hey everyone i could really use your help on this because im stumped.
i have a 93 acura integra, i can jump start it from being 100% dead within seconds and it will run fine for a while but as soon as i shut it off, it goes 100% dead! i replaced the battery with the battery in my prelude (which i drive everyday) and it still does the exact same thing. the terminals are brandnew and the battery posts are as clean as a whistle. it runs strong and all lights annd windows work to their fullest ability but as soon as that key turns off, its dead..no dash lights, clicking..nothing..im thinking maybe its a bad ground but i dont understand how a bad ground could drain a fully charged battery so quick..please help me out here

 

Does your windows still work after you try to start the car?

 

Your probably on the right track, [bad ground] or other connection issue.

A bad ground will not drain the batt., or any other bad connection for that matter.

If you have a 12V test light test the batt. at the posts then move the ground to the batt. clamp then to the cars chassis, if all good start again and move the probe, [pos.(+)] to the clamp then to the starter terminal stud, then the batt, terminal in the under hood fuse box, then to other side of main fuse. 94

 

Hmmm, perhaps one of the big fuses under the hood? Is there one that would still let the car run off the alternator? Like the 100A fuse 41 in the under-hood relay box? Battery goes through that one but the alternator connects on the other side of it...

One way to test this; the horn and hazard lights don't go through fuse 41... ; ' ) If the horn or hazard flashers work, #41's probably your culprit.

Otherwise, sure sounds like a cable/wire issue - but so widely affecting all systems and ignoring a good battery limits the possibilities to only a few spots.

Mark

 

Get the car running and check the battery with a voltmeter. Just make sure you are getting around 12.5ish volts with it running. If your below 12v running and it slowly decreases as the car runs I'd look to the alternator.

Your probably set with FCM helping you as he is HT's resident wiring guru on these cars, but its definitly worth checking the alternator.

 

When the car is running it's only running off the alternator.
Try jumpsarting the car with the Prelude battery in and then shut the car off. Take the battery out and see if starts the Prelude. If it does, then you know it's notdraining the battery and most like a main fuse or something along those lines. If the batter won't start the Prelude, then I have no idea.

 

okay im very glad you just brought that up because i tried just that. i put the prelude battery in the integra then jump started it with my dads car and it worked. i shut it off and it went 100% dead again..i then swapped the battery back into the prelude and when i did the prelude started back up without having to be jumped. soo its not actually draining the battery, somethings just causing it to not work unless its jumped when the battery is in the integra..if that makes sense. so what does this mean? alternator or relay or...

 

ALSO!!...i just remembered, as dumb as this makes me sound for not including this in the first place...i didnt encounter this starting problem until one day when the light was left on over night in the car. i tried to jump start it with my prelude and when i touched the 4th cable to the negative terminal on the integra i got a HUGE zap..i left the cables on there anyways for a minute to left it charge but they started litterly melting and it distroyed that pair of jumper cables...after that, the car started only starting when it is jumped...thats all the useful information i can give u guys...

 

and no, nothing works..no windows, hazards, dome lights...absolutley nothing

 

Sounds like the jumpers polarity was reversed - and the job now is to trace with a voltmeter to see what fried.

Since the cables got hot enough to melt, chances are that some of your wiring did too. That means junctions (wire to connector, connector to connector, connector to ground, etc) can heat to the point of discoloring/oxidizing. At that point, while they can look Ok, they're failed and passing little or no current in spite of looking mechanically sound.

Do you have a volt-ohm meter - and know how to use it?

 

Have you tried what I suggested with the test light?

When jumping, [with Prelude batt.] where are you connecting the jumper cables on the Teg?

It is unlikely an alt. problem, as engine runs once jumped, the same goes for any relay, again because engine runs once jumped.

This is a connection problem between batt. and the car. 94

 

when i jump the car im doing standard jumping im pretty positive that i didnt mix up the wiring on the terminals but maybe i did...
i dont have a test light or a ohm meter but i can get one..what should i check when i get one?

 

Start at the battery (+) and follow the power to the under-hood fuse/relay box. Check that the power goes through the first big fuse. The battery cable goes into that box, is screwed down, immediately goes through that fuse.. You should see 12.6V on both sides of that big fuse. I think you won't - and that the fuse is likely blown. However, it could be elsewhere, and that's where the volt-ohm meter comes in handy.

You can also check the ground (-) wire to make sure that it is making good electrical contact with the chassis/fender where it bolts on.

One example, if you touch one lead of the voltmeter to the transmission case, and one to the battery + terminal, and don't see 12.6 volts DC (if it's fully charged) - then the path is broken somewhere in the ground from battery to fender, fender to transmission housing.

It would help if you had a wiring diagram to follow, but I think you'll discover that it is something basic and not difficult or obscure.

Use your eyes too; given that description I'd expect to see some evidence of heat or charring at the point of failure if it is a connector or wire.

Good luck

 

I did not mean, did you mix the "wiring" I mean where did you connect the jumper cables?

Did you just clamp them to the cable clamps of the 93 Teg, EG; batt. cables of teg are connected to the Tegs batt. posts, [and you get nothing, like batt. is dead] but if you connect the jumper cables, from your Preludes batt. to the Tegs batt. cable clamps, [that are still connected to the Tegs batt.] the car starts and runs and will keep running even if you disconnect the jumper cables?

You also tried to install the Preludes batt. into the Teg and it still would not start, [like batt. was dead] is that correct?

If so^^^ test connections using the 12V test light...

Start by touching test prob to the batt. pos.(+) post, [not the clamp] and the test light ground to the batt. neg.(-) post, [again, not the clamp], does light turn on?

If so^^^ move probe from batt. pos.(+) post to pos.(+) clamp, does light still turn on?

If so^^^ move test light ground from neg.(-) post to neg.(-) clamp, does light still turn on?

If so^^^ connect the test light ground to the neg.(-) batt. clamp and move probe to the starters batt. cable terminal, [ring terminal] at the starter motor, if light still turns on move it to the post the ring terminal is connected to, if light still turns on move probe to input terminal on under dash fuse box and so on, your testing how far the power gets so test past each connection point.

If you have power to the starter and past the main fuse in under dash fuse box, the power connections are not your problem.

Move test light ground to the batt. pos.(+) batt. clamp and touch probe to batt. neg.(-) post then the neg.(-) batt cable clamp then to the cars chassis, [strut shock tower studs and nuts will work] then to cars engine, does test light light up at all points? 94

 

i just cleaned all the grounds on the car everything is tight and free of any corrosion. when i opened the fuse box under the hood the metal piece inside of the relay that u are reffering to is still in tact (meaning that it dosent look blown alothough i have no test light or ohm tester to confirm that its not.) but ill have to wait a couple days before i can get my hands on one of these voltage tester to really crack don on it i guess

 

All you need is a $2.99 12V test light.
I have an expensive Fluke multimeter but 90% of the time I use a cheap, [$1.99 when on sale] 12V test light to troubleshoot electrical issues. 94

 

All very good info fcm, If you reversed polarity on the batter your likely to have fried some **** or blown something, Ive seen on on a few cars dude did it car still started but man alot of **** didnt work thats for sure. Just check all grounds, voltage where it should be. You know it starts when you jump it cool so go to the **** you do not know, like fcm has stated, good luck wiring sux

And for the record car running 13.3-14.2 or something. I see 14.4 sometimes. 12.5 means your not charging it because the batterys state fully charged is 12.65 or so.

 

well now it just wont start at all. i repladed the tranny ground wire, and the valve cover ground wire, and its still does nothing when i turn the key. if itry to by-pass jump it, the starter just makes a quick clunk and thats it..no sign of starting it. i think what i should try is going to the junkyard and try pulling a starter, and the power lead and other wires too off a good car. maybe it is just a bad fuse but idk. could the relay thats suppose to say 12.6 look fine but actually be blown?

 

anybody?

 

What general area you live in? Perhaps someone nearby can give it a look, esp. if they're handy with a voltmeter..

 

i live in central mass in a town called dudley..about 45 minutes from boston