Please help me!!!!!

I was driving the Prelude I just bought when the batt. light came on and went off a min. or so later... then, the radio started cutting on and off, alternator right?? I don't think so. Car dies, tried to jump it, it turned over, but no start... waited a little while and nothing, like the battery wasen't even there. Come to find out battery was completely dead, no good anymore so replaced it. Turned over again, - terminal sparked, then nothing. The harness on the + side of the battery was loose so that was replaced. This is where it gets freaky... I was messing with the interior light fuse, taking a screw from it to replace the lost one on the battery fuse. I put the key in and got all the telltale signs of a dead battery; dim lights, weak buzzing from the seatbelt alarm... then I take out my frustrations by banging the negitave post on the battery with a pair of pliers... and everything comes on!!! Try to start,turn on winshield wipers, sneeze... u name it and it will kill the good connection with the battery. Oh, and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse... when I open my door, the dome light turns off, when I close it, it comes on... I must have sat there for 10 mins opening and closing my door in disbelief. (Dosen't do it anymore, don't ask why) I'm thinking it may very well be a bad alternator that has evolved into an electrical nightmare

this sounds like a long shot, but are your possitive and negative battery terminals mixed up. because as I remember the door trigger for the dome light is just a ground connection so when the door is open it is grounded and when it's closed it's not so the lights off, but if you have the possitive to the ground then it would be on while closed and off while open.... right?... Maybe I'm completely mistaken. I have no clue what is wrong.

No they are connected properly. that would be kinda embaressing... but thanks for the tip!

Ok. i got it to turn over. i hammered a screw into the negative terminal. and now it has power and tries to start turns over fine but now it just wont start.

Ok. i got it to turn over. i hammered a screw into the negative terminal. and now it has power and tries to start turns over fine but now it just wont start.

You hammered a screw into the your battery?!?! What the hell made you decide that was a good idea?

Are you getting spark to your plugs? Are you getting fuel to the injectors? Those are two things I would start with...

I was driving the Prelude I just bought when the batt. light came on and went off a min. or so later... then, the radio started cutting on and off, alternator right?? I don't think so. Car dies, tried to jump it, it turned over, but no start... waited a little while and nothing, like the battery wasen't even there. Come to find out battery was completely dead, no good anymore so replaced it. Turned over again, - terminal sparked, then nothing. The harness on the + side of the battery was loose so that was replaced. This is where it gets freaky... I was messing with the interior light fuse, taking a screw from it to replace the lost one on the battery fuse. I put the key in and got all the telltale signs of a dead battery; dim lights, weak buzzing from the seatbelt alarm... then I take out my frustrations by banging the negitave post on the battery with a pair of pliers... and everything comes on!!! Try to start,turn on winshield wipers, sneeze... u name it and it will kill the good connection with the battery. Oh, and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse... when I open my door, the dome light turns off, when I close it, it comes on... I must have sat there for 10 mins opening and closing my door in disbelief. (Dosen't do it anymore, don't ask why) I'm thinking it may very well be a bad alternator that has evolved into an electrical nightmare

make sure all fuses in you fuse box are still good. because of poor battery connections, you probably damage the engine computer (ECU) when you tried to start your engine. good luck dude.

I was driving the Prelude I just bought when the batt. light came on and went off a min. or so later... then, the radio started cutting on and off, alternator right?? I don't think so. Car dies, tried to jump it, it turned over, but no start... waited a little while and nothing, like the battery wasen't even there. Come to find out battery was completely dead, no good anymore so replaced it. Turned over again, - terminal sparked, then nothing. The harness on the + side of the battery was loose so that was replaced. This is where it gets freaky... I was messing with the interior light fuse, taking a screw from it to replace the lost one on the battery fuse. I put the key in and got all the telltale signs of a dead battery; dim lights, weak buzzing from the seatbelt alarm... then I take out my frustrations by banging the negitave post on the battery with a pair of pliers... and everything comes on!!! Try to start,turn on winshield wipers, sneeze... u name it and it will kill the good connection with the battery. Oh, and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse... when I open my door, the dome light turns off, when I close it, it comes on... I must have sat there for 10 mins opening and closing my door in disbelief. (Dosen't do it anymore, don't ask why) I'm thinking it may very well be a bad alternator that has evolved into an electrical nightmare


I hope that you have this prelude on the road already, but if you don't. Well you mentioned that you bought a new battery. Did you charge the new battery before installing it? I sell batteries and I know that batteries don't really have a good charge on them when they are new. I always put them on a slow 2amp charge for a while before starting the vehicle. A 2 hour long 35 amp charge would do it some good also if you don't have the time or access to a 2 amp charger.
A prelude has much electronics and high compression. If you don't have a good and charged up battery. It won't start very well. Also There could be a loose ground somewhere on the car. It is impossible to know for sure without checking it. But there is a ground wire on the opposite side of the engine compartment as the battery. It bolts to the valve cover. Ive seen this wire break off before. Something about motors with alot of torque. They seem to break wires. Go figure.
The obvious things to check first are the simplest. Good charge on battery, and good conection. Just because it might turn the engine over doesn't mean that it has enough charge to power the ecm. And Make for sure that the key is off when you connect the battery cables. If not, that spark you see will serge the ecm and kill it. Ive done it. It isn't pretty. And its expensive. Also check the 10mm bolt connecting the possitive battery cable to alternater. It is behind the rubber boot on the alternater.
I hope this helps you some.
lilwhitelude

Tapping and tugging on electrical components is a good trouble shooting technique, but beating on stuff will give you an education (expensive). When there are confusing symptoms, always look for loose, bad or intermittant grounds. Check all grounds by visual, tugging, jumpering etc. The battery man has good advice, if the battery ain't working then you got troubles.

does any one know how to change the bulb on the cig ash tray door for a prelude 1996?