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2000 Civic EX w/ B18b1 swap. 217,000 miles on the chassis. This motor has been in for 150,000 miles with no electrical issues EVER.
I drove 90 miles Wed morning and stopped for coffee before heading back. From that point on, no power is getting to the starter solenoid, main relay or fuel pump. With the key in the on position, only SRS, Brake and Seat Belt lamps illuminate on the dash. CEL, oil light, etc, do not come on as usual. See video below.
I had the car towed back and have only test and tried a couple of things in the dark:
battery voltage 12.45v. All non-engine eletrical working perfectly (lights, radio, HVAC, etc)
Connections at starter, battery and ground are good.
I'm not able to jump the starter straight from the battery.
swapped my OBD1 ECU out for stock OBD2a P75, no change
I won't be able to start diagnosis until Saturday. Anyone have any initial thoughts?My current theory is that it's the ignition switch. If the plastic switch on the back of the ignition lock is worn, they key may not be rotating it far enough get it to the 'start' position. Possible?
By "not able to jump the starter from the battery" do you mean you weren't able to perform the test, or that you did it and it had no effect? If you did and it had no effect, that means it's the starter. Since you also don't have power at the main relay, I'm assuming the starter isn't the problem, and I concur with the likelihood of it being the ignition switch.
By "not able to jump the starter from the battery" do you mean you weren't able to perform the test, or that you did it and it had no effect? If you did and it had no effect, that means it's the starter. Since you also don't have power at the main relay, I'm assuming the starter isn't the problem, and I concur with the likelihood of it being the ignition switch.
I first called AAA for battery service. The tech found battery to be good, so he had a little push button starter starter he put in between the battery and starter solenoid. The ignition switch still has to be reach 'start' position for it to work, so there was no change in behavior.
I had the ignition switch and lock apart in my previous Civic. The switch itself is all plastic, and where the metal piece from the lock engages it, it was chewed to hell from daily use. Kinda thinking it's only being rotated part way by the lock and key now.
Ignition switch test good both electrically and mechanically this morning. Thanks for idea though NVturbo. I was sure that would be it.
I went ahead and THOROUGHLY cleaned the battery posts, dabbed on some fresh dialectric grease and reconnected. On my 1st attempt to start, the battery and oil lights illuminated on the dash and the starter solenoid clicked, but that was it. Still no fuel pump. There is some brief change then when power is removed, then reconnected.
I removed the key, tried again. No battery or oil light this time. No click from the start solenoid, BUT, when I went to start, the cooling fans came on, then off when I released the key. WTF? That worries me.
I'm going to go back out to clean and reattached chassis grounds and starter connections next, then start working my way through fuses and relays. Will report back.
What others are trying to ask of you is if you jump the starter solenoid (pin for the small wire) to the battery, the engine should crank. It may not start, but it needs to turn like it is being started. This tests the battery, starter, and the main power and ground wires. It bypasses all of the other wiring in the car. If it does not crank, you need to check those major parts before considering anything else.
Of course you should check the fuses. I think the things you say don't come on may be on the same ignition or ECU fuse.
The two white wires on the ignition switch are the always live feed from the main fuse box. They are wired in parallel at the source, but they both have to be live all the time.
Basically all the main wires on the ignition switch except the starter (black with white stripe) should be live with the key turned to position II, the position for running.
SOLVED - corrosion on the chassis ground at the starter.
I swapped the transmission last summer. Probably should have been more diligent cleaning and treating my contact points with dialectic grease during reassembly. Roads had been salted the morning before the problem. Probably just the last bit of corrosion it needed to stop making contact. Check those grounds kids!
Is that the only ground wire between the chassis and the transmission ? If so, you need to move it from the starter to the proper tab bracket found forward of the starter bolted directly to the top of the transmission case. The other end goes to the FRAME RAIL and not the shock tower. There will be a 6mm threaded hole with a locator slot next to it (for the small "L" portion of the ring terminal of the ground wire that is now bent like a "V" from being improperly installed).
****. I looked at the service manual and you're right. That bracket isn't on this transmission though. Hopefully, it's on one of the other ones at home or in the tranny parts bin. Thanks guys!
****. I looked at the service manual and you're right. That bracket isn't on this transmission though. Hopefully, it's on one of the other ones at home or in the tranny parts bin. Thanks guys!
You could simply bolt it directly to one of the 8mm threaded bosses on the top of the transmission if you cannot find the bracket... but you will need to open up the hole in the trans end of the ground wire to accommodate the larger bolt (the stock size is a 6mm instead of an 8mm). Finding the bracket is the best way.