2003 Civic will not start after battery change

[rollbacktowtruck91]

I have a 2003 Honda Civic. I replaced the engine and had it running great. A friend of mine changed the battery out to move it while I was at work. First it would only start and run for about 10-15 seconds, once it died it would not restart unless you reset the computer, and it will run for 10-15 seconds then die again. I took the battery out and put a jump box on it and no change. It started making a bunch of clicking noise from behind glove box, and the dash lights blink rapidly after attempt to start. I'm kinda at a loss on this one. I know the grounds and sensors are good since it RAN indefinitely until the battery got swapped. I also noticed the coolant temp will hit the highest temperature on the guage after attempting to start and only comes back down when you turn key off and back on. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Stealthee]

I bet your friend hooked it up backwards and shorted something. Time to start digging and figure out what fuses are blown.

[rollbacktowtruck91]

He owns a Civic as well and has replaced the battery before in his. No fuses are blown. I'm wondering if the security system has immobilized the car.

I would also like to state that I have checked common problems such as fuses, fuel pump, ground wires, sensor connections, etc. Im extremely mechanically inclined. I work on diesel tow trucks for a living. So I'm not a stranger to under the hood. I know Honda's have electric grimlins and was hoping someone had encountered this before and could help guide to where the problem/s might be before I spend countless hours and money trying to fix the car.

[rollbacktowtruck91]

I reset the security system per Honda's instructions. No dice. I do notice the battery light flicker a bit. And the temp guage no longer pegs out when I attempt to start the car.

Update: now the speedometer will bounce up n down (from 0 mph to 120mph) while trying to crank. Also the infamous steering column buzzing will happen after an attempt to crank. But if you depress brake or pull on the shifter lock it will go away until you release.

[Copytech99]

This model is prone to troubles with loose bolts near alternator, that cause damage to the ECU.

[rollbacktowtruck91]

Originally Posted by Copytech99

This model is prone to troubles with loose bolts near alternator, that cause damage to the ECU.

I will check it out when I get home. Luckily I have a spare ECU for this car from the same car I took the engine from. It was a roll over car from a buddy of mine. But didn't want to put the doner ECU in until I resolved the problem. If there was one.

[Copytech99]

Make sure the bolts are correct first, to prevent damage to other ECU.

[rollbacktowtruck91]

Originally Posted by Copytech99

Make sure the bolts are correct first, to prevent damage to other ECU.

As I stated before ^this^ reply. "But didn't want to put the doner ECU in until I resolved the problem. If there is one."