the only tool you need is a multimeter and someone to crank the motor.not much.

 

Even just a 12V test light will work along with a jumper lead. 94

 

i just had the same problem on my ef and it turned out to be the ground from battery to transmission...easy way to test is take a jumper cable from battery ground to the starter body then turn the key....if it starts clean up your grounds

 

whirling noise did it always do that? gotta see if that noise is coming from the starter. if it is then i would pull the starter and hook it up to a battery to see if the starter gear kicks out. maybe whole starter needs to be replaced

double check grounds as suggested

 

you won't be able to see a voltage drop with test light unless you are loosing half of the voltage required to crank the motor over.Plus you need to see the amperage.A 4 banger should consume not more than 200 amps.

 

For basic testing you do not need to know if there is a voltage drop or what the current draw is, all you need yo know is that there is voltage on the starter lead at the starter solenoid when cranking to start.
The jumper lead is to do a bypass jump...
https://honda-tech.com/forums/tech-misc-15/simple-diy-start-circuit-test-%5Bbypass-jump%5D-2961164/

Again, these are simple tests anyone, with a 12V test light and a piece of scrap wire, can do, it will tell you if the CIS, [A/T gear position switch] are good and working, if the starter relay is working, if the ign. switch is working if the wiring between the ign. switch and the starter solenoid are good.

The jumper lead will tell you if the starter and starter solenoid are good, [if it cranks the engine.

Further testing with a multimeter may be needed if the above does not show results, most of the time they will. 94

 

The above will show only the voltage approximately.If the starter motor pulls more Amps than it should good luck with a test light! Test light is only to see if the wire is suppluying the starter with a battery voltage not more not less .Test light is o.k. to see if there is ignition signal to the solenoid(and of course the relay).If you do not have the proper voltage while cranking(I.E above 9.6V) and 200 Amp draw forget about the starting.The voltage drop could be on the negative side as much as on the positive side !You gotta test them both!

 

I hooked up a test light to the starter solenoid power wire and then to the negative post on the battery. The car started on the first try. When I get home I'm going to go over all the grounds and see if it happens again.

 

Solenoid power wire and negative of the battery?????? It is a coincidense .With that setup mensioned above the light should light up and that's about it.

 

+1

 

I have to agree with exb18c1.

If you ground the test light to the batt., [or any ground point] and touch the probe to the "starter solenoid power wire", and you mean the thicker of the two leads at the starter, [batt. cable] the test light will/should turn on, if you touch the probe to the thinner of the two, the test light will/should turn on when you turn ign. switch to start.

That is all that it will do, the car starting is, as mentioned, a coincidence".

The only connection I can see is if the starter wire, [thinner of the two] terminal and the starter solenoids terminal were so corroded up a poor or no connection was made, unplugging or even moving it could be enough to make the connection.

Your right though, you should check your grounds, poor grounds are a far more common electrical problem then poor "powers" 94

 

Yeah, what exb18c1 and yourself said makes total sense. It probably was a huge coincidence but when I removed the test light the car didn't start. I didn't have a chance to do any more than that because the wife wanted to get to shopping. When we came back to the car it started. It only refuses to start after a long drive. When I get home tonight I'll have a change to play around.

 

So a little update on my issue.

I used a test light on the starter lead terminal with the other end on the battery ground. No light.

I can run a wire from the starter lead terminal to battery positive and the starter cranks the engine; with the clutch pedal pressed the car will start fine.

I figured the alarm might be the issue so I disconnected the DEI starter relay kit and connected the Black/White wires together. The engine cranks but doesn't start; the clutch is pressed down. However, I might have something else down the line that I didn't reconnect.

I'm running out of ideas.