heres my situation....i have a 90 accord lx and i live in wi. i have to leave it parked out side, and it recently got really cold and when i went to start it in the morning, it turned over hard and then it wouldnt even turn over. i have a brand new battery...everytime i go to start it, the whole dash dims hardcore...i checked all the connections and the starter fuse is good so what else could be the problem??

 

You might have a failing alternator, hard to tell

 

yeah but even if it was a bad alternator the car should at least crank over until the new battery was out of juice....

 

anyone have an idea?

 

Was this brand new battery ever fully charged? The ones on the shelf at the auto parts store have only a partial charge. A really cheap voltmeter can really be your friend now. Measure voltage at the battery with nothing on. Turn on the headlights, measure. Try to start, measure.

Properly charged, a new sealed battery should be at least 13 volts. With the lights on it should still have 12+. With the starter engaged it should still be at least 10.

Did you check the connections at the starter? They can crud up too. Ground connection at battery and motor? Bad solenoid?

With the engine running and no accessories or lights on, the battery voltage should be at least 13 1/2 more like 14.

 

double check the battery connections, and have you try jumping the car???

 

I'm having this problem today w/my 94 Accord. Won't crank at all. Battery is new, dash lights, stereo, headlights all come on and work as normal, no cel. I checked the connections on the battery and starter, everything is tight and connected, still won't crank. God I hope it's something minor. It has done this 3 times now. Once 2 years ago(cold as hell outside). Once a month ago(cold as hell outside) and today(cold as hell outside). Why does it only do it when it's cold outside?

 

yeah...i dont know...i think my starters fried, but i dont know...

the car wont jump either...