated for 825 Cranking Amps and 750 Cold Cranking Amps. That will be more than enough power to start your car.


Modified by otacon122 at 10:16 AM 7/13/2007