My brothers g/f's Civic is dead. She left the headlights on while at work and now the car won't do anything, but the horn is working fine. I tried to jump it and still nothing is happening. If I connect the jumper cables to her battery and then touch the other end of the cables together, I get sparks. I was thinking it might be the main relay. Where can I find it in an '01 Civic EX? Any thoughts on what the problem might be?

TIA

 

Did you get it started?

 

No, it never started. The dash lights don't even come on when I put the key in the ignition and turn it. My '92 Civic used to do this and still does from time to time, but if I turn the key a dozen times eventually it will start. It turns out the main relay is failing.

I need to figure it out soon before it gets towed. The car's been sitting in a parking lot for about a week.

 

Is the same battery still in the car?

Will that battery even hold a charge? Has it been tested? (no, making sparks with the ends of the jumper cables is not good enough)

When you tried jumping the car, how long did you wait before you tried starting it?

You may want to try using a battery that you know is good. (if you haven't already)

 

maybe when you shorted the battery you blew the battery fuse and now you have 2 problems.