One of my employees' 1996 V6 accord died in our parking lot last week.
The car would not start. All the electricals came on fine, but the starter would only click.
I checked the battery and all the connections before focusing on the starter.
I removed the starter and had it tested. The solenoid was sticking and it turned slow.
I replaced the starter and the engine turned over but would not start.
At the same time, a thin thread of smoke came out from under the battery and from around the driver-side headlight. It smelled like burned paint, not gas or electrical.
Rechecked all the electrical connections, including the coil, with no luck.
The engine turns over but won't crank. And there is still some smoke from under the battery and headlight area.
The owner has seriously abused this car. It has been in several accidents and the entire front bumpeer assembly was recently replaced.
I can see no reason for the car not starting or for the smoke. It ran and started fine before the untimely dirt nap of the starter.
Any suggestions as to what could be causing the problem would be greatly appreciated. My worker has limited funds — he is a newspaper reporter after all — and I would like to get his wheels running again. But after a decade of working on cars, this one has me stumped.
Thanks.