serious starting problem

[red93EH2]

i have a 93 civic, and i have recently came across a problem with power. my battery has been getting more dead in last few days everytime i try to start it, sometimes id have to bump start it. now when i try to start it, i turn the key on, and everything lights up fine. then i try to start it, and it clicks and everything shuts off. i mean everything, even my headunit loses memory. after i let it sit for a little, i will get some power again, but the same thing happens when i try to start it. if anyone knows anything about this it would help a lot. this is my daily driver, and i have school and work.

 

[speedygonzales]

your battery is dying/dead... Best bet is to charge it, take it out and bring it to auto zone or napa and get it tested to see if its bad. If it is then its time to get a new battery. If it isn't bad and it still is loosing a charge then start looking at the alternator... it could be going bad in which case you'd need to replace it

 

[red93EH2]

the battery is two months old. but once i get the car started, everything is fine, with plenty of power. wouldnt that mean the alternator is putting out enough power?

 

[speedygonzales]

hmmm... well if the battery is charged then the car will run fine for awhile before the battery starts to die. here's a quick test you can do... get the car started then while its running disconnect the negitive cable from the battery. If the car still runs then the alternator is running fine, and you should prolly bring the battery back to test it and if its faulty then they should replace it under warrenty. If the car dies when you disconnect the battery cable then your alternator is bad or there is a faulty conncection somewhere between your alternator and battery

 

[red93EH2]

well now i have a problem. i rolled it down the driveway and unsuccessfully bump started it, im now in the yard with no more hill. i have a 1 amp battery charger that takes forever. but my multimeter says that my battery has 12 volts... also now when i try to start it, everything shuts off but as soon as i turn the key off then back on i get lights again.

 

[speedygonzales]

It sounds like you got enough to power all the dash lights but not enough to turn the starter over... and unless I'm mistaken (some on correct me if I'm wrong) it should read 12 volts unless its dead because its a 12 volt system

 

[red93EH2]

thats what im thinking. once its running i think it should be like 14.4 i believe, but if its off it should be around 12. i just dont get it. it should turn over fine.. it maybe could be the starter

 

[speedygonzales]

that sounds about right. All I can think of right now is to just charge it and see what happens... but its starting to sound more and more like a faulty battery... and also a bad starter wouldn't cause you to lose power inside the car

 

[red93EH2]

it has to be a bad battery then. im pretty sure it wouldnt drive fine after pop starting it if it was a alternator.

 

[speedygonzales]

Yeah you're right. I'd say charge it then bring the battery back to wherever you bought it and have them test it and if its bad then they should replace it under warrenty

 

[red93EH2]

yeah. i still even have my warranty receipt. time to test the customer service of walmart.

 

[Logan98036wa]

good luck with walmart. It sounds like the lead from your alternator is lose causing it to make enough contact while driving to keep the car running but not enough to make the car start with out regaining a little power while driving. try tightening the screw under the plastic cap that should be on the left of your alternator

 

[speedygonzales]

good luck with walmart. It sounds like the lead from your alternator is lose causing it to make enough contact while driving to keep the car running but not enough to make the car start with out regaining a little power while driving. try tightening the screw under the plastic cap that should be on the left of your alternator

the walmarts I've been to have never given me a problem when it comes to returning stuff... I guess it just depends on where you go. Also what ^he said about the alternator connection... or check the ground connection for the alternator... I know the ground on my old prelude got some corrosion on it and it jacked up my whole charging system

 

[Logan98036wa]

did you happen to check them yet? just trace the wires look for anything funny with the grounds or leads

 

[red93EH2]

s**t man. i feel so dumb. bad ground on the battery. visually it was fine, but when i put the multimeter on the battery terminals, it read about 12-12.5, when put the multimeter on the positive terminal and the 10mm bolt for the main battery ground, it read less than 1. the threads on the bolt were all rusted out and messed up. grabbed a new standard 10mm honda bolt thats used on over half the car, and put it in a new hole right beside it, started right up. im happy yet so pissed. well that just goes to show anyone who looks at this thread in the future to find their problem, check all ground connections first.