I was trying to jumpstart a Previa i bought, which supposedly has electrical problems (haven't had it run yet, and its a MESS of wires from the A/V equipment that was in it) and my 1992 accord ex died while i was hooking to the terminals of the van.

I got in the Accord, and got no response from the ignition. I removed the battery cables and reattached, and i got full response inside of the car (though dash lights dim), but the starter wouldn't budge and then i lost full electrical inside of the car every time i tried to start. I did this a couple of times, and finally settled for rolling the window up (and got no response from electrical just as that finished). So, i took the battery out of the car and charged overnight. Now, the starter still won't turn and the dashlights are really dim, but its not fully dying.

Would new battery fix this, have i blown a fuse somewhere, did i screw the pooch?

I've never had a car fully die while trying to jumpstart another car.

 

Were the cables hook up correctly? Was there any arching when you hooked the cables up? You could have just blown a fuse. Check the under hood fuse box and see if any of the fuses are blown. Especially the larger ones.

You may have just fried the battery. Put a volt meter on the battery and check voltage. Anything below 12.5v without a load is no good. If voltage drops below I think 9.5v when cranking, you need a new battery.

 

Trying to start a big engine (diesel?) with the relatively small battery of the Honda may have damaged your battery.
If even the dashboard lights are dim then your battery is dying or the terminals may have corroded badly. Fuses are probably ok but it's worth checking. Hook up a new battery and don't forget to clean the battery terminals, use grease to prevent corrosion. With a battery in good condition the headlights must shine brightly, even without motor running.

 

He said it was a previa that he was jumping. Thats a minivan. So it should have been fine.

I think the problem, if i understood correctly is that you were trying to jump another car with your car not running. Is that right? That would deffinatly drain your battery and it could potentially damage it also, especially since you said the previa has electrical problems. Take the battery to the place that you would buy a new one from they can test it and tell you if you need a new one. And always leave the car the car running that is doing the jumping! That way the alternator can help.

 

I had the Honda running at idle and the Previa dead in the water. I put the negative crimp on the previa, then as i was trying to get the positive to reach, the Honda died. Not sure if i touched metal with the positive as i was reaching or not. I looked at the fuse box under the hood, and all looked fine. I thought the 80 amp Battery fuse may have been the one to go, but looks like that wasn't it. Guess i'll be trying the new battery approach.

 

So you didn't even reach te point where starting the Previa could have drained your Accord's battery.
Could hooking up the crimp of the starter cables have done damage to one of your Accord's battery terminals/connectors? If you have a voltmeter or 12V test lamp you can test on the bare battery terminals to check battery voltage and then a bit further down the wires to check what's actually delivered to you car. When installing a new battery you will need to clean the connectors anyway so you may want to do this up front.

 

Yeah, guess i'm going the new battery way. The connectors aren't that bad, really. But will clean/grease before the new one is installed.

Thanks everyone. Will have to let you know how it turns out tomorrow.

Happy halloween!

 

TEST BATTERY MANOOB I MEAN MARUDE

 

Don't have a voltmeter, but given the problems w/ the previa, its prolly gonna be an investment i'll make.

 

yeah get a voltmeter. you can pick one up pretty cheap.

 

Yep. I"m a full blown idiot. Bought a battery and brought it home, got the same issue as before, low output to electronics, and starter wouldn't turn. So i decided to clean off the VERY LITTLE gunk that was on the positive wire. Put the OLD battery back in, and lo/behold. It started. There was virtually nothing on the wire or terminal though. But i guess it was enough.

 

well at least you got it running. if you didnt, get some stuff to protect it from corrosion now. i think they call it sealer at napa

 

That's good news: nothing wrong with your car after all. If you cannot sell the new battery for a decent price then you might as well use it in your Accord. To protect the battery terminals you can use vaseline.

 

i've heard of doing that. does it really work as well as the spray they sell at napa?

 

Yes it's common practice to use household vaseline: it sticks well, seals fine, does not damage the terminals (as grease might do), and can be removed easily should you need to service the battery. Basically you apply it once and you're done until you need to replace the battery.

 

sweet. sounds like it works even better than the sealer they sell in stores. i'll keep that in mind

 

were the cables hooked up properly when you did it?

 

Does it hold up to high under hood temps very well though? I can't imagine that it would, especially if you're running something that generates extra heat like a turbocharger.