1996 Accord LX 5spd Manual transmission ~150k miles

I was returning from a friend's place, unlocked the car, and put in the keys, pressed clutch, tried to start - all pretty quickly, within a second or two (its freezing/windy outside!).

The dashboard lights came on, as they should, and as the starter was about to kick in, everything went off. No more dashboard lights or cabin light. Central locking works but lights dont.

The car just got new muffler and wheel bearing, and was running real smooth. Had driven it twice earlier in the day. The fuel is almost on empty but it should not affect the battery, which was just fine (though 4 yrs old).

I guess I blew some fuse.

Any suggestions, where to look, and what did I do wrong that I blew the fuse? The car is still at friend's place. I will get a fuse from autozone and try to fix myself else get it towed to a mechanic.

I have to drive it from NY to AZ in two weeks! I was thinking of getting spark plugs etc checked this weekend, but now I am worried.

Please help!

Thanks,

 

i dont quite understand your problem but i've come up with 2 things:
1)if just your dashboard lights dont turn on then its the dimmer switch or interior light fuse, i think its in the fusebox inside the hood. if not its under the diverside door panel. check fuses before buying them to get the right amperage if you need them (id recommend checking all fuses to make sure they all work.
2) if your car doesnt turn on at all take your battery to autozone to recharge and see if its still good. put at least a gallon of gas more since your on empty.

if that doesnt work id recommend checking if youre getting a spark from your plugs, check fuel pump. check alternator and starter(both can be checked by autozone for free if you can get the car there.)

do you hear any noise when youre trying to start the car? crank?

 

Ignition switch

 

1. no sound, no oil pump, no dashboard ... they were all fine, but went out in an instant.

2. Ignition switch has been a problem on 97-02 models, this was manufactured in 95.

I will check the fuses first, then take it to mechanic for ignition switch.

 

Check the underhood fuses first. You may have a short causing a fuse to blow. Check alternator cables, battery cables, etc.

 

X2 make sure your battery posts are tight.

 

Silent1jt

the battery clamp was corroded ..

and i checked everything else before coming to battery!

thanks a ton people!!

 

no prob. strange, i had the same problem today. my car died outta nowhere while i was driving, turns out the ground post was corroded. cleaned it and was back on the road in 3 mins.

 

i would say check the battery. its 4 years old. thats quite a bit for a battery, the average battery should last bout 4- 4.5 years. have it tested to see if its still good. plus you said its been cold outside, so that might be a big part of it too. when diagnosing electrical problems, always start at the source and work yourself towards the actual problem ( in this case its the starter and the lights.)

 

This was also a problem in 96-00 civics, 98-01 crvs, 94-97 accords and in a rare case a handful of oddys.